Photo by by Christoph Neumann
Free: able to act or be done as one wishes; not under the control of another/ not or no longer confined or imprisoned.
It’s been one year since former KEEP SHELLY IN ATHENS leading lady SARAH P. released first solo material in the form of I Misbehave. Now, another year and a few more tracks have passed and the Greek singer who resides in Berlin is ready to launch her solo debut EP Free. It’s out today on the singer’s birthday and you can get it on iTunes, as limited vinyl and stream it on Spotify below.
In January SARAH P. will also play Eurosonic Noorderslag and since she’s part of the NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION family we’re more than happy to give the young lady the well-deserved space right here to talk about the progress of recording it, freeing herself from the demons of the past and re-locating herself in that complex musical microcosm.
I wrote most of the songs of the EP while struggling with deep feelings of sadness, stress and agony. After leaving the band and seeking refuge to Sweden, I got back to my hometown and started dealing with my demons. I thought that running away from them would turn them into ash, but, apparently, it made them grow bigger and stronger than ever.
Meanwhile, the whole world has been changing. So many scandals emerging, war zones, terror attacks, climate changes. Yet, life goes on and for the sake of it, most of the people adopt a careless, ignorant attitude that’s fruitful ground for the seeds of hate.
Agnostic, egotistic and in despair, we’ve become people who stopped caring about cultivating ourselves. We learn the numbers to count our followers on social media. We give our hearts to funny memes and sweets that cure our hypoglycemia.
I deny to believe that we’ve turned into super superficial beings; this is all happening because we’re lost and we think that ignoring a couple of things is not bad after all. We make it easier for ourselves just to not lose it completely
I’ve been drowning in my own personal chaos. I’ve been seeking for the light, perpetually. I wrote those songs to find shelter and then share them with my peers. We might be a troubled generation but we are fucking strong. We can make a change, we can bring the difference, but only if we wake up from lethargy.
Free is a tragedy where its heroine strives for the catharsis. Her past is intertwined with her present, leaving her weak. She’s sick. We follow her while she’s trying to find the courage to get up again. She wants her life back. The songs jump from the light to the dark and contrariwise. The lyrics come out as words that will never been told in a face to face interraction. It also serves as a ‘how to get free from your demons’ list.
We’ve all made our mistakes. We’re all somehow hurt. We’ve all somehow hurt somebody. We cannot dwell on our pain. What do we do to move on? What do we do to break our chains from our past and live free?
Sarah P.’s solo debut EP “Free” is out now.
Dirty Sunday
There’re always those moments in one’s life that are truly regretted afterwards. We sometimes risk too much, overestimating ourselves. Or we feel adventurous and casual. We fall in a deep, dark well, only to come out of it full of guilt and embarassment. I’ve almost drowned in that well, but something – angels – pulled me out. Since then, I’ve lost my sleep in the remembrance of what I’ve thought, said and done. I’ve come out ‘dirty’, but, after all, I’m still alive and have all the time in the world to cleanse.
Dirty Sunday is a hazy memory of frozen streets and feelings. The moment when you ask everyone to leave you alone and they hear you. The moment you realize that you need to get yourself together and re-evaluate everything around you.
Let It Go
‘I am supposed to let it go’ – the wounds, the whatever, whenever, wherever I lost my pride, the guilt. The lyrics came to me as a free association.
As a step two to the step one, words will be spoken. Words that are easier said than done. I’ve been broken. I’ve been bruised. There have been weird, bad things happening to me and definitely not because I was asking for it. And yet, I’ve been told numerous times that I have to forget about those horrible things and move forward. But I keep asking myself why. Why am I the one who has to live with it?
We’re taught not to fight for justice, we’re taught to let things go. We’re the army of people who never claim back what’s been taken from them. We’re an army that’s changing pavements when they meet with their foes. We need to be honest, we need to be more confronting. We need to claim back what they stole from us.
Little Soul
The only way to confront is to not stay silent. Report, demand, stand for yourself. Never hide what they did to you – it wasn’t your fault. You don’t need to hide. We don’t need to hide anymore. I know it hurts and that it’s scarred you deeply. The wounds won’t heal that easy. It ain’t going to pass. But you can restart. Start fresh. You should have all the rights to do so. To reboot.
In fact, your little soul is way bigger than you think it is. In fact, you’re way braver than you think you are. Hang on there but don’t lay back. Work on recovering – not for anybody but for yourself. Fill your life with people and things that you want and love and get rid of the toxic ones. That’s the only way that you can move forward. The only way to break from the past is to envision the future.
I’d Go
I wrote two songs with the same title. The first one was an anti-war theme. I will probably release it soon. This I’d Go served better the EP and the idea behind it. In order to get rid of the toxic environment, one needs to be brave and bold. This song serves as my personal anthem. I am no stranger to packing my stuff and moving to somewhere else. At a certain point, I realized that the reasons I did so were not substantial enough to justify such big moves. Surely, I was younger and more naive. Surely, I’ve lost much of my romanticism on the way.
What I’ve been seeking for is a home. I’ve been searching for it. After I left my band I had nothing keeping me in my hometown anymore. Athens has been hostile to me – many horrible things happened that somehow were pointing the exit to me. I’d Go is a song about immigration and about how hard and exciting it is to leave your home behind. I’d Go is about feeling chased and hurt but also hopeful and full of passion in order to claim a piece of land where you can settle and start over.
Dishes
If there was a story plot that should have been followed strictly then Dishes would follow Dirty Sunday. They’re both part of one of the most dramatic nights in my entire life.
Dishes is all about this idea of detoxicating one’s life. We’re all more or less been in these kind of relationships (no matter if they’re romantic, business or friendships) that we felt we were downgrading ourselves. Not necessarily because the other people are bad, but mostly because we’re so insecure to admit that they’re not good enough for us – like, we don’t match with them. The only steady person in my life is my mother. She is literally my rock. She always has the best advice and she knows me better than I know myself. I’m lucky to have a person in my life who’s going to ‘take me in’ no matter what. She’s been my savior. She pulled me out of that deep well and if anything, I owe her my life. ‘Mom, I’m coming home – I need my bed’.
Dishes is an uplifting, sarcastic song. It talks about the aftermath of a rushed pairing.
Moving On
Moving On is a song that I’ve released a while now and it was fitting to the whole idea of Free. This point will come that you’ll feel determined, that you’ll feel ready to move on. Although your scars will still be itchy, the bad times are only a reminiscent and you only have time for the future. If the traits we cultivate in a lifetime were a necklace that we never take off, that’s the moment you can add two charms on it : strength and confidence. Once you realize that the time is now and we’re here, nothing can stop you. You are ready to move on and change it all. You can be your own hero.
Golden Deer (feat. Hiras)
This song is about dreaming again. It’s about having a vision after a long period of being drenched into stagnant waters. Embracing the unknown and getting your hands dirty – funny how it all starts and ends in dirt, after all! There’s no more to say to that. Positivity and eagerness for what’s coming up next!
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