Athena Tan

Oh my goodness. After a good six days of book-marking any Instagram post promoting Ffion’s ‘PERSONAL’ – I did it. I listened. I do  not regret.

PERSONAL has a consistently ‘boppy’ melody, layered cleanly with electro-pop beats and a strong guitar backing. Ffion’s voice melds perfectly with the melody, creating a song that radiates the dreamiest vibes. Listening to PERSONAL feels like stumbling through sand at a beach, on a not-so-sunny day, with waves lapping gently along the shore and a dripping ice cream in my hand, leaving drips on my shirt that only I can see. It’s PERSONAL in meaning and in melody.

I have not listened to Ffion before, and PERSONAL has me wanting to go a binge-listen of all of her music. #ILoveHerSoMuch

Now looking back can we say we even tried? 

Usually, I’d feel that a song with prominent use of first person pronoun leans more towards an angstier, self-revolving meaning. However, Ffion artfully weaves in the use of ‘I’, ‘we’ and finally a ‘ya [you]’ to matter-of-factly state that both parties shouldn’t “take it personal”. The progression is subtle yet warning of an individual’s not-so-smooth end to a relationship. What really stands out is the narrative she creates, which is not immediately telling of a jarring, tragic romance – but rather an introspective, almost cursory glance on one’s rushed crawl out of a harmful romantic pursuit.

PERSONAL is such an enjoyable listen because of Ffion’s delicate story-telling, coupled with a melody that, at first listen, seems glazed with sugar – like the character is trying to sweep remnants of sharp-as-glass pain under a thick carpet.

Listen to PERSONAL here: wmsg.lnk.to/ffion-personal