Growing From Trauma in Rowan Drake’s “Hey Little Sister”
Pop singer-songwriter Rowan Drake has shared his most emotionally charged single yet, “Hey Little Sister,” available now via Atlantic Records/Arthouse Records. The track was produced by Jonny Shorr (GAYLE, Alex Warren, Catie Turner) and co-written by Drake, Shorr, and Davin Kingston. This follows his previous release “Abandonment Issues,” a song that breaks the fourth wall in an attempt to close the gap between our world and his, reviewed by Glasse Factory here and here.
“‘Hey Little Sister’ is a song of remorse felt by myself for not being there for my little sister in our childhood. It’s a message that I wish I could’ve communicated to her many years ago. It’s touches on the domestic violence that filled our lives at that time. I hope this song can allow anyone who relates to these struggles the space they need to remember and to heal around these traumas. They are so easy to push down and let linger but I’ve found that to be the opposite of how we can process and grown from it all.”
“Hey Little Sister” is completely gut-wrenching from beginning to end. Especially with the added imagery provided by the song’s visualizer, there is no escaping the cruelty of reality presented in this piece. A quick yet sobering piano melody drives the vocals forward, and through the spoken words Drake describes the familial brutality he wished he protected his sister from at a younger age. Perhaps the saddest verse found throughout the descriptions is definitely seen in “the next day was better, he just lost his temper, and all that’s left now are the scars.”
Overall, this song can be defined as a recollection of horrible events witnessed by people who didn’t deserve the consequences of it. “Hey Little Sister” goes miles in highlighting the long-lasting impact trauma like this has, particularly the chorus showing this perfectly in the emotion that pours out of it. There’s no doubt that a deeply personal song like this can speak to someone going through the same fight, and it deserves a listen, especially from those looking for a piece to find comfort in.
Rowan Drake can be followed for more on Instagram and TikTok.
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