Melbourne's Thea FitzGerald returns with breathtakingly bold new single, 'Way Up'
Melbourne singer/songwriter Thea FitzGerald returns with a breathtakingly bold anthem, ‘Way Up’; a track which encourages self- reflection, while also shining a light on the importance of relationships and human connection.
Welcoming the listener into her world of pop and R&B, ‘Way Up’ is a sonically positive song written in a place of retrospective sorrow as an ode to her late grandmother. The heartfelt lyrics deliver glimpses of her emotion, before committing to a sense of hope and love that transpires through Thea’s free-flowing vocals.
‘Way Up’ fuses touches of Jazz and Soul with Thea’s established R & B/pop style, letting reverb-drenched trumpet counter-melody her confidently delivered vocals. The layered harmonies add some clever gospel-ish oomph, while the padded, delayed piano softly trickles underneath, and the fattened R & B bass, plus soul pop beats add the backbone. It’s a relatively simplistic configuration, while sounding full and deep, and though there is an underlying feeling of melancholy through this movement, overall the listener can’t help but feel optimistic.
On the meaning of the track, Thea explains, “To be brutally honest, I didn’t adore my grandmother nearly as much as I should have until I was about 15. We then became extremely close and she ended up passing away unexpectedly whilst I was on a gap year overseas. I hadn’t seen her for months and didn’t get to say goodbye, and I will always regret that I only really made 3 years of our relationship special.”
The track was co-produced by the SB90 (Stuart Le Brander), teaming up with tasty trumpet work from Daniel Woodhouse (House of Wood), all helping to deliver Thea’s message, and embracing her powerhouse influences while maintaining an organic pop brilliance.
Thea continues, “Try and leave yourself open to having the empathy to see through someone else's eyes and recognise that there is so much behind the exterior of every individual and I honestly believe the majority of it is brilliant in everyone. We do ourselves and others such a disservice assuming that relationships and people are set in stone.”
Thea FitzGerald is a Melbourne musician, singer-songwriter, and budding producer. Having grown up on a diet of Paul Kelly, the Pretenders, Crowded House and Tina Arena, she has a penchant for infectious hooks and killer harmonies. Nurtured by an education in soul and neo-jazz, Thea’s writing is steeped in a tradition of strong, sassy female leads, and always pays homage to her love of harmony.
With a third EP slated for release on the 16th of March and live shows on the horizon, stay tuned for more of Thea’s genre-bending prowess and relatable lyricism.
’Way Up’ is out now on all streaming platforms.