There is something heartbreakingly beautiful about music that accepts the impermanence of life and does not dwell upon it and Shelita has done that with her song Fade. This Los Angeles-based artist has created a reflection on momentary relationships that is both intimate and truly universal.
The performance of the vocals by Shelita is enough to bring the emotional content of the song to the fore. There is something about her voice that draws you right in at once–emotional but not overly so, strong but not to the point that it overpowers the delicate instrumentation. There is a vulnerability in her voice that makes you think she has experienced whatever that has given her this song, and this elevates the song to something real and emotional.
The cooperation with Bellringer and Lamar Van Sciver has led to the production that is in line with the themes of the song. The airy layers of synthesizers provide a spacious and at the same time warm and slightly ethereal sounding, and the constant, pounding beats anchor everything in a hypnotic rhythm. The detail to the layering is also present- each piece and part has space to breathe and yet adds to the richness of the whole.
What I find the most impressive about the song is that it is both sad and reassuring at the same time. The mid-tempo provides you enough space to be with the emotions you are experiencing, and the warm atmosphere does not make it too heavy. It is that type of song that can be used to both actively listen and also as a soundtrack to some introspection.
The thematic underpinning of valuing connections when we can is especially compelling at this time. Shelita has hit upon a universal element of human experience that we all know, that realization that each time we meet someone there is a possibility that it will be the last time. Fade is successful in that it does not provide the audience with any false sense of comfort or easy solutions, but rather leaves the room to explore the more complicated feelings about love, death, and the great fragility of human connection.
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