On ‘Paper Castles’, the latest release by Glasgow-based artist AMA Jane proves her talent once again. Powerful vocals sound delicate yet full over the bouncy synths. The empowering lyrics are catchy, without sacrificing their intent.
One of my favorite parts was how well the busy drums complimented the long melodies. Everything felt involved, even if it was just floating over top of the texture. The light airiness of AMA Jane’s voice is almost reminiscent of Sia at points. Despite the similarities, I found ‘Paper Castles’ to be much more than a pop song. Between the emotion soaked delivery, and the different moods and energies; it felt deep and intimate without losing its easygoing energy.
Not only was this release exciting and energetic, but it also showed off vulnerability as well. The depth and range of ‘Paper Castles’ kept me intrigued through its entirety. It was raw and emotional, yet strong and empowering. All around, just an awesome song.
If you enjoyed ‘Paper Castles’, make sure to check out AMA Jane’s upcoming debut EP, ‘Hallucinating’, coming out soon!
The depth and range of ‘Paper Castles’ kept me intrigued through its entirety.
INDIE TOP 39
What does ‘Paper Castles’ mean to you?
It means so much to me. ‘Paper Castles’ is a story of self sabotage with AJ looking back at how she treated herself as a younger artist, always hard on herself & putting important things on hold to please others. The verses were written in 2015 during an uncertain time in AJ’s personal life & the rest completed in 2020 during Lockdown 1. At first listen, you could come to the conclusion that it is a typical POP song about a boy, however, it is actually a journey of self discovery. AJ is simply speaking to her younger self & telling that ‘other’ girl that it’s okay to make mistakes, so don’t be so hard on yourself. The lyric ‘All that glitters isn’t gold’ reveals that everything is not what it seems at first glance but if you give yourself enough time to heal, everything will fall into place nicely. ‘Paper Castles’ showcases 100% of AJ’s vocal ability. The vulnerable, haunting honesty of her vocals leaves you wanting more & the production will ignite a raging fire in your belly!
What are your favourite lyrics in the song?
‘I’m stuck because I wanna get my groove on’ I love that lyric because it portrays how I felt at that moment in time. Stuck in lockdown with so much uncertainty surrounding us all. Also ‘Loving you is my desire, My heart singing like a choir, with you I don’t need to travel, living in our paper castle’ because its so uplifting and brings the song to a positive end.
Tell us about your creative process and how the song came to be?
The song was written over the course of 5 and a bit years with the verses written in 2015 and the rest written in 2020 during Lockdown 1. I started recording all of my songs and sending the demos to my team in the US. Bud Phillips who singles out my voice and some instruments and creates a wall of music around what I have already done. Then Ted Pierce works his magic and mixes it to perfection. I write a lot every day and a fun fact about the bridge at the end of the song, I was playing around and the words came out to the ending while I was improvising and recording myself on my phone.
What do you want to achieve in the next 12 months with your music?
Hopefully these next 12 months will be extremely busy and my debut EP ‘Hallucinating’ will be receiving lots of attention. I want to expand my product further and start finding the funding for my debut Album and start the creative process surrounded by my team instead of the long distance creating.
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Now you can listen to all the 39 songs in one place, right here on Spotify!
This coverage was created in collaboration with Musosoup as part of the #SustainableCurator movement.
