There’s a very good reason why Canadian singer, songwriter, and pianist POESY is a Billboard-charting artist. The reason is so good and so blatantly obvious that I don’t even want to say it, because I don’t think I can do it justice. Let’s just say that Sarah Botelho is a classically trained singer -a *a very* well-trained singer- who was discovered after her stunning breakthrough performance on the prestigious Canadian music competition show, “THE LAUNCH”. This performance set the stage for POESY to take the music world by storm starting with her homeland. She was signed on with Big Machine Records, getting an opportunity to collaborate with famed producer Stephan Moccio (Celine Dione, Avril Lavigne) on her debut single “Soldier of Love” which charted among the top 40 on Billboard.
Today I’m ecstatic to bring POESY’s new song, and what is quite frankly one of the most intense and stunning vocal performances I’ve heard all year. I believe her vocal type would be labeled as contralto, no doubt drawing some comparisons to Shakira (though their styles couldn’t be more different), but I would go even further and link her voice up to a sadly little-known Black Canadian Opera singer called Portia May white; I really think that can give her mindblowing sound some proper context there because I can’t stress this enough: We’re not dealing with just a “really good” singer, I think we’re dealing with potential elite-level here.
POESY’s new song is called “Still Breathing” and it’s the absolute perfect vehicle to get to know her if you’re just learning her name right now. Why So? Well yes, her voice is upfront and center, and she goes wild with it. She takes us on a real journey with her voice alone, but that’s not all that’s going on with “Still Breathing”, because there’s a very tasty confluence of genres and musical textures that tells us a lot about where she comes from and where she’s going. POESY has been described as “goth-pop meets whimsical alt-rock” and that is exactly the melange you’re getting pumped into your ears with this release. First comes the Dark and hypnotic goth-pop elements as the song builds up to an exuberant ush of intensity where the hook comes in, revealing Sarah’s magnificent vocal capabilities in full
Let’s not forget the songwriting aspect of this release as well. Sarah isn’t just a singer but also a lyricist and a poet, and “Still Breathing” is also a beautiful example of that, as it is about this grand realization you are never beaten until you’ve given up, and until you’re drawing breath you can still move forward even after intense hardship and trauma, or how POESY puts it: “You’re nothing, and I’m still breathing.”
So, in short, if you’re looking for something to blow your mind, look no further than this amazingly talented artist right here.
Story: Samuel Aponte Photos: Alyssa Lancaster
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