The new single by New Jersey singer-songwriter Rasha Jay is due to be released on 28th May. And let me tell you, it’s a soulful, heartfelt, but heartbreaking little track.
Yet despite the sad occasion, this song was written as a message of ‘gratitude’, which is clear to hear.
The singer has already made a name for herself with her cross-genre soul/rock hybrid. But the new single ‘Backbone’ takes a more reflective and chilled tone.
“Riffing, hollering soul”
SONIC NEWS
About the song
Written in the aftermath of the deaths of her uncle and her aunt, the track ‘Backbone’ is a tribute to those who have passed and recognising that through grief also comes gratitude and wisdom.
Rasha Jay wrote this song in February 2020, “ahead of a tumultuous year that we didn’t expect here in the US or in the world”, the singer says.
“I wrote it after hearing about my last uncle passing away on January 1st. I came home and went right to my keyboard and just started talking, then singing, then crying…and what came out of that was not just sadness and grief, but gratitude. My aunt passed away 30 days after him. Again, grief with gratitude. I felt honoured to know them, to love them. That’s what Backbone is about–the visuals, the feelings, the notion of recognizing you are what you are because of a connection”.
RASHA JAY
Shunning guitars and instead focusing on keyboards, Backbone is recorded without any studio fireworks or Pro Tools wizardry; what you hear is Rasha’s first vocal take and the bare minimum of instrumentation, keeping the track as raw and honest as the emotion behind it.
No pretence. No manufactured image. Rasha Jay is singing from the heart and looking to connect with each listener on a personal basis – this is song-writing in its purest form, with no attempt to mimic any other artist or fit neatly in a particular genre, only to tell her own story.
About the artist
Rasha Jay’s voice has the ability to both move and inspire – away from music, she has successfully spoken at schools and has recorded audiobooks for others.
Having grown up in the small town of Owings, Maryland, she is an example to anyone wanting to make music that no matter where you’re from or what your musical tastes are that you should trust yourself and have the confidence to both write and sing with your own voice.
Follow Rasha Jay on social media for all the latest updates!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rashajaymusic
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/rashajay
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rashajaymusic
Website: http://www.rashajay.com
Soundcloud: https://www.soundcloud.com/rashajay
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3DL86xcJUoJ2iv5tVvJ7Hn?si=hyIagl65S_GmJ3z_CZXcTQ
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/rashajay4816