Stephanie Braganza – “Feel A Little Less”
Stephanie Braganza – “Feel A Little Less” – Single Review
I’ll admit, this was not what I was expecting.
Believe it or not, it’s been nearly eight years to the day since the last time I reviewed the music of Stephanie Braganza. Back then, she put out an extremely memorable single called “Chains Of Silence” and a wildly daring video that I have never forgotten to this very day. Think of that for a second, and do the math yourself – how many songs do you remember from eight years ago? Now do some more fun math – imagine you’d only ever heard one song from the artists/bands from that same time frame – how many of those do you remember? The number is likely next to none. With so much music coming at us all the time, if we’re not constantly kept in the cycle of hearing something new, or if we’re not continually searching for more by whatever artist/band it may be, then things naturally fade from our memory over time, with the exception of life-changing one-hit wonders and truly memorable songs.
And I think that’s where I’m most perplexed by the direction of Braganza’s latest single, by comparison.
Let me explain…because this certainly ain’t a quality issue. In fact, I’d probably argue that she sounds better than I remember, and stronger than ever before. Performance-wise, she is absolutely crushing it with confidence, which is precisely what’s required when you consider the empowering theme that’s at the core of “Feel A Little Less.” From Stephanie’s direct perspective, she had this to say: “When I first wrote these lyrics, I was battling to escape the prison my mind had become. Now, it’s also about slaying a monster—whether it’s within you or someone standing in your way. This track is for anyone who’s ever had to push through the darkness to reclaim their power.” So don’t get me wrong, I am all for that – I think everything she has to say about this song checks out, and she’s clearly made “Feel A Little Less” for all the right reasons. Important reasons. The kind of reasons that you kind of have to work out through art & music in real-time, so that you can eventually find a way to heal and to function in the ways you once did before all the bullshit of life crept in. That’s the catharsis of creativity, and it IS important. I was certainly not surprised to hear Braganza sounding spectacular – this Canadian sensation has an all-out remarkable voice, and I was genuinely pleased to hear her sounding so free to be the version of herself that she has long wanted to be. Again, to be crystal-freaking-clear, she sounds nothing short of amazing, and you can tell the changes she’s made in her life have made an extraordinary impact on her.
Because the last time we were listening to Stephanie’s music, it sure wasn’t like this at all. She was likely writing from an angrier, less peaceful place. Justifiably so, but yeah…definitely from a different headspace than she seems to be in now. “Chains Of Silence” was all about the horrors of the mechanics of the meat-eating industry, where she cleverly flipped the script to show us what it would be like for US if WE were the actual food supply instead. The whole experience of taking that song & its video in, will likely haunt me for the rest of time – it was that memorable then, and like I said before, it is STILL that memorable now. What worries me about “Feel A Little Less” by comparison is that, while there’s no question she’s made an upgrade in just about every category you can think of, the song itself is a lot more generic in that regard…so even despite all the good things she’s done here, and there being MORE Stephanie in Stephanie’s single this time around…I don’t think we’re going to remember “Feel A Little Less” in eight years in that same way we did with “Chains Of Silence.” Somehow, while tapping into her identity as a person behind the scenes, it seems like she’s lost a bit of that in the material she’s making now at the same time, you know what I mean? That’s no knock against the song or against Stephanie either when it comes right down to it…I’m confident that most of you out there will enjoy listening to “Feel A Little Less” and feel just as strongly as I do about the way Braganza nailed every aspect of her performance. My point is simply saying that she’s treading dangerously close to so much of what is out there in the scene already, and it’s going to be way tougher for the average everyday listener to be able to hear a song like “Feel A Little Less” and know that it’s Stephanie Braganza, not somebody else – you feel me? With “Chains Of Silence” and the uniqueness it possessed, you couldn’t mistake that for anybody other than Braganza at the time…and that’s the real difference, from my perspective. So it’s like…you know…we make this trades and compromises in what we create all the time…we might level up in some areas, but at the same time, take our eyes off the prize in others. Sometimes it’s just a matter of where the focus shifts to, or what the priorities are. Did Stephanie trade in some of the identity in her music in favor of coming out with a catchier single that the masses would respond to and/or sing along with this time around? She might have. And it might very well pay off in the immediate future, though it might also be a totally different story in the long run. It’s hard to argue against what’s basically a flawless song…and don’t get it twisted – I want to support someone like Stephanie as she blossoms into the person/artist she’s always wanted to be. I’m not at all suggesting she heads back into the darkness to write from a place she doesn’t want to be in anymore – but at the same time, I’m also hinting very strongly that identity in the music business is about the hardest thing to achieve, even harder to maintain, and the last thing you want to let slip away once you’ve got it. As to whether or not the trade-off from stepping outta the dark and into the light is worth it in the long run, is something only she can determine. I like what I hear in every single square inch of her performance as she sings “Feel A Little Less,” but I’m far from convinced that she hasn’t somewhat stymied the degree of identity her music seemed to once contain, in favor of pursuing a more commercialized style of Pop.
Accessibility-wise, she’s at an all-time high without a doubt. I don’t wanna advocate for taking the art out of an artist, or to lessen a provocative perspective to achieve a wider audience…and I’m not even saying that she’s done any of this on purpose either. All I’m saying is that prioritizing identity in style & sound is a crucial element of longevity in this business, and talent like Stephanie has deserves to have every shot at finding indisputable ways to embrace her uniqueness, and wield it like the asset it can truly be for her.
Find out more about Stephanie Braganza from her official website at: https://stephaniebraganza.com
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