- Bryon Harris
Parisa – ‘Waves’
Review By Matt Wong & Staff
Parisa is a singer, songwriter and actress from North London. From a young age Parisa felt an affinity for the performing arts, starring in community productions from the tender age of 5. This passion followed her through to adolescence, where at 18 she trained professionally in acting, singing and musical theatre at London's Musical Theatre Academy. As an actress she’s worked on original contemporary musicals such as the UK tour of recording artist, Sting’s, The Last Ship and We Live In Cairo. After releasing two debut solo singles in 2019, Parisa returns with a new project, Working From Home - an impressive collection of 29 songs written and recorded on her bedroom floor in February 2020. Setting herself the challenge of creating an original song every day for 29 days, Parisa unlocked a flow in herself never experienced before. Off Working From Home, "Waves" showcases Parisa's artistic achievement.
As listeners experience “Waves,” they will be able to picture cascading waves and the push and pull of the current. With just vocals and piano, the song does a spectacular job in using music to convey imagery. The piano part plays arpeggios to conjure the feeling of rising and falling, but brilliantly alternates between 8th notes and 16th notes throughout the song. Yielding intensity and contrast, the artistic phrasing in the context of musical story telling is breathtaking.
Parisa’s vocals are magical and will leave listeners in awe from the very first note. Enhanced by captivating background vocals, the melody will speak to listeners. Parisa's vocals have a contemporary edge and radio-ready sound. Together, the piano and vocals offer an impressive performance that manages to be artistic and pop-infused at the same time; this is a rare combination and a treat for both the musician's ear and fans of alternative pop music.
The lyrics in “Waves” are about grappling the ebbs and flows in life while dealing with the emotions that are involved in these circumstances. In the song, Parisa sings about “Spending my lifetime riding the waves, balancing high notes with lonely days” in the chorus, and how “I’m struggling to stay afloat…I feel anxiety bloat” in one of the verses.
“Waves” by Parisa is the ultimate example of a song that utilizes minimal instrumentation to produce a tremendous impact on listeners. The arrangement decision to have only vocals and piano, and to leave the vocal so exposed was bold, yet perfect for this song. It also was a showcase of Parisa’s pure talent, and the magic her vocals bring to modern pop music. Parisa is an artist to watch in 2020.
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