“Now I’m walking here on my own, remembering how we used to talk, I set everything you said in stone, and that’s why everything I know was lost, I used to feel til’ it hurt to laugh, I found ecstasy in a tear, but now I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know how to feel”
Moxie Raia’s incredible vocals, stripped down sound, and vulnerability are the outstanding elements that make music lovers relate to the stories she relays with such detail in her music.
Her latest single “How To Feel” takes us on a roller coaster of happiness and pain in a failing relationship. Her relatable tale is a classic one that leaves many relating to the notion of not knowing how to feel in their relationships. Ironically, Raia helps us listeners get in touch with that unknown and abstract feeling by the end of the 4-minute-track. With over 17 thousand plays on SoundCloud in just 10 days, it’s safe to say that the New York based artist has hit a nerve with some music lovers across the world.
The r&b and pop heartache anthem starts with a 2-chord piano melody that flows with a light and repetitive hitting of the keys. While the music is beautiful, the listener can’t help but zero in on the focal point of the song that is Raia’s raw style and emotive vocals. Her vacillation between bliss and woe is mirrored by her vocal range and strength, starting from low notes in the verses that are then carried with power up to the higher notes in the hook and chorus. About three and half minutes into the song, Raia shows off her vocal control by gliding to and from notes that bring the song to an end via a whimpering cry. With a mixtape coming in early next year, I’m positive that this heartache anthem can hold us down until we can get some more of Moxie Raia that will keep us begging for more.