Faouzia Breaks Down Debut Project CITIZENS Track by Track: Exclusive
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The post Faouzia Breaks Down Debut Project CITIZENS Track by Track: Exclusive appeared first on Consequence.
Our Track by Track series gives artists a space to tell the story of each song on their newest release. Today, Faouzia takes us through CITIZENS.
After years of steadily growing an audience with her heartfelt, international music, Faouzia has finally shared her debut project, CITIZENS. The record is a swift 23-minute collection and includes the recently released “RIP, Love” and the John Legend-featuring “Minefields.”
Faouzia’s global influences are immediately noticeable when listening to her music. Born in Morocco and brought up in Canada, the tri-lingual pop star unabashedly brings each element of her roots into her songcraft. Beyond her capabilities to sing in English, French, and Moroccan, her fusion of traditional Moroccan and Arabic stylings with modern pop production has garnered her international acclaim.
“My earliest experiences with music date back to family road trips when I was a kid,” she tells Consequence. “My mom and dad would play these incredible Moroccan songs full of big percussive elements and Arabic trills. I was introduced to pop music soon after and instantly fell in love.”
As if her varied approach wasn’t already enough to brand her as the pop star of the future, she’s also mastered the art of TikTok, gaining a monumental fanbase on the Gen Z-populated platform. Faouzia boasts 3.2 followers, and tracks off CITIZENS alone have already surpassed three billion views.
With CITIZENS, she at last compiles her songs into a cohesive package. The project combines previous hits with newly-released tracks, including the “Don’t Tell Me I’m Pretty,” her first completely self-produced song.
“I’ve waited years for this moment and I’m so excited to finally share my first body of work with everyone,” she adds. “CITIZENS has been a true labor of love; a collection of music that best represents the path we’ve taken on this journey together, and a taste of what lies ahead. Each of these songs holds a special place in my heart for a different reason, but hearing the meaning that they take on for others is what really makes this all exciting.”
CITIZENS seems like it could be the first grand hello of an artist primed to make a splash in the 2020s. Listen to the project below, followed by Faouzia’s breakdown of each track.
“RIP, Love”:
My earliest experiences with music date back to family road trips when I was a kid. My mom and dad would play these incredible Moroccan songs full of big percussive elements and Arabic trills. I was introduced to pop music soon after and instantly fell in love. I feel like the production, melodies, and powerful narrative in “RIP, Love” encompass so many parts of my musical heritage — it feels like me. And I’m so happy that fans across the world have connected with it in the same way!
“Thick and Thin”:
I wanted to do a song that felt like a friend talking to you in time of need, and “Thick and Thin” was the perfect fit. I hope this song acts as a “pick-me-up” when you’re feeling down and are in need of some perseverance. When I sing it, I always think of my fans. I feel like I talk and connect to them through my music, so this one is super special to me.
“Anybody Else”:
“Anybody Else” is really special to me because I worked on it with my good friends Sean and Dre Davidson and BUZZ, who also worked on “Born Without A Heart” and “Puppet” with me. We wrote this during quarantine in one of my first-ever Zoom writing sessions, which was really interesting. I had this line written down — “I wouldn’t wish this love on my worst enemy” — and I knew I wanted to write an entire song around it.
“SoLie”:
I was really excited to write another song that was in the same world as “RIP, Love” but still stood its own ground. We came up with this tropical, fun, bouncy tempo and melody, but I made sure to incorporate emotional and heartfelt lyrics, because it’s not a Faouzia song without that! When I was singing the words “so lie,” it sounded to me like I was crying someone’s name in distress, so I wanted to make it seem like “Solie” could be somebody’s name while also sounding like you’re calling them out for their actions.
“I Know”:
I wrote “I Know” alone at 3:00 a.m. in Winnipeg. Everything about the song kind of came all at once. I initially did some of the production on my own with me on piano and violin. Once it came together, I posted a snippet of it on Instagram and it got a really great reaction. My team and I felt like it belonged on the project, so we finished it up with a great producer named ＦＥＲＲＯ. I hope a lot of people can relate and connect with the emotion in the lyrics!
“Don’t Tell Me I’m Pretty”:
About two years ago, I found this really beautiful, yet eerie, almost siren-sounding synth sound on the music program on my computer and immediately knew I had to do something with it. I started writing the lyrics and then took matters into my own hands to produce and engineer it myself at home. This was really fun and exciting because I hadn’t done that since I was about 14 or 15 years old. I think this song is something a lot of fans will relate to because it expresses that feeling of distrust, frustration, and heartbreak.
“Minefields”:
“Minefields” examines what we, as humans, are willing to do to reunite with a loved one — whoever it may be. It poses the question, during times of desperation or despair, what risks are we willing to take, driven by the power of love? This is especially meaningful during these trying times and the past couple of years we’ve had. And working with John on this record was an absolute dream come true. I’ve looked up to him since I was a kid — he’s truly a generational voice and an all-around icon. I was honored that he wanted to join me on this and truly can’t imagine the song without him.
“Puppet”:
“Puppet” is a song about challenging relationship dynamics as a woman, taking charge, and shamelessly being yourself. I want young girls around the world to know that they don’t need to change who they are for anyone, and that someone that loves you shouldn’t ask you to be someone you’re not. If anyone tries to knock you down, or force you to conform, use that as motivation to stand up taller and only surround yourself with those that want to prop you up and support you. Throughout the song, the word “ حرية” — Arabic for “freedom” — is chanted. As the world continues down a difficult path daily, this message is more necessary than ever.
Faouzia Breaks Down Debut Project CITIZENS Track by Track: Exclusive
Jonah Krueger
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