Arina Mai’s new song “Get Closer” swoons the listener into a mesmerizing self-reflection. Mai’s inner voice and outward charisma solidify her appeal. This new track, reminiscent of the vocals of the late Marie Fredriksson (Roxette), is a solid pop offering. Her moving, full of emotion, pleas hit straight to the heart and soul.
URL: https://www.arinamai.com/
Born and raised near Copenhagen, Denmark, Mai grew up singing and playing the piano. She sang in church choirs and competed in talent shows. It wasn’t until 2019 that she fell into her best fit with producer KP Larsen. “Get Closer” is from Mai’s debut album, Imperfect. She plans on releasing several singles to showcase her soothing vocal prowess.
It’s hard to deny the magic in the piano in “Get Closer”. It runs underneath Mai’s mid-range vocals. The piano keys jog alongside the drum machine, with little beats biting their way into the race. As much as the movement in the music bed flows like a river, the blending of clarity and murky waters awash the listener. Meshed with Mai’s sometimes deep vocals, it’s a chilling, dramatic piece. The orchestration cascades into different avenues, like caverns of the mind looking for answers. At times the sound is intimate, and at other times it’s like breathing in the fresh, warm air from being outside in Mother Nature. Digging deeper into the music bed, it feels like being outside. It feels lonely, but wrapped into Mai’s voice, it feels like a warm coat on a smoggy, chilled day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyMUYCLMlxg
Lyrically, Mai’s words skip along like stones on a lake. They come together nicely and compose a wonderful story. She sings never let the rain come down to ruin your mood / rather go smiling through/ to feel you / never let the dark pass without rest / rather sleep safely through the night…and it seems so simple. Get a good night’s rest, and your body and mind will start heal. The process continues with her exceptional singing of so hard to know / when it’s enough to show my soul overflow / get closer. I think she’s expressing her desires to listen to her heart, and try and make sure she’s making the right decision. I surmise she’s talking about getting closer to someone else, but she has to work on loving herself and letting down walls she’s built, at the same time. She’s charging herself to be her own beacon of light.
APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/arina-mai/1304464778?uo=4&app=music
It’s easy to categorize this song as therapy session. But, I don’t think that’s entirely fair. Mai’s artistry is intrinsically connected with the music base, and as I embraced her words, I didn’t want to present this as a sad song. It doesn’t have to be. It’s emotional, yes, but it’s also enlightened and inspiring. As minimal as the music bed sounds, it’s just as impactful. This song exists in an artists’ world that is going through something, but full of hope and optimism. To say that it is just a therapy session would be too limited.
Troy Johnston