Artist: Delyn Grey: vocals; Justin Abedin: guitars; Joel Visentin: pinao, rhodes and keyboards; Kyle Teixeira: electric and synth bass; Chad Davis: drums and percussion
Single: ‘Battle’
Fearlessly delving into largely unexplored topics that are regularly considered taboo by society is a powerful way for musicians to find themselves on the charts. That’s certainly the case for singer-songwriter Delyn Grey, who recently released the music video for her new single, ‘Battle.’ The alternative pop-rock song powerfully overcomes the stigma surrounding depression by crafting courageous lyrics that uniquely shed light on the experience of living with mental illness.
The Toronto-based musician boldly explores what depression feels like for someone who lives with it on a daily basis. Despite her young age, the 20-year-old Grey takes guidance from artists like Lorde, Nirvana and fellow Canadian singer-songwriter, Alessia Cara, to infuse honest vulnerability into a revolutionary message that will surely stay with listeners long after the track is over. In her successful quest to revamp mainstream music trends and break barriers, the singer blends distinct garage rock and R&B vocals and instrumentation into the single to create a compelling, angst-fueled performance.
Grey has revealed that when she turned 17, she fell into a heavy depression. She fought to overcome the circumstances that were trying to break her. Vocalizing her frustration, fear and anger is what eventually guided her through her pain. So the musician hopes that by listening to ‘Battle,’ her fans can also muster the courage to overcome their pain.
‘Battle’ appears on the singer’s recently released EP, ‘Disappointment Girl,’ which marks the debut of her deeply intimate new sound, which she has long been working on. The new single and EP mark a turning point in the maturity of her lyrics, which are the product of her processing her current situation. With ‘Battle,’ Grey discovered how much pain she was ignoring in her life, and how she had accepted that as a normal way of life. The song allowed her to acknowledge that she was drowning in her self-deprecation. Writing the lyrics helped her process all the things that were happening in her life.
The video for ‘Battle’ is just as commanding as its lyrical message. Filmed in black and white, the video is driven by varying shots of Grey, as she stands alone in a room and sings to the camera. With a defiant, unflinching and determined look on her face, which is shown in intimate angles, Grey is presented as both strong and vulnerable. She yells at herself in the mirror, while she also fights the temptation to become defeated by her circumstances.
With a raw honesty and vulnerability that’s set against a melancholic piano and orchestral background, ‘Battle’ is a stunning indie rock power ballad that offers a stark commentary on depression and mental illness. With a video that shows Grey battling against herself and her pain, the musician proves that she isn’t afraid to encourage others who are also suffering from mental illness to not feel shame about their diagnosis. She no longer views her depression in black and white; she now accepts the fact that she can truly battle back against the internal pain she has long contended with, and embrace the experiences that have helped shape who she is today.
For more information on Grey, visit her official website, as well as her Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube pages.
