An achingly vulnerable upheaval, Richard Fairlie’s heart-on-sleeve “MAYBE I’M JUST A LITTLE BIT BROKEN” dives deep into a fractured soul on a breathtaking journey of acceptance, self-discovery, and healing.
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Stream: “Maybe I’m Just A Little Bit Broken” – Richard Fairlie
It’s okay to have stuff wrong with you; we ALL DO. Let’s just acknowledge it, learn, and move on – whether we act on it or don’t.
An achingly vulnerable upheaval, Richard Fairlie’s latest release is the epitome of 21st Century heart-on-sleeve balladry. Raw and finessed, immediate and visceral, “MAYBE I’M JUST A LITTLE BIT BROKEN” dives deep into a fractured soul on a breathtaking journey of acceptance, self-discovery, and healing.
I can’t let go
No diamonds broke
You’ll see I burrow
my feelings alone
And I wanna show ya
But I can’t offload
And I wanna show ya
I just can’t cope
And I wanna show ya
But I never grow
And I wanna show ya
I just can’t cope
Out now, “MAYBE I’M JUST A LITTLE BIT BROKEN” is the title and closing track off Richard Fairlie’s new EP of the same name (released January 15, 2021 via Columbia Records / Sony Music Entertainment). The 21-year-old London-via-Warwickshire singer and songwriter has grown tremendously since his 2017 debut single “Give Me Your Love” – exploring a wealth of genres, styles, and sounds that have flexed his golden vocals and put his reflective songwriting to the test. Standout singles – from the soul-shaking under-two minute “Talk,” to the buoyant “Shelter” – have helped establish Fairlie has an up-and-coming talent, but it’s with his debut EP, intentionally released at the top of this year, that the artist makes his first major statement (and by way of a major label, no less).
Stylized in all capital letters, MAYBE I’M JUST A LITTLE BIT BROKEN is a sweepingly dramatic, intensely intimate 14 minute experience.
Fairlie bends and breaks genre, incorporating trap and hip-hop influences into soulfully sweet and striking ballads that draw comparisons to The Weeknd, Sam Smith, and many more. Much of his EP’s production work incorporates vast, evocative soundscapes that not only set the tone, but also help bolster his vocal performance and guide our own emotional responses. “I like having a track with a beat on that’s not just all, ‘I’m in the club’,” Fairlie explains. “The juxtaposition is really sweet, and I think because I’ve had a singer-songwriter sad boy background, it’s allowed me to make what I make.”
Fairlie dives deeper into concepts of genre and his EP’s overall soundscape: “Genre wise I think everyone wants you in a box, and I’ve made it pretty hard for my label and press team to promote me cause I switch it up a lot,” he smiles. “‘The Edge’ and ‘Maybe I’m Just a Little Bit Broken’ are really different but at the same time, really similar in my opinion. But yet again that’s my truth. That’s what I consume, that’s what I listen too, that’s what I output into the world. a major mix of shit. I’ll go from listening to Post Malone brag about having ‘vasachi boxers on his dick’ in saint Tropez and then listen to James Blake and Rosalía pour their heart out on ‘barefoot in the park.’ And then put on some Florida Georgia Line ‘kick it’ on ‘This Is How We Roll.'”
“But honestly I think that’s normal and genre bending should be fully embraced. I remember seeing Post Malone at the 02 and he’d just played rockstar or some hype ass epic shit in can’t really remember then I spotlight dropped on him and he was about to play ‘stay’ which is a George Harrison kinda ballad song. And he literally said ‘ hey guys this songs kinda slow and boring you might not like it so if you need a piss this is a good time for that’ My box is probably that I don’t have a box, but so many people don’t socially, and I think that needs to be embraced.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT0pDhraEio
Fairlie adds, “‘The Edge’ is probably my fav track on the EP ’cause I feel like it’s me at my most authentic. On a lyrical level, ‘Maybe I’m Just a Little Bit Broken’ is me at my rawest – but sonically and metaphorically, ‘The Edge’ does it for me. On one level the track is a low rnb trap song… but lyrically it’s an angry ballad. In itself its mixing genres .. instead of bragging about my new ‘drip’ im talking about how painful it can be when you’ve had a closure less break up… The track is about that excessive painful overthinking that hits you after a closure-less break up. I guess I’m asking for that final punch – to be completely emotionally finished off – so, I can have a reason to hate and stop over analysing every little detail.”
My box is probably that I don’t have a box, but so many people don’t socially, and I think that needs to be embraced.
