Nowhere does Niina Soleil’s crimson passion rage quite as hard as it does in “See Red,” an intoxicating, emotionally charged fever dream – and a soulful, searing standout off her fiery, sun-soaked debut album, ‘Heliophilia.’

for fans of Amy Winehouse, Ariana Grande, Chappell Roan

Stream: “See Red” – Niina Soleil

There’s a fire in Niina Soleil’s heart, and it’s spilled out into every aspect of her soul-stirring debut album.

We feel that rush of heat in the opening moments of “Beautiful Nowhere,” in the final, dreamy kiss of “Irish Goodbye,” and everywhere in-between: From the sweaty, heavy beats of the sun-kissed reverie “Make It Summer” and the love-soaked folds of “Lonely in Love,” to the cinematic Spaghetti Western twang of “Whiskey Valentine” and the urgent inner churn of “Happy Pills,” Soleil’s soul burns bold and bright throughout the aptly-titled Heliophilia.

And yet, nowhere does her crimson passion rage quite as hard as it does in “See Red,” the record’s brutally honest, emotionally charged sixth track. A breathtakingly bluesy, soul-tinged eruption of heartache and uncertainty, “See Red” channels Niina Soleil’s intimate anguish into a beautiful, dramatic, and utterly intoxicating fever dream.

I know that I shouldn’t say that I’m “alright”
I should relate to you better, but I’ve tried
Whisper the words that I want and I won’t fight you
Say it ain’t so and this won’t go all night

But ring around we go—
We’re rosy till we show
We got thorns
And we’re falling back into the storm

I see red, I see red
I see you, a sea wreck
Sinking down into the blue
I feel everything
Looking up at the world
That I’m losing to love you…
I see red with you

Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the John Geronilla-directed music video for “See Red,” a scorcher in its own right and one of the standouts on Niina Soleil’s recently-released debut album Heliophilia (May 15, 2024 via Gourmet Music). An exposed, raw reverie dwelling in a deeply vulnerable space, “See Red” is Soleil’s diaristic confession that everything is not alright in her love life.

Her lyrics (and her voice) palpably ache as she processes white-hot emotions like grief and anger, nostalgia for happier, easier times, and uncertainty for what her romantic future holds. “I see red,” she roars in the song’s climactic chorus. “I see you, a sea wreck, sinking down into the blue.” Fight enough times with your lover, and they become more foe than friend; an instigator and annoyance, rather than your chosen one-and-only, your paramour and life partner.

Considering its parent album’s claims of attraction to sunlight, “See Red” is a veritable sunburn: Soleil is unfiltered and unapologetic about her painful feelings, singing hot on the mic with no guardrails or protection. The results are spectacular: She brings us deep into her world, her voice a beacon of mesmerizing strength even as things begin to fall apart all around her:

I can’t stop rewinding and finding new lies—
The ones that we keep just to keep up our guise
But I hear in your voice and I see in your eyes
That we both know this falls apart when we ask why

But ring around we go—
We’re rosy till we show
We got thorns
And we’re falling back into the storm

I see red, I see red
I see you, a sea wreck
sinking down into the blue
I feel everything
Looking up at the world
That I’m losing to love you…
I see red with —

“‘See Red’ is about the raw, desperate rage you feel when you find yourself fighting the same fight, over and over, with someone you’d do anything for,” Soleil tells Atwood Magazine. “‘Why does this keep happening? Is it so hard to love me the way I need to be loved? Is this really what we are?‘ That’s the real fear at the bottom of the rage — that sinking suspicion that this fight is the relationship’s true face: That the good times are an illusion. A house of cards that can fall apart so easily.”

The song’s breakdown is also, fittingly Soleil’s emotional breakdown – a safe(-ish) space of all-consuming reckoning for her to pour out every bit of heart’s unbearably heavy weight. It feels somewhat like a final showdown between herself and her lover – an airing of grievances in the form of cathartic exposure and gut-wrenching self-expression.

You got my world on a string
I’m holding on tight, but I’m slipping
Into your arms
Just out of reach
Where have you been, darling ?
And I’m just like a bird
Delicate wings, haven’t you heard
Me calling your name
Always the same
Up from the flames
And I’m burning

Considering how intimate and exposed this song already feels, it’s only fitting that its visual accompaniment would be that much rawer and more revealing.

“When I first approached Sherman Chen (producer) with my idea to pay homage to Amy Winehouse’s music videos of her phasing in and out of ennui and heartbreak on her bed, I didn’t know what we’d be making,” Soleil explains.

“We didn’t have a budget, but we had a lot of ambition (and leads on Facebook marketplace for cool furniture). So when Sherman connected us with the fabulous John Geronilla (my fellow Filipino and our director) who brought in Ruby Paiva for cinematography, the music video came together shockingly quickly. Every shot came so easily with this skilled team. And we got to personalize everything: My books, Shirleen’s duvet, the Penny Lane coat I got for my birthday. Another cool easter egg: Featured in the Red Room scenes is a beautiful painting on the mantle by Perola Navarro, a dear friend and talented painter from Brazil.”

Niina Soleil is seeing red through her own breathtaking, heartrending fire and fury, and we’re burning up right there with her.

The Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter calls to mind the legendary, inimitable Amy Winehouse and R&B/soul crossover contemporaries like Ariana Grande as she unleashes herself in song. Watch Niina Soleil’s “See Red” music video exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and get lost in the heat of her crimson reverie.

And if you like what you see and hear, be sure to dive headfirst into the sun-soaked fire of Heliophilia, a dynamic debut album that instantly sets her apart as a singular artist to watch!

I see red, I see red
I see you, a sea wreck
sinking down into the blue
I feel everything
Looking up at the world
That I’m losing to love you…
I see red with you

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:: stream/purchase Heliophilia here ::

:: connect with Niina Soleil here ::

Stream: “See Red” – Niina Soleil

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 © Sherman Chen

Heliophilia

an album by Niina Soleil