With delicate piano backing her celestial vocals, Half Wolf sings of empowerment and enchantment in “My Stranger.”
follow our Today’s Song(s) playlist
Listen: “My Stranger” – Half Wolf
There’s a certain warmth that each new moon cycle brings, and it’s brought upon my Half Wolf; a project formed by Hannah Westerholm that sees her bring forth emotive and enthralling pieces of music that are drenched in personal stories that haunt just as equally as they uplift. With her latest single “My Stranger,” Westerholm doesn’t veer far off, creating a love song that aims to turn self-doubt into self-empowerment, and she succeeds gorgeously in doing so.
“I wish I didn’t look at my phone every three minutes waiting for you to make your move,” Westerholm sings at the track’s beginning, giving off the impression that this tale of love will be of remorse or even heartache, but she quickly changes her tune. Her dulcet vocals turn into roars of power as she bellows out with vibrato and fervor “I’ll be okay.” This line is repeated throughout the track, and not in a self-convincing manner, but one of confidence and certainty. What could have been a saccharine story of lost love morphs into one of growth, acceptance, and strength. Surrounding this track is a piano melody played with a delicate passion that flows impeccably along with Westerholm’s singing. The two play off each other in complete synchronicity, accentuating the listening experience and providing new depth to an already stunning ballad.
I’ll be okay
If you’re just my stranger from last night
I’ll be okay
If we just get to dance together one time
I’ll be okay
I’ll be okay my stranger
“I’m trying to convince myself throughout that I’ll be okay if I never saw my stranger again, that it was enough to dance with them one time,” explains Westerholm to Atwood Magazine. “Ultimately, the role of the stranger is irrelevant if I convince myself that my happiness is not dependent on a stranger.” As the track continues, her themes shine brighter and brighter, allowing her to glow as each new word is sung and note played. Around the halfway point, her boisterous singing reaches the zenith—an outpour of raw emotion taking over as her vocals truly astonish. The fullness in her delivery is bewitching, so much so that listeners would be hard-pressed not to be enraptured, body and soul.
My happiness is not dependent on a stranger.
At the track’s end, Westerholm returns to softness, gently bringing it all to a close. With the final whispers of “I’ll be okay,” she is ready to move on and grow from this point on. Piano, along with other instrumentation in the foreground, provides an airiness to these last moments that provide a lasting ethereal touch. And with one last note hit, her tale is over, but it certainly won’t be the last time it will be listened to.
You got me when you commented
on the moon like you knew
That I would not be able to forget you
I’d never ever tell you that you made me
call my mom
I just needed someone to tell me I didn’t do anything wrong
Half Wolf excels at vulnerability, and she utilizes it to produce some of the most endearing music in the scene currently. Openness and honesty are her weapons, and she brandishes them well, eliciting feelings of hurt, hope, and peace all in one. She is without a doubt one of 2019’s greatest new artists.
Listen: “My Stranger” – Half Wolf
— — — —
Connect to Half Wolf on
Facebook, Instagram
Discover new music on Atwood Magazine
? © ana p.s.
