An uplifting enchantment, SUAD’s “The Door” opens up a world of hope and possibility as the Finnish singer/songwriter returns, sounding as confident and magical as ever.
Stream: “The Door” – SUAD
It has been three long years since Atwood’s 2017 artist to watch SUAD answered “The Call” with fire and grace, rousing us awake with a boldly personal, anthemic undertaking. The musical project of Helsinki-based singer/songwriter Suad Khalifa, SUAD’s debut EP The Call established the Finnish talent as an exciting newcomer full of passion and potential. The artist’s energy roars back into view this year with the announcement of her debut album and a stunning new single: An uplifting, cathartic enchantment, “The Door” opens up a world of hope and possibility as SUAD returns, sounding as confident and magical as ever.
Long ago, where the wild roses lay down
Down by the town, the town I know
There you go, only stars they will look down
Down to the square where we go
Feel the wind, feel the wind on your face now
Like you have, when you let go
All the walls so heavily on your shoulders
Weighing down, what do they know
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the Riku Pihlanto-directed music video for “The Door,” the thrilling lead single off SUAD’s forthcoming debut solo album (due out November 2020 via Svart Records). A magnificent piano and vocals-driven song, “The Door” arrives as a song of inner strength and outer awe. It is a song that is as much about believing in yourself, as it is recognizing the beauty and wonder in our surrounding world.
In premiering “The Call” three years ago, Atwood Magazine praised the artist’s raw talent: “Ultimately, the listener is always drawn back to SUAD’s captivating, lush voice. Her fierce inflections fill the space with emotion as she tears through the surrounding noise, glowing with a relaxed yet confident demeanor that is utterly enticing.” The same is true for SUAD’s latest release, with an emotive arrangement once again serving to enhance the artist’s expressive singing.
In many ways, “The Door” feels like it begins right where we last heard from SUAD; it feels similar to last year’s standalone single “White Lies” and to her debut, although we feel more space – an almost intangible vastness of sorts – within the recording itself. “I still have the same minimalistic approach to the songs,” Khalifa tells Atwood Magazine. “But now there is maybe a bit of more air in there. There was more time to record and produce this one, so maybe that alone makes a difference. I produced this album with Lauri Eloranta based on the live performances we did with my band, and we put a lot of hours into this. Some songs were produced in the studio from the beginning, but most of them we had played live and wanted to keep that vibe there.”
“The Door” is the kind of catchy, beat-driven song that picks you up and takes you with it. We’re not necessarily sitting around, waiting for the chorus to catch our fancy – rather, SUAD’s music is engaging the whole way through. When the chorus does eventually hit, Khalifa’s voice rings out with grandeur: Her words feel well-worn and self-assured as she offers a guiding light:
Place your feet between the door
Hold it open until I fall
And the streetlights, they’re all off
And they whisper
You have this all
This is not the first time the artist has engaged with a “door” metaphor; on her song “The Call,” SUAD invited us to see a door as the bookend of an arc, providing well-deserved closure as needed:
When it’s time
to close the door too soon
For what is mine
And also yours in bloom
Or watch the paint dry in the room
This time around, we find the artist on the other side of the “door,” opening it up to a world of exciting possibilities – where wonder thrives and our thoughts and feelings may run wild and free. We feel an almost weightlessness permeate the room as the artist embraces her world, putting her faith whatever lies ahead: “Place your feet between the door, hold it open until I fall.”
Of course, this is just one interpretation of a song that welcomes our imagination. SUAD’s imagery is fierce, but not so specific that we can’t give “The Door” new meaning. The beauty of this artist’s music is that she gives just enough of herself to lead us through the dark, but how we comprehend that journey is up to us:
Feel the night falling over your shoulders
Down your spine, where it grows
Breathe it in
And all the walls on your way down
Melting down, as down it goes
Hear the wind, Hear it roam on the streets now
Wrapping down, all you know
There you go where the wild roses lay down
Down to the square where we go
Ultimately, “The Door” has swung open to reveal the exciting next chapter of a longtime Atwood artist-to-watch.
The stunning video, directed by Riku Pihlanto, finds SUAD in a beautifully breathtaking setting: A quarry called Ylämaa (roughly translated, Highland) located in southeast of Finland, where they cut large granite blocks. “Granite is one of the most common rock types in the Finnish bedrock and Finlands national stone,” Khalifa explains. “Going to the location felt like stepping into another world. Proportions, the scales of the area and the stones were massive. Because of the high rock walls, it was a pleasant, calm, and fascinating place to spend time in and would have been nice to explore even for a longer time. It felt unreal.”
SUAD’s experience amplifies the song’s message of wonder, hope, and possibility: Watching traverse this surreal terrain, one can’t help but marvel at the world. Watch “The Door” exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and stay tuned for more to come from Finland’s SUAD!
Place your feet between the door
Hold it open until I fall
and the streetlights, they’re all off
And they whisper
You have this all
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Stream: “The Door” – SUAD
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