December 14, 2021 : If you’ve ever closed your eyes, covered your ears & shouted “la, la, la” to fill the silence, you may understand the notion of “denial.” In ethereal-pop artist burwell’s upcoming single, “anywhere but here,” she unpacks grief by facing hard feelings… even when she’d rather take off running. In an attic filled with boxes from her late Mother, she reflects on a time they played cards to avoid a grave prognosis: pancreatic cancer, 3-6 months, more than likely. With scenes of trying on her Mom’s clothes juxtaposed with riding her bike to escape the scene, this song leans into the tension of messy, unboxable emotions. Set to release January 20, 2022 with a music video, “anywhere but here” encourages listeners to face denial through the healing power of presence.
“When my Mom fell ill, it was the hardest thing,” burwell remembers. “I didn’t want to deal with it, none of us did… but we chose to. It taught me the importance of being there for things and people that matter the most to us.”
Written from a small barn just south of Nashville, Tennessee early 2021, “anywhere but here” is the first track from burwell’s debut ep, “boxes,” which will be released in loving memory of her Mom on March 20, 2022. While taking time to process grief on purpose, burwell found herself in need of words to feel her way through it. Co-written with Adam Palmer (I Am They, Matt Maher, Tim Timmons), “anywhere but here” recounts burwell’s childhood days of taking mini road trips when things were hard at home. burwell admits sharing this song with her brother has been one of the most meaningful parts of creating it so far. In her words, “…he knows exactly what I went through growing up and what I’m feeling now.” The EP was produced in Nashville, TN by Bede Benjamin-Korporaal (Hillsong, Bethel, Passion, Cory Asbury, Elle Limebear, Kim Walker-Smith), who masterfully crafted electronic swells, instrumentation and just the right twinkly music box sound.
To date, burwell has shared music as half of a folk duo called The Tide Rose and one-third of a pop trio called The Cheap Royals. Since she began releasing music in 2016, her songs have been placed in feature films, showcased at the Richmond International Film Festival, secured by 9K+ music licenses and celebrated through music features in Rolling Stone, American Songwriter and BRIDE Magazine (top #10 wedding songs). Having performed shows and festivals up the east coast to include the NJ Shore Festival, writers rounds in Nashville, TN and shared stages with artists including Lera Lynn and Amy Speace, she is looking to share her songs in 2022 in a way that will help listeners face their feelings, too.
On a journey to find life after loss, burwell’s healing process has included grief counseling, prayer, journaling, so many walks and music that has helped her get in tune with her emotions; this song and ep have undoubtedly been a huge part of that.
“I want listeners to feel like they have a safe place to feel whatever they’re feeling,” burwell shares, “…especially if they’ve been holding it back for a while. I want them to experience hope that leads them find peace throughout the process.”
FOR FANS OF: Fleurie, Billie Eilish, Phoebe Bridgers, Audrey Assad, Plumb, Ellie Goulding, Taylor Swift, Nightbirde
