After sharing a series of demos and recordings through her YouTube channel, singer/songwriter Sophie Bernice is at last stepping into the limelight of the Liverpool music scene. Her harrowing vocals and acoustics blend ballads with a powerful, emotional rawness that is compelling for someone so young.
Her new single, ‘Learn to Love Again’ combines the softness of her previous songs, but with an added fierceness that is driven by the track’s lyrical inspiration. Having penned the track shortly after the 2016 USA election which announced Donald Trump would be taking office as the next American president, there is a true bittersweet quality to the song.
Starting with a melancholy opening, the song gets progressively more empowered as Sophie sings, “Come on walk with me darling…”. The lyrics speak of unity and encourage love in the times of turmoil and hate, looking to the silver lining of being able to, as the track’s namesake says, learn to love again.
Originally recorded as an acoustic track sung alongside her piano accompaniment in her living room, the single’s official release features an electronic element, which only further enhances the quality and strength of the track. Harmonising her vocals, the electronic mix offers an additional atmospheric undertone, working with the rises and falls of Sophie’s angelic voice. When the track switches to Sophie’s solo piano chord towards the end, listeners can appreciate the depth of talent of this young artist.
Paired alongside an emboldened video produced by Klee Music, which showcases clips of the election and its violent aftermath, the song’s full message comes to life quite starkly. Embedded with snippets of old films and heartwarming displays of love and forgiveness near the end, it’s hard not to get swept up with the inspiring, age-old message of make love, not war.
No doubt we’ll be hearing more of Sophie’s tracks from now on, whether in their raw form or more refined as a single such as this one.
Follow Sophie Bernice on Twitter and listen to her tracks through SoundCloud or YouTube.
Tilly Martin
