SOFIA GILLANI: L.E.D. - SINGLE REVIEW
On June 30th, the London-based singer/songwriter Sofia Gillani released her new single, “L.E.D.” The single features a complex and gripping vocal performance complemented by sheer storytelling as she touches on her struggles with happiness and self-love.
The single starts with a haunting piano chord that establishes an eerie and intense mood that instantly demands your attention while helping you to prepare for what is to come. The consistency of the beat serves as a link into the mind of Gillani as she sings the first line, “I’ve been using filters day and night.” Immediately, you can’t help but want to know more, and what will come next. Each lyric aids in creating an emotion of angst that can be connected with while still building a vibrant and intense story.
This story is one that many can relate to with lyrics like, “I've been using the best lighting to capture my good sides,” and “I've been live streaming sad hours deleting,” touch on our society today and the struggles we face to find joy in a world dominated by screens and unachievable beauty standards. These elements make the song feel so much more emotional and vulnerable.
Although the song is slow-paced, it captures and keeps your attention, something that is hard to achieve with slower songs as faster-paced songs often dominate summer playlists. But with the pros of having such a strong, heartfelt ballad, some cons showed through.
When listening to the single, it was hard to miss the overproduction of the main vocals. While it is evident that Gillani has strong vocals, the overuse of auto-tune took away from her vocals altogether and overshadowed her abilities at points in the song. This made it hard to follow the song and lyrics.
While the singer’s beautiful tone could be heard clear as day, her words often sounded muffled, which had me feeling lost in vital moments of the song. While in some songs this effect may work or be wanted by the artist, in slower songs, the lyrics are what anchor the listener to the concept of the song and keep their attention peaked. The stronger the anchor, the better an audience can connect with a song and artist.
Despite this, L.E.D. is a single that achieves the hard feat of telling a true story in an impactful, genuine way, something that music always needs more of. L.E.D. and Gillani's other songs can be found on SoundCloud under her name.