Words by Marisa Whitaker, Photo by Nico Daniels and photo edited by Hamish McCallion
Oklahoma-bred and Brooklyn-based electro-pop artist Pisha has unveiled her latest single, “Who You Really Are,” and its accompanying video.
In her first release since December’s Final Girl EP, Pisha delivers summery dream-pop instrumentals atop a bittersweet reflection of a past relationship. The light and glittery track is a slight departure from the darker, Lana-Tropico-era energy heard on the EP, yet Pisha continues to ooze in the same black-cat, feminine aura found throughout her discography.
In its lyrics, Pisha longingly recollects the lost love through human senses, while remaining steadfast in her journey through heartbreak: “I’m not scared anymore / Does love really ever have a plan? / I found myself here before / When will I know what it’s all been for?”
Pisha said this about the track’s video:
“For the video, we wanted to explore the reflection and the light at the end of the tunnel that inspired this song.
We filmed in Chinatown because I was working there during that time and constantly grounded by the beauty in the small things. New York City is a very magical place full of sights, sounds, smells, and so much synchronicity. I’m constantly humbled by the beauty around me and how it all flows so naturally together, like an ant farm. The shots in Chinatown kinda explore that. I’m lost in thought, then I look around and listen.
Rollerskating will forever be a symbol of finding myself again. I insisted that this video had some connection to it. Rollerskating allowed me to get back in touch with my body. When you skate, you have to teach yourself a new way of balance and movement; it forces you to be present. I was going to a school playground near my house at odd hours of the night just to burn off all the extra energy I had. We filmed at that very playground. I’d put my headphones on and just skate it off — whatever anxieties, extra energy, self-doubt.”