Over the years we’ve reviewed so many songs by young artists that found the courage to speak up about toxic relationships that we had to draw the conclusion that the degree of toxicity must have gotten far worse than it was when we were young and (relatively) carefree, back in the day.
But the way Emi Li (Emilie Höijer) does it carries more than its fair share of poignancy.
As if she’s in her own documentary, interviewing herself about what went wrong, Emi Li charts a journey from innocent young love to infatuation, to control, to habitual poisonous manipulation, and then miraculously finding the self respect to exit the Black Hole she’d found herself in by way of the last exit to Brooklyn. (Or Bromma in her case, perhaps).
So ‘Toxic Love’ is not just about the destructive aspects of a relationship; it is also (and mainly) about regaining trust in oneself, reclaiming one’s own light having lost it in the malignant shade, and finding one’s own way back to normality and sanity.
She’s a very sharp lyricist and those lyrics are based on her own experiences.
I had to listen several times to appreciate how well she constructed this story, which unravels like a stage play.
“You whisper softly in my ear/all the words I need to hear
We slowly fade into something new
Did I go blind/did I lose myself
You lift me up to pull me down
You cast your shadow on my light
You turn my days into the longest night
Things are not what they seem/like waking up from a dream”
(Punctuated by a huge sigh of exasperation)
Then –
“I won’t stay here on the ground
I rise to walk with open eyes
You won’t cast shadows on my life”
As the song progresses she sings with herself as if to suggest solidarity.
And then she repeats the opening line as if she’s starting over again with a new beau. Better luck next time!
And it was no surprise to find that ‘Toxic Love’ features in a Swedish theatre production, Sann kärlek (True Love), in which Emi Li actually performs the song.
Musically, it’s a simple piano ballad with a melody line that channels Cyndi Lauper’s ‘True Colours’ until the final note and, you know, there’s a wider correlation between the two artists in my view. Could Emi Li be the new Cyndi? Don’t bet against it.
Oh, and her vocal is crystal clear. I can’t remember the last time I heard every single word of a song.
If Ariana or Chappell or Olivia had released this song the music press would be paying very close attention. The tender simplicity of it alone demands it.
Last year I wrote to a female movement that was organising an anti-sexual and psychological abuse demonstration in London suggesting a song they might adopt for their cause. It was the Brazilian Alexia Evelyn‘s ‘Savage Daughters’. If I was in the same position this year I’m sure I’d be recommending ‘Toxic Love’.
Find her on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmilieHoijerOfficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emiliehoijerofficial/