Opening tracks “FONDA ON THE ROOF” and “THE EDGE,” both of which embrace rap and trap influences, feel particularly timely as Fairlie channels his inner Drake. Catchy and cool, they represent a bold swipe at a more mainstream sound that could very well catapult Fairlie’s early career.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIeu7TG2CQw
Meanwhile, it’s the EP’s final three tracks that transcend the moment to strike the ears with a more unique, expressive longterm resonance. “TALK XXXTENDED” adds an extra minute of dynamic self-expression to the artist’s aforementioned track, revitalizing the song with longer legs and a dark, shiver-inducing landscape. “THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE” is an ethereal, feet-off-the-ground spilling of the soul. Fairlie maintains his gorgeous falsetto throughout, tossing tantalizing sound clips around his performance to make those three minutes all the more compelling, and all the more memorable.
And then there’s “MAYBE I’M JUST A LITTLE BIT BROKEN,” the EP’s masterpiece finale. An overwhelming outpouring of inner tension, deep introspection, and fragility, “MAYBE I’M JUST A LITTLE BIT BROKEN” finds Fairlie reaching the full potential of his artistry. It’s sad euphoria manifest in soul-stirring balladry; a poignant moment of reckoning captured on tape for all to hear and feel.
Fairlie overwhelms with an achingly bittersweet chorus. His words are humble, and his emotions are devastating:
Maybe I’m just a little bit broken
Wounded it’s woven
Maybe I’m just way too introverted
sharing is hopeless
Maybe I’ll never learn how it’s spoken
craving condolence
Maybe I’m just a little bit broken
Broken
Speaking of the track, Fairlie explains that he was inspired by personal fragilities and fears, and a longtime struggle to express himself, which had in the past resulted “in broken down relationships.”
“I saw everyone else talk about their problems to each other and to me, but I physically couldn’t return the favour,” he says. “The track to me is almost like me saying, ‘Sorry I can’t let you into my brain but I’m trying really hard’. I think everyone can relate to this track. The backbone of it is realising it’s okay to have stuff wrong with you; we ALL DO. Let’s just acknowledge it, learn and move on whether we act on it or don’t.”
In a world so dominated by bravado, Fairlie is emerging as an artist who refuses to be anything but himself – one who is willing to take that risk, plunge into his depths, and be true to who he is on record, as in life. His second verse peaks further under the covers: “I can’t cry, I mean my tears take time. I feel hollow, ’cause I set in lies,” he sings, his smoldering voice soaring smooth above a calm bed of moody minor piano chords.
I can’t cry
I mean my tears take time
I feel hollow
Cause I set in lies
Why do I hold back help
why do I distance self
Why do I hold back help
why do I distance self
Maybe I’m just a little bit broken
Slow in the moment
Maybe I’m just way too introverted
sharing needs focus
Maybe I’ll never learn how it’s spoken
craving condolence
Maybe I’m just a little bit broken
Broken
And I wanna show ya
But I can’t offload
And I wanna show ya
I just can’t cope
And I wanna show ya
That I try to grow
And I wanna show ya
I just can’t cope
Fairlie paints an evocative picture of solitude and isolation that is reflected in the song’s Darnell Depradine-directed music video. A collection of mostly solo portrait shots interspersed with striking silhouettes, the visual brings us up close and personal to the artist as he pours himself into his song. Elevating an already intimate experience to new heights, the video faithfully evokes Fairlie’s emotive depths and leaves us a little more breathless and stunned than before.
“MAYBE I’M JUST A LITTLE BIT BROKEN” highlights Richard Fairlie’s inimitable vocal talents, spotlighting him as a promising artist to watch as 2021 gets underway.
It’s song of brokenness, healing, and acceptance that goes above and beyond the pale to provoke our emotions and stir awake our spirits. Richard Fairlie leaves an immediate mark on all who listen, so take some time out of your day and give his debut EP your undivided attention.
MAYBE I’M JUST A LITTLE BIT BROKEN EP is out now. Speaking to Atwood Magazine, Richard Fairlie offered a deep dive into two of his new songs: “FONDA ON THE ROOF” and “MAYBE I’M JUST A LITTLE BIT BROKEN.” Learn more about these tracks directly from the artist below!
FONDA ON THE ROOF
As I’m sure you’re aware, the Fonda is a theatre in LA, and I was there attending a Yungblud gig and got invited to his afterparty on the roof of the Fonda Theatre. I was surrounded by successful LA creatives namely TikToks golden boy 24k golden and I felt so out of the pop culture loop and I really felt like an outsider.
