Norwegian singer/songwriter Fay Wildhagen offers an empowering message of strength and love in her moving song “Different,” a stirring and sonically beautiful breath of fresh folk-pop warmth.
Stream: “Different” – Fay Wildhagen
We are each special, profound, and unique – a wellspring of complexity built from years of experience, reflection, action, and growth. It’s not always easy to see the benefits of being one-of-a-kind – in fact, it can often result in feelings of separation, rather than togetherness – yet it’s important to recognize that our individuality is what makes each and every one of us so incredible. Norwegian singer/songwriter Fay Wildhagen offers an empowering message of strength and love in her moving song “Different,” a stirring and sonically beautiful breath of fresh folk-pop warmth.
We cannot flee the sun
I tried forever
But there’s nowhere to run
Study to cover up
Live as another
And try not to be stuck
So don’t you hide away
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the music video for Fay Wildhagen’s latest single “Different,” released September 6, 2019 via Warner Music Norway. Ever since debuting with her 2015 album Snow, the now 24-year-old Wildhagen has been actively making a name for herself as one of Norway’s premiere singer/songwriters and among the country’s best guitarists. her 2018 sophomore album Borders is a majestic work of art, and Wildhagen’s recent song releases “inevertoldyou” and “Different” only further establish her artistic singularity.
As a song, “Different” is emotional and heartwarming; Wildhagen’s lyrics encourage support and motivate us to celebrate ourselves. She sings passionately in the chorus:
Live in the shadows of an early escape
Don’t you know the feeling when it feels so right
Don’t you know the feeling that you just can’t fight
I can’t beat the feeling of this blooming pride
When I’m next to you
Don’t you know that feeling when it feels so right
Running from believing, no we just can’t hide
There’s a beauty being different, just a different kind
I’ll be next to you
We are different
“There’s a beauty being different, just a different kind,” she projects – saying all the right things at a time when we perhaps need to hear it most.
“‘Different’ is a close and personal song for me as an artist and a person that I was not ready to write or release until now,” Wildhagen tells Atwood Magazine. “It’s a song that celebrates and embraces the differences within one’s self. I wish I had a song like this when I was younger. I recorded it with my best friends with unbridled joy and energy… It felt like the right perfect approach to recording the song with the intent of capturing a celebration of one’s otherness. I hope the song will feel like a warm hug for those who need it.”
It’s a song that celebrates and embraces the differences within one’s self. I wish I had a song like this when I was younger.
Directed by Martine Skogstad, the “Different” music video features a young girl dressed in a lion costume (portrayed by Anika Simpson), who eventually comes upon a young gender non-binary child dressed in a wolf costume (portrayed by Moki Elhaggagi). Together, the pair run through meadows and out onto local streets, drawing together with chalk and genuinely enjoying one another’s presence. We come to see this as two souls, each with something different to bring, coming together to share in a powerful and important life experience. They don’t see their differences; they’re kids — all they see in each other is a friend and a companion. Rather than focus on what keeps them apart, the wolf and the lion find commonalities that bring them together; from a distance, we watch the joy their friendship brings them.
Fay Wildhagen’s “Different” is a reminder to all of us to look past the skin, to the humanity lying underneath each and every person.
“Different” is a blessing of a song: A truly memorable and catchy track with an important message we can all listen to and appreciate. A call to arms and overall dazzling musical moment, Wildhagen’s latest has us immeasurably excited for what’s to come in 2020.
In the meantime, Wildhagen will be coming to the United States or her debut performances this December: Catch her in New York City at Joe’s Pub on 12/11, and in Los Angeles at Hotel Café on 12/12!
And for now, stream the buoyant, beautiful “Different” music video exclusively on Atwood Magazine.
— —
:: stream/purchase “Different” here ::
Stream: “Different” – Fay Wildhagen
— — — —
Connect to Fay Wildhagen on
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Discover new music on Atwood Magazine
? © Johanna Siring
:: Stream Fay Wildhagen ::
