German-Filipino vocalist, songwriter, and producer Ray Lozano released her debut album, Pairing Mode, along with the Pairing Mode short film, which is available on YouTube and features much of the music from her album.
Lozano, who was born and raised in Cologne, enjoys experimenting with the keyboard and bass. Her album consists of twelve musical short tales that revolve around the themes of belonging, change, and isolation, depicting the newfound pace of living during the pandemic.
The album was largely composed in 2020 and 2021. Parissa Charghi, a visual artist, created a stunningly beautiful lyrical video to go with “Pairing Mode.”
In each tune or chapter of the album, Ray Lozano shifts through various perspectives on isolation, from yearning for love to feeling contempt for oneself, being lost, and then empowered once more. The emotional dreamy space between sadness and optimism is guided by Ray’s honest words and her sensitive yet sophisticated and bold voice.
Each track is “a moment that has been captured and is complete as it is.” Despite being brief, the songs have an enduring impact because they flawlessly capture the many fleeting ideas and emotional states that arise during times of loneliness and transformation.
The album can be listened to for an urge or requirement, a need for experimentation, for room, for a good chuckle, for “situations,” for quietness, for lightness, or for clarity.
Ray and her co-producer, Samon Kawamura, who has produced music for artists such as Max Herre, Joy Denalane, and Megaloh, have produced a milestone in German-Asian culture.
Their music has been compared to Tierra Whack’s oddball style and the artistic and emotional depth of Solange’s “When I Get Home,” but Ray Lozano’s unique style is always clearly audible. Direct, calming, and lighthearted, her music provides a feeling of familiarity.
Watch the Pairing Mode short film below.
#Peace.Love.RayLozano
