MARA SOL
Q: Was writing “Other Side” based on a personal experience or a more universal theme?
It’s a personal experience, when supporting a loved one during their recovery from addiction. I don’t share who that loved one is for their privacy, but it’s a real person in my life.
Q: There’s a lot of empathy in these lyrics, but I think mainly in the line “I’ll be here on the other side.” With this statement of complete, unwavering support, what did you want to be heard?
That’s exactly it, the unwavering support is really all that you can offer to somebody who is facing this challenge. And what I wanted to be heard was that if you were a person on either side of this situation, there’s always someone who will be here for you.
Q: That one line almost sounds like a fight against society in return: “expectations are an illusion.” How do you think expectations-people’s or their own-play with the mental health or personal struggles of an individual?
It’s a really central theme to this album. Dealing with the expectations of others, and as you say, our own expectations, is quite possibly one of the most challenging things about being human. And yet when you realize all those expectations are simply illusions, they’re only meaningful if we give them meaning, that’s when you are free.
Q: “Chasing sunsets on the horizon” metaphorically means chasing something that’s unattainable. What do you try to convey with that imagery?
That’s precisely it. If you chase being perfect or others expectations of you, you will always be chasing something that you can never attain. The original line for this was chasing water on the horizon, and I meant it as sort of like chasing a mirage. But my cowriter refined this a bit, and we made it about the sunset. If you could walk at the speed that the Earth spins, the Sun would actually never set, you would just keep chasing the sunset that will never be.
Q: How do you balance out the thoughts on despair and hope within “Other Side”? Was it hard finding a balance while writing this song?
I think it was a balance, but really the despair is only in my observation. And while for sure, it takes up more of the space in the song, the chorus, which continues throigh the song, adds that element of hope for recovery.
Q: When songwriting, do you usually let the lyrics arise first or fixate on the melody and rhythm before you build up a narrative?
Songs come to me in different ways. Sometimes it is the melody that comes first, sometimes it’s the lyrics, and sometimes it’s the entire instrumentation. I don’t really proactively sit down to write a song. I really feel that songs just come to me, and if I’m in a place that is open that day, I can catch them and write them down and manifest them as best I can.
Q: “Other Side” seems to talk to both personal healing and being there to help someone else through their journey. How important is it to you to show the full sides of that story in your music?
I think it’s incredibly important to show my full self in my songs. As painful as that can be to myself and to some others listening. And you’re absolutely right – this song is about an observation of someone else’s recovery. The empathy that is there comes from a place of having been through recovery myself, and all of these sides I believe are incredibly important to display in order to connect with others who may be in similar situations. I can’t be anything but authentic.
Q: This song is about getting a second chance and how far that goes. In your view, how crucial is the theme of second chances in life?
Well, I think some people believe that if they’ve done some thing “wrong” that they will be forever making up for that or perhaps like they can’t come back from it. But I truly believe that everything we experience in life makes us who we are. And that’s a way of living – without any regrets, but simply embracing the experiences”us” that we have become though these experiences. It’s true that you learn very little through success, and you learn quite a bit through failure. Things that are hard tend to be valued more.
So it’s all just in the way we look at things.
Q: Two leading themes found in this song are support and resilience. Have those been dominant themes in your life, and how do they fit into your creative process?
For sure, and I explore these themes differently in different songs. Sometimes it’s about wishing you could change the past, sometimes it’s about being unwilling to forgive somebody, another times like in this song, it is truly about being the support for somebody else.
Q: When people are listening to “Other Side,” what would you say that you want them to take from the lyrics, from this story you’re telling?
I think it truly depends on which side of the story you’re on. If you’re the person who can relate to someone going through recovery, then the message is about knowing there’s always someone here to support you. And if you are the person there to support someone else, It’s really about knowing that’s all you’re able to do. And that’s enough.
Q: Much of your lyrics seem to speak toward universal struggles. Do you feel a responsibility as an artist to give voice to those experiences through your music?
I’m not sure it’s a responsibility, but certainly I try to tell stories in a way that are relatable. While I strive to be an authentic songwriter, and tell my story in the most real way possible, I also feel that getting too personal with details can be unrelatable. So I take the basis of my personal stories and try to bridge these into what I think are common strains and experiences in the human condition.
Q: How do you usually draw inspiration into your lyrics? Are there some places or moments which work for your inspiration?
Generally, all of my songs are about human relationships. They’re either specific experiences or a collection of experiences through years and different relationships. I think I get a theme in my mind, and often what will happen is I’ll have a verse or potentially a chorus, and then I’ll have to sit with song for a little while – sometimes weeks – before the rest of the story comes. I’m not a very patient person, but songwriting has taught me some deal of patiencd. I don’t think I can force a song to come, you just have to kind of wait for the story to unfold.
Q: Did you ever have one of those moments where you found yourself on the “other side” for someone else in your life? How did that influence this song?
Yes, as I mentioned, this is a song based on a real story. I won’t go into the details, but it can be very challenging to witness a close one going through a difficult time. It’s a struggle because you know you can’t do the healing for them. They have to do it for themselves and all you can do is to be there to support them.
Q: What place does storytelling take within your songwriting process, and how do you choose which stories to actually tell with your music?
I don’t think I really choose stories. In many ways, the stories fit with the melody and the instrumentals. I tend to write stories down when they come to me, that’s usually first thing in the morning. And I’ll hold onto them for a little while. Then another time the sound of music will come, and I’ll remember writing the story and so then I’ll put the two together. That’s not always that what happens, but that is pretty common in my songwriting.
Q: Is there one lyric in “Other Side” that resonates with you more than the others? Why is that?
There are quite a few lyrics in this song that resonate or stay with me. Some of them were hard to write, and then share the song with the person I wrote the song about.
Because some of them are hard to hear. For example, the opening line “I found in the garden flowers in one hand, bottle in the other.” Or the line “would it be worth it, when you wake up on the floor?” Both of these give the listener, a very vivid picture of a person witnessing someone else’s addiction. In this case, it’s an addiction to alcohol, and that’s a vision. I’m painting very clearly. But for me and for the other person whom this story is based on, that can be hard to hear. I do think that in the long run hearing these words can be part of the healing process.
Q: Do you think your approach to dealing with emotional or difficult topics has changed since you first began writing music?
Yes, songwriting is a very cathartic process for me. And I have heard from some listeners that it’s as if they are in a therapy session with me. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but certainly it’s a thing. For me, songwriting is part of my healing journey, and to share the stories is, very therapeutic to me.
Q: Who do you think are some of the artists/songwriters that have influenced your approach to lyric writing?
One of the most influential songwriters for me has been Tori Amos. I listened to her a lot during my teenage years and clearly that’s a very influential period of time. Tori Amos was a very authentic songwriter, she wrote lyrics that also were very hard to listen to, and I’m sure very hard for her to write, but you have to admire the bravery and addition she is an excellent musician which makes her songs very unique and very memorable.
Q: Do you see “Other Side” part of some larger narrative or theme in your work that’s forthcoming? Should we expect more songs harping on these same depths of emotion?
Yes, Other Side is the leading song in my album Permanent Recovery. It’s an EP so there are really only five full songs on this album. They all explore different types of relationships, and the incredible experiences we have with people we love, whether that’s friends, siblings, parents, or romantic. I heard someone say that all human problems are relationship problems. And I think that’s quite true but also all human joy tends to revolve around our relationships with each other. And that’s really the spirit of this album. Without each other what are we?
