Episode Thirteen Transcript - The Butterflies On The Concrete Podcast: What Got Me Through The Week?

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[Intro Music – “There is poetry all around me…”]

Hello and Welcome to this week’s episode of the Butterflies On The Concrete Podcast: What Got Me Through The Week? This week I’m gonna talk about some of the musicians that I’ve learned about through TikTok and absolutely love. But please listen to a very brief disclaimer before we get started, and please note that any songwriting credit information that’s mentioned in this episode was found on Genius.com.

This podcast is for entertainment purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for any professional medical, psychological, financial, legal, or other advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you feel you are in a life-threatening situation, please promptly contact the appropriate authorities, medical providers, or crisis intervention service providers in your local area for immediate assistance.  All rights are reserved and this podcast, in whole or in part, may not be distributed, reproduced or otherwise used without the written permission of Hyssop & Ebony LLC.

Alright! Now let’s get started!

The first musician I want to talk about is Em Beihold. Months ago I was scrolling on TikTok and heard the song ‘Numb Little Bug’ and I connected with it right away. It has such relatable lyrics and every time I hear it, it makes me feel understood and less alone. Just so you know, Em released an EP, entitled Egg in the Backseat, over the summer.

The lyrics of the chorus and post chorus of ‘Numb Little Bug,’  as listed on genius.com, and shown in the official lyric video posted on YouTube, are, and I quote:

“Do you ever get a little bit tired of life?

Like you’re not really happy but you don’t wanna die

Like you’re hangin’ by a thread but you gotta survive

‘Cause you gotta survive

Like your body's in the room but you're not really there
Like you have empathy inside but you don't really care
Like you're fresh outta love but it's been in the air
Am I past repair?

A little bit tired of trying to care when I don't
A little bit tired of quick repairs to cope
A little bit tired of sinkin', there's water in my boat
I'm barely breathin', tryna stay afloat
So I got these quick repairs to cope
Guess I'm just broken and broke.”

It’s such immaculate songwriting in my opinion by Em and her co-writers, Nick Lopez and Dru DeCaro, and it’s just a perfect pop song. It captures how so many of us are feeling these days in such a catchy way. I’ve also listened to some of her other songs and would highly recommend the song, “Too Precious” as well. It’s the kind of song that I wish I could’ve listened to when I was younger, with a message that, in my opinion, is essentially saying: it’s okay not to follow the crowd, it’s okay to be different, and you don’t need to worry so much about being accepted by others.

Next, I want to talk about Cat Burns. Her music showed up on my ‘For You’ page one day, and I loved her voice and ended up following her immediately afterwards so I could hear more of it. The songs I’m recommending of hers are ‘Anxiety’ and ‘People Pleaser’ because I relate to them so much. Both songs were released this year. I should mention that Cat released an EP called, Emotionally Unavailable, back in May. The tone of her voice is soulful, and her songs typically are very relatable.

‘Anxiety,’ which was co-written by Cat, as well as Sam Fischer, RISC (risk with a c?), and Mojam is really cool because it’s like she’s having a conversation with her anxiety and wondering what it would be like if it wasn’t a part of her life. That’s something that resonates with me deeply, because anxiety has certainly disrupted my life in some ways, it’s something that I’ve learned to accept and work around but I definitely appreciate those moments when I’m not worrying about anything.

So my favorite parts of the song are the first verse and the outro. The first verse, as shown on genius.com, and her lyric video for it on YouTube, is, and I quote:

“I think we need to talk
And get some things off my chest
You've always been in control
Claiming that you know what's best
But since I've gotten older
I kind of wanna know what life's like minus you.”

And the outro repeats the line, and I quote, “I can’t wait to be without my anxiety.”

If you happen to like Julia Michael’s song, ‘Anxiety,’ with Selena Gomez, you’d probably also appreciate this song as well, and vice versa.

The next song of hers that I adore is called, ‘People Pleaser,’ which was written by Cat, as well as Gerard O’Connell and Jorden Riley. And the reason why I enjoy it so much is because I used to be someone who put my needs last so that I could make other people happy or gain their approval or acceptance. And I’ve worked really hard over the last few years to figure out the root cause of this desire to help others even at my own expense, so that I can behave differently, in my own best interest, moving forward.

One of my favorite parts of the song is the second verse which is, as listed on genius.com, and I quote:

“I've put my comfort behind everyone else all my life
And it's so hard to describe, unless you do it too.”

And yet, this song describes it perfectly, in a really authentic way. And I look forward to hearing even more music from Cat in the future.

The last singer I want to talk about is Kaleah Lee. I didn’t hear her music from a video she posted on her TikTok page, or in the background of someone else’s video. Instead, I heard her singing other people’s songs on a TikTok live. I found the tone of her voice very comforting for some reason. I don’t quite know how to describe it. It’s  quiet and subtle, but also raspy.  It’s reminiscent of Gracie Abrams, obviously not the same, but a similar vibe, so if you like Gracie Abrams’ music you would probably like Kaleah’s music as well.

Seeing her on TikTok lives playing unreleased original songs and cover songs now and then whenever she randomly shows up on my For You page has been a great way to learn more about her music, and whenever I happen to randomly be scrolling through TikTok while she’s playing the guitar and singing, I’m always grateful for an opportunity to hear more of her singing live.

She has released two new singles so far this year, ‘Heavy Handed’ and ‘Anchored,’ and, they’re very good. They’re self -written and she’s just a very talented songwriter, in my opinion.

The chorus of ‘Heavy Handed’ as verified by what’s on genius.com is as follows, and I quote:

“Broken down by the things that made me

Built a house with the things that saved me

Chopped it down in the name of changing

Name of changing

Turn my back on the things that scare me

Holding on to the plot, just barely

Write it down in the name of changing

Name of changing.”

When I listen to these lyrics, I just feel as if it accurately reflects the motions of life, and what life is once you reach adulthood, so well. You think you’re on solid ground, then you get shaken, and you try to get back on your feet but after a while you feel stagnant so you try to do something different, all in the pursuit of happiness, or experiencing something more. I just think it’s beautifully written.

A music video was released that includes lyrics for her single, ‘Anchored,’ and the song starts with the lines, and I quote:

“Worried I’ll never leave my hometown

I’ll be glued to the floor of the same house

Driving through the same streets at dawn

I rode my bike past the same lawns

The only thing  changed are the wheels that I’m on.”

‘Anchored’ made me cry the first time I heard it – and they were tears of feeling seen and understood as I thought of my younger self, and also my current self who feels somewhat stuck in life, so it wasn’t anything bad - but because of that I won’t even begin talking about the lyrics of the chorus. Instead, I’ll let you listen to it on your own and discover the magic of it for yourselves. But I truly, truly hope that you enjoy her music as much as I do!

Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to me talk about these musicians that I found through TikTok. I’d love to hear your opinion about these artists if you’re fans of them as well, or if  you decide to take the time to listen to some of their music, so please leave acomment on this episode’s post on our Instagram page at WhatGotMeThroughTheWeek, or send an email to  whatgotmethroughpodcast@gmail.com. The transcript and audio for this episode will be posted on HyssopandEbony.com.

Until next time!

[Outro Song – “Ocean waves on busy streets, butterflies on the concrete. The beauty I could not see becomes a deeper part of me. You remind me, You are present in every single thing.”]

Intro & Outro from Magnified (a cappella) © Amber Eboni