Fie Eike's powerful, raw piano ballad "Sad"
“Sad” is a powerful and raw piano ballad that calls for emotional sustainability as a prerequisite for a deeper and more meaningful relationship to ourselves and the world around us.
Fie Eike is a composer, songwriter and producer, born and raised in Denmark, to Norwegian parents. Based in Copenhagen, her atmospheric songs and compositions are often inspired by experiences and childhood memories from nature, especially the Danish forests, the coastline of The North Sea and the fjords and mountain landscapes of Norway, where she would spend her summers growing up. Through melodic and playful instrumentation, her compositions are laced with a deep emotional imprint and infused with a Nordic sophistication and mystery. Fie Eike also captures this atmosphere in photographs and other artwork, stating that visual expression is an integral part and extension of her writing and composition process.
“Sad” is the second single from Fie Eike’s upcoming debut album that comes out later this year. A powerful and raw, piano ballad with sparse arrangement, strong vulnerable vocals and lyrics with a clear message. The song is an expression of sadness about the emotional wounds we humans cause ourselves and others, often unknowingly, when we fail to take responsibility for our challenging emotions such as sadness or anger, but instead avoid them, numb ourselves or project them onto others.
The raw and sparse expression and composition is inspired by nature on the North West Coast of Denmark by the North Sea. Nature there is very raw, sparse and temperamental especially during the winter months, with strong winds and large powerful waves that continue to shape the coastline, while the wide sandy beaches, the sky and the ocean melt into each other, becoming one. For me “Sad” and our deepest emotions have a similar movement as the powerful yet vulnerable sensibility and volatility of nature. Just like the waves washing away all footprints and traces in the sand over time, the connection to our challenging emotions and tears can help us heal our wounds over time.
The song was written and recorded in a matter of hours, from a stream of consciousness and emotional expression and reflection. The songwriter shares, “We live in a time, where there is a sort of allergy towards challenging emotions. There seems to be a misconception that challenging emotions somehow limit our productivity and wellbeing when in fact it is quite the opposite. Because at the end of the day, everything that is unresolved eventually seeps out through the cracks and ends up controlling our subconscious, hindering our wellbeing and causing hurt not only in our personal lives but also on a more structural, collective level. If we dare to feel and be present with our deepest most challenging emotions, we give ourselves the chance to heal.”
“Sad” is a call for emotional sustainability and provides a musical space with an invitation to surrender and be present with the sadness, pain and other challenging emotions through the music. According to Fie Eike, daring to feel and be present with our challenging emotions such as sadness and grief is necessary in order to heal and can help us gain a deeper and more meaningful connection to ourselves and the world around us.
Fie Eike’s debut album has already received support from Koda Kultur and the Danish Musicians' Union. 2024 is set to be an exciting year for this artist on the rise.