With millions of us tucking into presents this holiday season, it’s easy to forget what else we should hold gratitude for.
“The Gift You Gave Me” by Kiwi pop artist Blake helps us strive to accept the tough hands that can be dealt in life. The piano-based track was inspired by Michael Hudner, who lost his son Rip to a high-speed car crash linked to his mental illness.
Also known as Sarah Foley, Blake was featured in our Up And Coming Aotearoa Artists series a few weeks ago. Her alt-pop I’m Doing Fine! EP was also listed in our The Best New Zealand EPs of 2024.
The ability to craft music from another person’s perspective is one mark of a great songwriter. Blake offers refuge with her vulnerable vocal delivery and touching lyrics.
“Everything changed when you left with the keys / With it, the rug out from under my feet”, she sings.
“The Gift You Gave Me” was released after Blake tragically lost her aunt to ovarian cancer. “The song, ironically, is about loss, acceptance, grief. It came out the day after she passed away,” Blake shared in a retrospective Instagram post yesterday.
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“I’ve had a really weird week. It’s been a combination of some of the saddest moments of my life paired with some of the most exciting.”
The track was featured on Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist and several editorial playlists, garnering over 55,000 streams in just one week. Blake took to social media to share her excitement, but also other conflicting emotions.
Blake expressed “the bad side” of her week, with her aunty’s passing, but also her appreciation for her family to have “come together and supported each other”.
She marked the coming together as “special” and continued to reflect on her music career. “Being an independent artist is tough but it’s also incredibly fulfilling, and I get to make art that I love and I get to share it with you guys,” she addressed fans.
“We don’t get to deal the cards, we play them” is a standout lyric in “The Gift You Gave Me”. Blake’s pensive writing demonstrates an artist leaning upon inner strength and optimism.
The tune is curiously a huge departure from her time as featured artist in drum-and-bass music long ago, where she was even nominated for Best Vocalist at the 2017 DnB Awards. The slow tempo and minimal instrumentation of “The Give You Gave Me” are a far cry from those dance roots, but its power to say a lot in a stripped fashion cannot be understated.
Blake’s “The Gift You Gave Me” is out now.
