flowerkid Bares His Soul on "It's Happening Again"
Photo: Levon Baird
Like much impactful artistry, flowerkid's music was born out of a deeply personal journey. The moniker of 19-year-old Flynn Sant, the rising star bares his past and present struggles with identity, loss, suicide, and more for all the world to see. Coming out as trans two years ago and recently leaving the Catholic school that fostered much of his daily struggles, the handful of singles he's released to date exist as form of sonic therapy, raw and revelatory pieces of reflection that provide a space for both himself and listeners to find some passing comfort.
"It's Happening Again" follows his label debut "miss andry," an atmospheric pop song that saw the 19-year-old artist grappling with complex themes of misandry and self-hatred. Featuring LA-based, Australian native KUÄŒKA, the follow-up is equally as poignant.
"My process of healing comes in three. 'It's Happening Again' is my first step. I need to confront the very conniving voices that circle throughout my head. They tell me I can't say what I’m about to say. So I know what I have to do, and that’s to shout on the rooftops of every hardship I’ve ever had to climb. In the times of finding myself, I’ve had to lose myself first. And I've finally found that this loss of control was absolutely necessary. I want us to lose ourselves hand in hand, on this ethereal, spiritual, and timeless musical journey I created for us. Please listen and watch, as my internal and external struggles flourish into bloom. I know it's scary, but remember, I've always got your back :)," shares Sant in an excerpt from a candid letter.
"It's Happening Again" feels weightless and monumental all at once. Juxtaposing reverberant key presses and a propulsive force of dance-minded production, flowerchild's ensuing confession takes on an almost surreal quality. "Let's talk about me / I remember thinking that I know where I'll be / Dead by the age of 23 / Said I'd never love me," sings flowerchild only to unveil the emotional crux moments later, "But then I saw my mom at my feet / A sight I could never unsee." KUĆKA's ethereal vocals soon join the fray, alluding to losing comfort and loved ones. The effect is heavenly and haunting in the same breath.
flowerkid feels like a once-in-a-generation artist. He feels like an artist capable of delivering a take on pop that exists beyond passing fads or trends, instead opting to look at the self to present a vision that may be uncomfortable at first glance but wholly necessary.
Listen to "It's Happening Again" below:
