ayushi
Once in a while, we come across artists whose music personify their feelings in a way that one can really ‘listen’ to them. Sharlene Monique is one such artist.
Sharlene-Monique is an award-winning singer-songwriter, who began singing in church aged 4. Her debut single ‘YOU’ has been streamed over 135,000 times on Spotify, with 12,000 monthly listeners and won Best Solo, Best Inspirational and Music Video Of The Year at the Jump Music Video Awards 2017.
Her latest EP “Destiny” is an expression of gratitude and happiness. One can ‘listen’ to singer, enjoying her own narrative. As a result, the vibes transfer to the listener and a smile immediately comes on face. Such thoughtful music is hard to find these days and we feel enamored to share it with our readers.
Musically, the EP is majorly backed by guitar and drum. Considering that the singer is trying to ‘build’ a thought process through her story, these instruments serve the purpose quite well. Today, Fuzzable shares its review of the EP. Hope you will enjoy the tracks as much as we did:
Awe and Wonder (featuring Billy Crabtree)
Routines are always monotonous. “Same old” activities that one had been carrying out since childhood don’t amount to anything significant. This is how majority of people perceive their lives but Sharlene seems to be an exception.
In this single, she calls out to listeners to look for those small moments that made living meaningful for them. Those “little moments” make us look back at our lives and reflect on things we did right. Hence, they need to be perceived with “awe and wonder”. In simple words, the single is about acceptance of life as it comes to us.The song ends with a toast to life that each individual has been living and demands “more of it”.
Such celebration of mundane makes the artist and her work stand out.
What is Destiny
To the listeners, it might seem that this clip has missed its right place in the order of tracks. An introduction to the EP, the clip talks about artist’s definition of “Destiny”. Continuing with the motif of storytelling, Monique explains how she views destiny and its working.
Through this 1-minute message, the listener will be able to understand the idea behind the EP. The tracks talk about a “greater force” that drives our lives and no matter where we are and what kind of life are we living, this force will help us reach our destination. The only condition is that we work hard and live our life well.
Destiny
The track is continuation of “What is Destiny” as it begins where the former ends. Humming, drumbeats and guitar create a sense of movement and builds an aura that help materialize the force Monique had been singing about in the previous tracks. The music complements the theme quite well.
The song has a tone of appreciation and it seems to celebrate people’s struggles. But at the same time, the singer through her song, requests the listener to reflect on her life and take into account, the ways in which her failures have helped her build the life that she can be proud of.
It ends with a message by the singer as she explains how our purpose in itself is destiny. While it is governed by larger forces, we still have the control to shape our life and in turn our destiny. Sharlene is asking people to acknowledge their efforts and pat themselves on the back for making it so far. In other words, she is trying to help her listeners focus on the positive.
Seeing Love
Thematically, this song stands out from the EP as it talks solely about love. In this single, Monique is describing her own relationship. Through this song, she is “seeing” her love, reflecting on it to think of the moments that built and almost broke her bond with her lover. Once “you and I”, the individual embarks on a journey of discovery and love and transition to “us and we”. The song doesn’t merely show the beautiful side of relationships but also the side that “can” act as disruptive force.
Sharlene Monique and her team have spent a great deal of time and effort to create this EP and the same becomes visible when one listens to the tracks.
Speaking of her debut EP ‘Destiny’, Sharlene-Monique says, “It feels amazing to finally release my songs. I’ve had messages from people all over the world who heard ‘You’ and have asked for more music. I feel proud and passionate about every song and I hope people can connect to them.”
For someone who is looking for “quality” and “good” music, “Destiny” is worth checking out. The EP was released on 13th April and is now available for download via iTunes, Amazon and Spotify.
