Kelaska’s “Tightrope” Calls Out Societal Expectations In An Honest, Vulnerable Way
Samantha Colleran, May 2022
Author’s Note: Although absolutely stunning and powerful in so many ways, this song deals with heavy lyrical content some listeners might find uncomfortable or triggering. If mentions of self harm, disordered eating, death, and dark thoughts are topics you’re not comfortable listening to, please put your mental wellbeing first and avoid this post and song.
Kelaska is the indie pop vocalist of dreams. She was featured on Vibing On Vinyl in October of last year to highlight her single “September”, a stunning love song that captures the transition from summer to fall that takes place in September. On her newest release, “Tightrope”, Kelaska makes a complete 180 in both sound and lyrical content and openly calls out societal norms while speaking on how she’s dealt with the crippling feeling of never being good enough to meet the standards society expects people to follow.
Drawing musical inspiration from artists such as Billie Eilish (“Happier Than Ever”), Maggie Rogers, Holly Humberstone, Taking Back Sunday, and The 1975, Kelaska leans into an angsty alternative pop sound filled with incredible guitar riffs and steady drum hits that add an extra emotional punch. As a performer, Kelaska is often in the spotlight, where people can be harsh in their criticisms. “The song came to me after a couple of live streams where people kept commenting on my appearance. I kept getting so frustrated that anyone would be concerned about my hairstyle or makeup while I was trying to perform a song. It made me reflect on every aspect of my life and how most of the comments people made were about my looks,” Kelaska said about what inspired the idea behind “Tightrope”. The song took months to come together because she and her producer, Mackenzie Christensen, wanted to find a way to describe these feelings that felt authentic to Kelaska. “At the end of the day I just want to be happy and exist without worrying what I look like, and that’s the main idea with ‘Tightrope’.”
Jumping into the lyrics, Kelaska wastes no time getting down to business in the first verse, “Yesterday, I swear to God I almost shaved my head/ But as I skimmed through concerned messages/ My razor wound up dead/ What’s the difference if I keep it?/ I’ll just pull it out instead/ It’s not worth it”. She goes on to discuss how society pushes diet culture on girls at such young ages, how they’re expected to keep a young looking appearance free of wrinkles and constantly smile to please the people around them. Two of the most hard hitting lyrics to keep an ear out for are “And even when I’m dead/ They’ll whisper underneath their breath/ Like if the casket compliments the colors in my dress” and “If I hear just one more time from grown men telling me to smile/ I’ll package up my teeth and give them to the first one passing by”. Both are shocking and tough to listen to for the first time, but it goes to show how detrimental society’s opinions can be to people’s wellbeing.
The lyrics are depicted beautifully in a one shot music video, which features Kelaska in a forest walking toward a vanity, which she sits at and begins to rub mud on her face, and the video swells into a powerful ending where Kelaska lights the vanity on fire (safely! Kelaska notes that her stepdad is in the fire department and was able to keep the fire contained so it wouldn’t spread) and ultimately burning away the negative comments society makes about her. It’s a strong statement and you can feel the relief through the screen as Kelaska watches the vanity burn to ashes. When artists show vulnerability and raw emotion in their craft, it connects with wider audiences and feels more relatable. “Tightrope” is no exception to that, and Kelaska’s ability to be authentic in her delivery of such dark topics is admirable.
You can stream the song on Apple Music, Spotify, or any other preferred streaming service you may use! The music video comes out this Friday, May 13, so keep an eye out for that! As always be sure to follow Kelaska on her socials including Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok to stay up to date on her future releases. Let me know your thoughts on this powerful track in the comments!