We did an interview with the artist over a cup of coffee about this latest release, here’s what they had to say!
Tell us about your track
‘The One Who Got Away’ is Achanté’s debut single which was recently released on all music streaming platforms accompanied by a music video on Youtube, and got featured by Rolling Stone magazine. She weaves the story of two star-crossed lovers, and skilfully maneuvers the listener through feelings of passion, nostalgia, unrequited love and closure with a catchy Latin dream-pop production by Canadian artists Daniel Jay, and zContent a.k.a Daniil who raps in the second verse, and her signature lush, cascading harmonies.
Tell us your inspiration behind this track
My inspiration for the song was the grey area, the bittersweet nature of relationships that don’t have a happy ending, or even an ending at all. I had one such relationship, and in retrospect, you’re always caught up in the intensity and passion of love while it’s happening, and then trapped in negative feelings of hurt, denial, abandonment and melancholy when it’s over, but eventually we learn to accept reality, and move on. That’s how humans are. Time heals all wounds, and we can celebrate the whole cycle – from the tender start to the tumultuous end and even the reemergence as a new person after that experience, in a healthy way and that’s what this track is to me.
How long did it take to record the track album EP ?
Hahaha that’s actually not a straightforward answer! I actually wrote it in a flurry the week I was leaving Mumbai, over 3 years ago, with a couple of musician friends and we performed that original acoustic version at my going away party. Fast forward a couple years later after I’d moved to Toronto and post pandemic, I was introduced to Daniel and we we instantly vibed and were talking about how much we both loved Bossa Nova music which is when I played it for him in his studio. He was excited to produce the track and zContent hopping on with the rap was also really organic and spur-of-the-moment. The actual recording took just 2 studio sessions!
What is the meaning behind the lyrics?
It’s quite a nostalgic track on the whole, talking about a fleeting romance between a girl who has to eventually leave and a guy who can’t follow her. There’s a constant push-and-pull in the dialogue where they’re both struggling to accept their fate but eventually they separate and accept that things happen for a reason and aren’t bitter about it. P.S. There’s a section in the middle where I’ve used actual sound bytes from voice notes I exchanged in real life!
What brings next after this release?
My next release this winter will be ‘Serotonin Skies’ and eventually an EP, next year, fingers crossed! Serotonin Skies in many ways is the first song I wrote and has touched so many people from friends and family to fans and audience members over a span of 3 years and across continents and oceans that in many ways, it has a presence of its own already and is ready to be birthed into the world! I’m super excited for its release.