A spirited indie folk anthem of empowerment, Filiah’s enchanting new single “On & On” channels grief and shame into self-acceptance and emotional release.
for fans of Maggie Rogers, Orla Gartland, The Japanese House
Stream: “On & On” – Filiah
‘On & On’ is about working through those feelings, facing them head-on, and finding freedom on the other side.
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There’s a quiet kind of bravery in choosing to confront the emotions we’ve been taught to bury — and an even greater power in turning that process into something we can celebrate, even dance to.
At once soft and strong, intimate and invigorating, Filiah’s new single “On & On” arrives as a spirited indie folk anthem of empowerment, channeling grief and shame into self-acceptance and emotional release. Written in the heart of a collaborative songwriting camp and steeped in shared vulnerability and a ‘70s-inspired sonic heat, the track unfolds like a slow, spiritually cleansing sunrise: Warming, illuminating, and honest in its shadows. It’s an intimate, enchanting exhale wrestling shame, learning resilience, and choosing to move forward with grace — and in doing so, it becomes a vessel for healing in motion.
Do I turn to you
is there something left to find
once I know the truth
when your world turns blue
the battle’s never mine
but I feel it too
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “On & On,” Filiah’s second single of the year (out April 11th, 2025 via Ink Music). Following mid-January’s impassioned outpouring “Atlas” – her first new music since the release of her debut album For Someone in 2022 – “On & On” finds the Austrian indie folk artist (née Nina Schwarzott) reckoning with her innermost demons in a raw and impassioned attempt to set herself free.
“Do I turn to you? Is there something left to find once I know the truth? When your world turns blue the battle’s never mine, but I feel it too,” she sings in the track’s opening verse, navigating the murky space between empathy and self-preservation — caught in the emotional crossfire of someone else’s struggle and questioning whether turning toward them is an act of loyalty, love, or self-erasure. Her voice is soft but weighted, carrying the ache of unresolved questions over a hushed, atmospheric arrangement that slowly swells with warmth and tension – mirroring the push and pull of connection, distance, and the quiet ache of caring too much.
The first chorus hits like a cathartic wave – an emotional and musical climax where everything Filiah has been holding back finally begins to spill out.
“The water isn’t clear / and honestly I fear / it’ll keep on going / on & on & on…” she confesses, her voice trembling with quiet intensity. It’s not a moment of resolution, but of inner churn — a slow release of fear, uncertainty, and longing that’s been simmering beneath the surface. The weight of shame and the ache of endurance hang in every word, even as a faint hope begins to stir: that healing might be possible, even if it’s not yet in reach. The instrumentation mirrors this unease and motion, growing with subtle force as Filiah’s voice leads — raw, expressive, unwavering in its honesty and resolute in its passion.
the water isn’t clear
and honestly I fear
it’ll keep on going
on & on & on…
And I hope there is a place
we rid ourselves of shame
we will carry our own weight
however long it takes
“Shame in various forms used to affect a lot of the choices that I made, and I think it does with a lot of people, more or less consciously,” Filiah tells Atwood Magazine. “‘On & On’ is about working through those feelings, facing them head-on, and finding freedom on the other side. I wanted to write a song that feels uplifting and hopeful, like the first rays of spring sunshine, yet hides some dark shades as well, if you choose to look beneath. Also, I found it’s the perfect song to either confidence-walk down the street or dance-vacuum to.”
“I wrote this song with two amazing people (Phil and Fredi) at the Ink Music songwriting camp last year and they both instantly made me feel at home in that session,” she smiles. “We had such a beautiful time, sharing vulnerabilities, favorite songs and stories and turning them to something to listen to. The whole day encouraged and empowered me so much, and I think we captured that feeling perfectly in ‘On & On,’ hopefully passing some of it on to whoever’s listening and in need of it.”
That sentiment of shared vulnerability echoes throughout the second verse, where Filiah opens up even further.
“Can I rely on you / when my grief takes all the light…” she asks, acknowledging the weight her pain carries and the courage it takes to trust someone with it. There’s a tenderness here — an emotional nakedness that feels less like a cry for help and more like a quiet reaching out. “The further I go in, the safer I feel,” she sings, introducing a powerful shift: that the act of facing her pain doesn’t consume her — it grounds her.
From that place of deeper understanding, the second chorus rises like a wave of clarity. “The water’s getting clear / we dive into our fear…” Filiah sings, no longer circling her emotions, but moving straight through them. It’s a moment of revelation and release — where uncertainty gives way to acceptance, and shame is met not with retreat, but with resolve. “We carry our own weight / however long it takes,” she affirms, her voice now radiant with conviction. The arrangement mirrors this shift, swelling with clarity and light as the track steps out of shadow and into something braver, bolder, and full of hard-won grace.
can I rely on you
when my grief takes all the light
in a way I always knew
I was so scared I’ll disappear
but the further I go in
the safer I feel
I’ll return to you
the water’s getting clear
we dive into our fear
it keeps on going on & on…
maybe this could be the day
we rid ourselves of shame
we carry our own weight
however long it takes
Filiah continues to ride high on that emotional clarity through the song’s final stretch, soaring through a delicate breakdown and into a coda that feels almost weightless in its resolve. “The water’s crystal clear / I can see us laughing it off / in just a couple years,” she sings, tracing the outline of a future shaped not by shame, but by healing and hindsight. Where the song began with doubt and disorientation, it ends with renewed trust — not only in another, but in herself. “I turned to you / there was so much left to find / ‘cause we wanted to,” she concludes, the lyric landing like a soft but certain answer to the song’s opening question. It’s a quiet triumph: the sound of someone choosing to stay open, to feel it all, and to move forward — not in spite of it, but because of it.
once it’s back to half and half
the water’s crystal clear
I can see us laughing it off
in just a couple years
… I turned to you
there was so much left to find
’cause we wanted to
“On & On” is as much a song as it is a process — an intimate unraveling and reweaving of self, built on empathy, honesty, and the quiet power of persistence.
Filiah doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, but through her raw lyricism and graceful performance, she creates space for the questions that linger — and in doing so, she reminds us that healing rarely arrives all at once. It moves slowly, in waves. With this release, she offers both solace and strength: A shimmering, soul-baring reminder that clarity is possible, and that we can carry our own weight — together, and for as long as it takes.
Stream Filiah’s “On & On” exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and stay tuned for more to come from her this year!
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Stream: “On & On” – Filiah
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© Marie Schrentewein
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