Visual artist, songwriter, and musician PARKER has unveiled one of her finest works to date, sharing the powerful animated clip to the equally-inspiring “Lie Low” ahead of its official release on International Women’s Day this Monday.
Described as a song about reclaiming power, PARKER’s “Lie Low” is arguably one of her most moving compositions released in her career so far, with the raw and vulnerable lyrics inspired by – and speaking to – women who have found their dreams diminished at the hands of others.
A sparse, delicate song with a message far more powerful than a cursory listen would indicate, “Lie Low” sees PARKER’s close, intimate vocals sharing a message that is close to the artist’s heart, as the ethereal production from PARKER, Becki Whitton, and Hans van Vliet adds a luscious layer of comfort into the mix.
“I’ve always held myself with a belief that I should exist in the world with quiet grace. Not be too loud or stand out too much,” PARKER explained in an accompanying statement.
“Even though my friends, parents and partners have encouraged me to follow my dreams I always felt this responsibility to not be too loud or abrasive, to look pretty, to sound pretty, to not challenge people too much, make music and art that is beautiful and easy to listen to and look at.
“Hans and I were working remotely on the track and we had the ‘be less, be less’ section looping at the end,” PARKER adds. “I felt this rage inside me in response to that idea. This feeling of frustration at all the times I’ve controlled my emotions so that I didn’t make others feel uncomfortable.
“I set up my mic in my bedroom and just started screaming and yelling until finally it felt like my heart cracked open. The floodgates opened up and I wept loudly for about 10 mins.”
The accompanying video for the track adds context to the meaning, with mesmerising artwork from Hans Van Vliet and Louise Thrush providing a colourful, ever-changing world which speaks to the sort of world that women find themselves in.
“We talked about the courage it takes as a woman to put yourself first in a world where there are still so many expectations for women to play support roles in both career and domestic spaces,” PARKER explained. “Thinking about the concept of sacrificing time and energy for another we found a way to represent this with the metaphor of colour being drained from one character to another.
“I like that it is not explicit that the colour is being taken or given. When the character drops to her knees she could be crying or she could be praying. When we worship our loved ones we can fall into our own pattern of giving too much of ourselves to them.”
A brave, cathartic, and above all, mystifyingly-beautiful song, “Lie Low” is officially released on Monday, March 8th – International Women’s Day. A fitting release date for such a powerful track, “Lie Low” is the first taste of the many projects that PARKER is involved in this year, with more details to arrive in the near future.
PARKER’s “Lie Low” is released on Monday, March 8th – International Women’s Day.
