- Words Notion Staff
Phephi’s bittersweet offering “Awake” retraces the steps of a relationship-turned-sour.
Born out of a dream about a past lover, “Awake” is an R&B-infused affair exposing the complex nature of past relationships. Through her soulful vocals, Phephi battles with the duality of being mentally checked out of a relationship, although it still taking up space in her dreams. Bordering on a heartbreak hit, it’s an entirely relatable track with lush melodies and immersive storytelling.
Expanding on the track’s meaning, the songstress explains, “Awake is about looking back at progress, specifically with relationships. It was recorded when I found peace with my past and the situations in which I let myself stay too long. “Awake” means so much to me because it has the ability to transport me back to this place of clarity each time I hear it. I hope that listeners are transported to a new timeline where they feel at peace with the way things are in that moment.”
The single comes a long way from Phephi’s humble beginnings as part of the OG SoundCloud era. During middle school was when she first started releasing covers across the platform. And, years later, still from the comfort of her bedroom, she began recording her own songs and accumulated over 300,000 streams on YouTube with single “Ice Cream”. With an essence similar to Etta Bond and Janelle Kroll, it’s only up from here for the emerging Neo-Soul musician.