In the middle of hard lines drawn, OH, BLEEDING HEARTS? becomes the anthem for empathy and creativity
Last September, Japanese-Filipino singer ena mori released OH, BLEEDING HEARTS?, the first single from her upcoming album. It's a synth-pop track with palpable beats, a strong chorus and a booming bridge—turning it into a powerful, all-consuming body of work. You feel each reverberation run through you, and the harmonies take you soaring through the clouds. The track effectively pulls you along the turbulence that comes with ena mori’s frustrations as she sings: “When the strong is tired of dimes / And the weak is blinded by lies / All I ask is / Where do we go now / Oh, bleeding hearts?”
According to the singer, the track is about ignorance. “I have always been very silent when it comes to my own opinion and views,” she shares in a press release. “I wrote OH, BLEEDING HEARTS? to remind myself that I am still ignorant.” ena mori paints a vivid picture of the struggle and need to keep up with the chaos. In a world of multiple headlines that bombard us left and right and the constant need to know if your intentions lie in the right place, OH, BLEEDING HEARTS? appears as a soft but ringing battlecry amid all the hard lines drawn. It champions human empathy.
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In the music video, ena mori wakes up and finds herself trapped in a mysterious room. As the days pass, the singer grapples with isolation and keeping her sanity. So many things appear to be out of reach, and it’s driving her crazy. If anything, it’s a spitting image of what we’re still going through. Spending more days indoors as the world spins on, often way too fast, can make one feel trapped.
Beyond the song becoming an anthem for the frustrated empath, the music video for OH, BLEEDING HEARTS? is a beacon of hope for creativity. After all, it helps us cope in isolation. Though as days continue to blur together, finding our creative reset seems impossible. Burnout is still inexplicably real. But, like ena mori and her team of exceptional creatives, the itch to make art will come at the right time, with the right people. And the byproduct is the music video shot in her master bedroom—all in the thick of lockdown.
“Before… [during the lockdown], I was burnt out. I think a lot of people [were] when everything just suddenly stopped when everybody was just at home. I think this project just really inspired me because I just remembered being truly creative again,” shares ena mori during the advanced watch party of OH, BLEEDING HEARTS?.
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Quarantine may still be keeping us from many things, but the ability to express ourselves in any way we want is still with us. Inspiration will come when you least expect it and that spark will fan the flame for your next new outlet. ena mori says it best: “By watching this music video, I hope that there’ll be somebody who wants to start knitting or start painting or, you know, start a business—I want to, hopefully, inspire you guys to make something that’s impossible possible.”
Stream OH, BLEEDING HEARTS? on Spotify.
Art Matthew Ian Fetalver
