The death of a loved one can sometimes bring us to our breaking point as we try to make sense of the loss. However, in the case of singer Siobhan Heard, she was able to find strength in the midst of grieving for the loss of her girlfriend and musical partner Samantha Purple in 2017. It is that strength that Heard draws from on her new single, "Beating, not Broken," which we are happy to debut in a SoulBounce exclusive world premiere right here.
On the single, Heard's lyrics detail her journey through the healing process and how it has forever changed her going forward. "Sometimes I see my face / and I don't smile the same / Grief is my newest filter," she sings delicately. "But I smile anyway, through tears and through the pain / hope is my only healer."
Though her voice is airy and ethereal, it is underscored by a triumphant strength that shines throughout the song. While she admits that she is hurting and in pain, her heart continues to beat on in honor of Samantha. She admits that the song was tough to write, but it was important for her to express her loss the best way she knew how — through music.
"'Beating, not Broken' was very challenging for me to write. It was the last song I wrote for the EP, but I wrote it when I was still very raw about Samantha's death. Even though I was still hurting, I wanted to write something uplifting — something that would make me feel encouraged when I sang it," she explains to SoulBounce. Admittedly, the Texas-born, Los Angeles-based singer encountered writer's block when she initially sat down to pen the song, so she turned friends for help. "I ended up calling my friend, songwriter Andre Leneal, a good friend who knew both me and Sam well, and it was produced by another friend of both of ours, EASTEND," she recalls. "They worked with me, pushing and pulling when necessary, to create something that I think turned out triumphant." The result is a song that though steeped in pain, ultimately becomes a rallying call for anyone mourning a personal loss.
Heard channeled her pain and the myriad of accompanying emotions into her upcoming EP, Heart-Beats Vol. 1, which due out sometime this fall. The EP centers on exploring the grieving process as a whole, shifting from the shock and emptiness left behind to digging deep and discovering her own inner-strength. In addition to production from EASTEND, Heard also collaborated with Chucky Kim and Sheldon Botler to help with her first project since her tragic loss. Please take a listen to Heard's beautiful and touching ode to healing on "Beating, not Broken" to find the beauty after the pain.
