Editorials

Raveena’s New Single, “Headaches” Is a Queer Utopia

Raveena is channeling all her ethereal magic with the release of her first single of 2020, “Headaches.”

Raveena took the world by storm with her debut album “Lucid,” which dropped back in May. “Lucid” took listeners on a spiritual journey of healing as Raveena grapples with the idea of being able to find the light again in some incredibly dark places.

On “Lucid,” Raveena allowed fans access to some of the most intimate moments of her life – tracks that illuminated grief, sexual trauma, and the complications that come with being a second-generation immigrant. “Lucid” sonically duplicated an out of body experience with Raveena embedding her silky vocals into a cascade of angelic harp and violin strings.

Photo Credit to Lab.fm

“Headaches” still has that fantastical quality to it but is more light in terms of lyrical content. It’s as if “Lucid” was the gloomy tunnel that she had to go through in order to reach the serenity that Raveena is able to achieve in “Headaches.” On “Headaches,” Raveena speaks on being incredibly lovesick over another woman.

Completely enamored and swooning, she sings, “Don’t play with my heart. I’m tryna be smart, but I can’t control this, hold on. I’m dizzy with headaches. I need a medic; can you stay still while I’m like this?”

“Headaches” is all about navigating the emotional roller coaster that is love – intense feelings of fear of rejection and abandonment rise to the surface in this track. Although Raveena wants to fall into this relationship without any apprehension, she remains stagnant with this immense need to protect her heart space.

She sings, “She’s the kind of girl who will f*** you up. I’m the kind of girl who will love too much. Remember when I kissed all of the tears off your face? You want endless care and infinite space.”

Photo Credit to Tumblr

Raveena is lamenting in her pattern and role of being the giver in relationships – yet she can feel her retaliation fading out and her desire to love miraculously blooming before her eyes. The soulful, melodic beat that the song starts out with slowly shapeshifts into a pure, psychedelic inspired riff. The distorted, mystical quality to the beat switch reflects a moment of nostalgia – Raveena is lost, suck in a moment of pure bliss.

Raveena dropped a visually stunning music video to “Headaches.” She chose content creator, Hitomi Mochizuki, to play her love interest. Cascading images of Hitomi and Raveena dancing, painting, and embracing one another fill the screen – polarizing this are images of Ravenna laying on a stretcher, band-aids taking over her face with a thermometer dangling from her lips.

Photo Credit to Gal-Dem

During the beat switch, the video transitions to a gorgeous scene of them sharing a passionate kiss in a car with the top down, the city lights trailing behind them. Raveena is once again owning and lingering in her softness and gentle nature with, “Headaches.”

Photo Credit to Tumblr

Raveena is also paving the way for more queer relationships to be portrayed and represented in the music industry. The last words she sings almost come out in a faint whisper as her vocals echo like a swarm of birds flying overhead.

“Lipstick on my neck, I won’t forget you. There’s no sunset without you.”

Maddy Ipema

My name is Maddy Ipema, and you can usually find me with headphones blaring and a book on my lap! I am a senior at Columbia College Chicago, where I am majoring in fiction writing. I love writing in all forms, and mostly work in fiction, non-fiction, and poetry! Music is my main source of inspiration for life as well as my writing!

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