Edmonton, AB-based alt-pop singer/songwriter Wallish is three for three this year as she weaves her incredible artistry around her next set of emotionally biting lyrics. The new result? “Give It To Me Straight” — available now.
“This song was something that was not anticipated or planned,” Amy Wallish shares. “Like much of my life…
“I had been frustrated with my current circumstances in love, life, and music, and could sense things coming to an end in my new relationship and in my musical partnerships,” she continues. “In each case, the individuals seemed to be more distant and not communicating as clearly or as often until, one day, the only response I received was radio silence.
“The silence left me with a multitude of unanswered questions, and left my mind to wander and come up with only the worst conclusions. I realized that, even if the reasons for these relationships ending were because of my worst conclusions, I would rather have somebody tell me straight up than leave me suspended in a place of uncertainty.”
Wallish had other experiences to draw on as she penned the track, which follows her previous and equally compelling singles, “The Last Time” and “Cry” — released earlier this year. “I kept returning to a conversation I had with a friend when she was trying to tell a man she was not interested in a relationship with him,” Wallish recalls. “The conclusion was drawn from that discussion that ‘clearness is kind.’
“There’s no way to let someone down easy, but if you are clear and firm in your approach, it leaves the individual to grieve and move on.”
With all this in mind, the lyrics came bursting out for the Edmonton, Alberta-based artist. “I headed to my computer, opened GarageBand, and started singing to a loop of the gamelan. I’m not a producer by any means, but I am a musician, and I have a strong drive to create — especially when full of emotions.
“Although the gamelan was the initial inspiration for the start of the song, it quickly took on a life of its own. I was full of frustrations, energy, and attitude, and what better way is there to express that then with some soulful, unfiltered funk?!
“There’s nothing like letting the music lead you.”