I might have aesthetically looked the part but deep down I felt so unaccomplished talking to everyone and self-doubt drowned me. I’m someone in the city of angels trying to make a name for myself but I’m a ‘nobody’ and I just felt so judged and inadequate. In hindsight I probably wasn’t … everyone has to start their journey somewhere… it’s like being in a gym with a load ripped guys thinking they’re judging you but they’re probably not … they might be gassed for you starting your own journey but at the time self-doubt took the reins and I just felt shit and different. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is it might have been just in my head, but some LA party stereotypes do run true.
Yungblud stands for community but I felt like an outsider.. I felt broken in the terms of being an artist everyone was successful .. I wasn’t. Everyone was really extroverted and flexing and constantly loud and constantly looking for the next person to talk too who could bump their instagram followers by a few thousand.. I wasn’t I was trying to make friends the old fashion way and it did work sometimes. (laughs)
But yes I love a Gucci hoodie as much as the next person and as any LA rapper would say I was dripping in my second-hand off white but that didn’t cut it… I felt so separate from the culture at that party. So broken and that my pieces just didn’t fit and that’s what inspired ‘Fonda On The Roof’ and to an extent gave ‘Maybe I’m Just a Little Bit Broken’ its first thought (but MIJALBB the song isn’t about this situation). I remember being in the session with Noah Breakfast 3 days after the party and I sung the hook out of nowhere when I was riffing on a beat of his … after telling Noah about the experience:
‘IM AT THE FONDA ON THE ROOF
I DON’ T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK TO DO’
And he recommended I change the lyric cause it was way too specific and yes people might relate to wanting to get out of party but 3/4 of the UK population will have no idea what a fonda is and to this day I do get a few Instagram DM’s from people saying, ‘Yo that fonda song slaps bro but wtf is a fonda? I assume you’re in a situation you want out of but yeah bro – what’s a fonda?’
Most people assume “FONDA” is about me bumping into an ex at a party and being panic ridden. But I don’t mind that people have found something they relate too in the song and it’s different to what I wrote it about. Its made them feel a certain way and that’s my job at the end of the day. And I really do want people to feel something from my music and that is genuinely SO IMPORTANT TO ME.. I feel like that phrase is in the default script of any artist writing about their personal life and I don’t know if I believe everyone that says it… but I really mean it I do. I digress but I think the rest of the lyrics make the situation clear but this EP is about telling my total truth and I don’t regret that cause people have seemed to relate in one way or another as I said Most people assume fonda is about bumping into an ex at a party and being panic ridden (and that’s what most the TikToks to the song are about). This EP to me is about me telling my total truth.
MAYBE I’M JUST A LITTLE BIT BROKEN
‘Maybe I’m Just a Little Bit Broken’ .. to summarise it in a sentence is about failed and broken-down relationships .. romantic and platonic in which I’ve failed to share how I’m really feeling. Full on toxic masculinity shit. I saw everyone else talk about their problems to each other and to me, but I physically couldn’t return the favour. Humans bond over our flaws … now I’m not trying to say the only way to bond is to be miserable and tell your partner how shit your life is but. when you’re
Offered a shoulder to cry on you’re meant to take it and I couldn’t over and over again. I really struggled to open up about my fears and my flaws. I wanted to be perfect and seem successful Yano, cause thats what men ‘should do’ … as I said full on toxic masculinity shit which is so mentally damaging. Basically, the track to me is saying , Sorry I can’t let you into my brain but I’m trying really fucking hard. But I can’t. But I’m getting there now that’s what the tracks about we are all broken in one way or another and that is NORMAL Let’s just acknowledge it, learn and move on whether we act on it or don’t… cause changing habits is fucking hard.
My favourite line in the song is probably the ‘I can’t cry I mean my tears take time’ – Just because like Fonda it’s my truth. I de-compartmentalise most my issues and insecurities just so I can get on with life yano … go about my day to day which results in me not crying much because I’m storing all my problems up. But my god it hits a point where It can’t be stored anyhow and that’s when it comes out for me big time. I’m still learning to manage my mental health but that’s my truth people have related. I like being specific with my lyrics cause that makes it more authentic, you know. I want to tell my truth.
And as a man crying is such a weird topic. Toxic masculinity is slowly thinning out of culture and gen z I don’t think have it as bad but we’re kinda brought up as guys to keep that shit on lockdown. Crying isn’t a form of weakness and I’ve had to learn that.
Maybe I’m just a little bit broken
Slow in the moment
Maybe I’m just way too introverted
sharing needs focus
Maybe I’ll never learn how it’s spoken
craving condolence
Maybe I’m just a little bit broken
Broken
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