A breathtaking, soul-stirring ballad wrought from dark, vulnerable, and visceral depths, “Naomi’s Lament” captures Naomi Kimpenu’s strength as an artist as she sings her heart out, pouring inner pain and turmoil into a song of intense and unrelenting sorrow.
Stream: “Naomi’s Lament” – Naomi Kimpenu
It’s hard to think of a better place to stage a relationship’s requiem than a taxi: A definitive harbinger of separation and creator of space between where you were, and where you’re going. For Naomi Kimpenu, it proved the perfect vehicle in more ways than one, setting the scene for her latest, emotionally charged single.
It’s a dark night out as “Naomi’s Lament” begins, and we watch her stepping off the curb, walking across the street, and getting into one of London’s iconic black cabs. We don’t need to know what’s gone on over the preceding hours, in order to understand exactly what happened: She’s leaving; going home, performing an action she didn’t plan to do that night.
A breathtaking, soul-stirring ballad wrought from dark, vulnerable, and visceral depths, “Naomi’s Lament” captures Naomi Kimpenu’s strength as an artist as she sings her heart out, pouring inner pain and turmoil into a song of intense and unrelenting sorrow.
This movement
So slowly I came
I’m worried
No answers you gave
But your silence speaks away
What more do you need now?
The past that you can’t change?
Say what it is for ya?
The places you’ve been
where hopes never seen again
Aren’t you tired of this echo?
And ooh, ooh, it’s never what you want
Ooh, it’s never what you want…
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the Jack Durman-directed music video for “Naomi’s Lament,” a hushed and haunting reckoning that ushers in a new era for one of East London’s most exciting, yet still little-known talents. Released in early March, “Naomi’s Lament” is Naomi Kimpenu’s first song in nearly three years; her last offering was her 2021 debut EP Prelude, a beautifully moving set of four emotionally potent piano ballads that put Kimpenu’s cinematic powerhouse vocals front and center. “The artist’s up-close-and-personal style invites listeners into a world of longing and unrest, connection and disconnect as we hang onto her every word, hearing stories of heartache and passion’s pain play out in real time,” Atwood Magazine wrote in our EP feature. “While she cites inspirations from the likes of Alicia Keys and James Blake, Lana Del Rey and Sade, Kimpenu is perhaps best appreciated, on this debut at least, as channeling the spirit and potential of a young Adele.”
“Naomi’s Lament” follows in line with Kimpenu’s previously released material, presenting her once again in a sea of poignant piano chords and the occasional dramatic swell of strings. Her raw lyrics and stunning vocal performance highlight a moment of hurt in a relationship, as Kimpenu laments her partner’s inability or unwillingness to express themselves and share how they truly feel about her. “No answers you gave, but your silence speaks away,” she sings, her voice sending shivers down the spine; how many of us have experienced that silence, and lived to tell the tale?
Said I always go home mm
And you’re always on my mind
Can’t you see me I
Try to see me behind your eyes
But you’re pushing me away oh
What more do you need now?
The past that you can’t change?
Say what it is for ya?
The places you’ve been
where hopes never seen again
Aren’t you tired of this echo?
Tired of this echo?
“‘Naomi’s Lament’ chronicles the inner pain and turmoil of not being good enough for a loved one or partner, and the feeling of being lost and alone, and in a dark place,” Kimpenu tells Atwood Magazine. “[It] represents the first page of a new chapter in my career as a recording artist, one where I can showcase more depth and range in my vocals, songwriting and production.”
Kimpenu is exposed, her heart and soul aching openly and unapologetically throughout “Naomi’s Lament.” Unflinchingly honest and brutally raw, her first single in three years reminds us why we fell so hard and fast for her to begin with: Few artists capture the human experience more intimately or profoundly than East London’s Naomi Kimpenu. Watch the full, heart-wrenching black cab ride through London’s dark streets exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and stay tuned for more to come from Kimpenu as the year progresses!
Hold it over my head though
Won’t you let go?
Can you hear me?
When I’m in your arms you need me
You have no fear
When we’re drowning
Then you’re far away again
Oh, aren’t you tired of this echo?
And ooh, ooh, I’m never what you want
Ohhhh, I’m never what you want hmmm
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Stream: “Naomi’s Lament” – Naomi Kimpenu
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