“One Way Ticket” provides a personal glimpse into Biig Piig’s journey through life thus far, reminding us to hold close the dreams of loved ones who have passed.
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Stream: “One Way Ticket” – Biig Piig
For a period of time during the pandemic, I tried getting my exercise by means of running.
Needless to say (if you know me personally anyway), that period was short-lived. While I did not ultimately transform into a gloriously fast jogger or ever learn to wake up at five in the morning with the best of them, I sure made one hell of a running playlist.
My favorite song from this playlist? “Switch” by Biig Piig. The other sonic competition didn’t even come close. [1]
So began my listening relationship with Biig Piig’s discography. My favorite songs of hers include but are not limited to “Liahr,” “Lavender,” and “Feels Right.” Of her most recent singles, “One Way Ticket” feels most sonically similar to her older music, back from when I first encountered her. As with classic Biig Piig, the drums and layered vocals combine to create a warm musical oxymoron of crunchy softness. This self-referential homage feels particularly fitting given the lyrics of “One Way Ticket,” which delve into a heartfelt goodbye.
I got a one-way ticket out
I’m not gonna turn back for no one
If you could see me now
I know that you’d say “I told ya”
I got a one-way ticket out
I’m not gonna turn back for no one
If you could see me now
I know that you’d say “I told ya”
“It brought me into some memories about a person in my life that had passed,” Biig Piig tells Atwood Magazine. “I reflected on what it’s like to go through these amazing things that are happening in life and got me thinking about how they would be proud of me. They’d said if I kept dreaming that I’d get there, so really, it’s like a letter to them.”
Biig Piig explores the experience of loss from a unique, yet entirely relatable angle. Like most of us, she knows what it feels like to face the choice of action versus inaction, “to be or not to be” if you’re feeling particularly Shakespearean. This choice is significantly magnified in the shadow of grief. How long does one sit in a space of mourning? When is it time to take a step back into the land of the living, so to speak?
Biig Piig describes moving forward, but also describes doing so as result of the advice given to her by the very same person in her life who had sadly passed.
Courageously, she recounts taking a “one way ticket” out of the town that now feels empty without the person who prevented her from feeling alone in its walls. And it is precisely that person who helps guide her path forward.
I gotta go and find my peace
Or this town’s gonna swallow me up
I swear I’ve tried my best to leave
But my efforts were never enough
My foot on the gas and I won’t look back
Yeah, in a way, you were all I had
And now that you’re gone
Need to find my home
Starring Sarah McCormack, the visualizer for “One Way Ticket” begins and ends with a woman opening and shutting the blinds of an apartment. In between, she is shown moving boxes, looking through photo albums, and trying on an old oversized jacket (presumably of her recently passed loved one).
At the very end, she leaves the apartment behind, walking out of frame and into the next chapter of her life. Most of her possessions remain behind, but she drapes the jacket over her shoulders, just as Biig Piig describes carrying the words of the person she lost into her evolving chapters of life.
Biig Piig also posted a short scene of McCormack delivering one half of a phone call conversation, full of emotional dialogue. Talking to a friend, Sarah talks about being hit by waves of grief.
“I miss hearing his laugh… and I miss making him laugh… I miss both of us making him laugh – we were funny to him,” she recounts with mixed notes of sadness and joy.
The well-written scene is part 6 in a series of scenes that pair with Biig Piig’s latest music videos and songs on her social media. This scene in particular is not only beautifully performed, but also gives deeper insight into the meaning of “One Way Ticket,” as it relates to Biig Piig herself.
Told me you’d follow your dreams
Don’t you fall to your knees for no one
People will come and they’ll go
But you’re never alone, just hold on
Biig Piig’s new album, 11:11, is set to be released on February 7th. You can now stream “One Way Ticket,” along with four additional singles which have accompanied the album rollout.
[1] I’m tempted to make some sort of win-the-race running metaphor here, but I will spare you the overly-on-the-nose analogy.
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:: stream/purchase One Way Ticket here ::
:: pre-order 11:11 here ::
:: connect with Biig Piig here ::
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Stream: “One Way Ticket” – Biig Piig
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© Yana Van Nuffel
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