North London artist, Natalie Shay, is one of those artists you wish you had discovered sooner. Crafting honest, relatable tracks based on love, self-discovery and the everyday experiences of being a twenty-something, Shay is a poignant storyteller that continues to break genre boundaries between pop, rock, and indie, making her one to watch in 2023!
Shay’s latest single, “The Edge,” tells the tale of a painful end of a close friendship. Accompanied by it’s stellar B-side, “everything’s been happening,” the two tracks delve into the self-reflection one experiences after going through something that had grown bad for you and your mental health while finally seeing the red flags that had been there all along.
“This is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever released, and as the feelings are still very raw, I’m hoping to find closure in this,” shared the singer. “Despite missing her and the good parts of the friendship so much, I know in order to still respect myself, I have to honor the power of an apology, and in this case, the lack there of one.”
Both tracks coincide with the overall theme of understanding the power of a dream and how that can often cloud one’s vision while shaping their entire personality; a sort of one-track mind where one stops at nothing to achieve it, sacrificing their own well-being, happiness and relationships. “I am guilty of this myself, a lot of my mental health, personality and entire identity are completely wrapped up in my work,” admits Shay. “This is the same for a lot of creatives and people with a dream or goal from a young age in general. On realization that these goals may not happen the way you’d always planned, or realizing things are going to be much harder than you ever expected, this can cause trouble for some people who lack the courage. I think me and my friend are guilty of this, and subsequently this triggered the downfall.”
Listen to “The Edge” and “everything’s been happening” below:
