Lettisha’s track “Privilege” is a is a reply to society, asking her to make orthodox career choices and settle for a 9-5.
Tell us about your track
‘Privilege’ is about being sick of having my pain minimized because you think you had it worse – “No matter how much I’m struggling it’s a contest.” It is about being sick of you taking one cursory look at my life and passing judgement – “So truce motherfucker, you got me beat. Hold my Bisleri and apparent state of luxury.” Overall, ‘Privilege’ is about rage & channelling it through my music.
Tell us your inspiration behind this track
‘Privilege’ was written during a mentally & physically challenging time. I had moved to Bangalore to do certification in music production, wondering whether leaving Law degree was an option. During a fight, my mother called me “privileged” for trying to do music than getting a 9-5. I didn’t find that comment funny – looking around at my life I didn’t feel so privileged. So I decided that if the world’s going to say what it wants, might as well own it. Another inspiration was ‘Venom’ by Little Simz. The hint of violence in the song caught my attention, it mirrored where I was mentally at the time.
How long did it take to record the track \album \EP ?
The project took a year but that’s because life got in the way. Lyrics, composition and production were done bit by bit over a year with producer, Jomama.i.am (Joel Royce). Mix/master was done by Lakshman Parsuram & took over a month, including revisions
What is the meaning behind the lyrics?
Largely, the meaning behind the lyrics is self-explanatory. This is on purpose, I did not want the emotion behind the song to get lost in wordy lyrics. That does not mean I eased on the word play, just that references were kept to a minimal. While the first verse outlines the main plot – of calling out the pattern of comparing struggles, the second verse veers a little to the right. It explores the fact that parents have reared the children they have come to hate. There’s a payday for doing what you want & that I welcome it with my “poise up.” The second verse ends with a cautionary note that change doesn’t come from changing social identities but inner healing/therapy.
What comes next after this release?
I have so many projects that are in the works that I’m excited about – across genres & offering different parts of my creativity to come through. Can’t wait for all the fun to be had!