Skyuka has highly impressed us with two singles ‘Micheal Cera’ and Houseplants’ this year that put on display her songwriting craft, effervescent pop mixed with a wry sense of humour and playfulness. She has now released the single ‘Birthday Song’ and sung as a gentle reflective duo with Darug/Blue Mountains musician C.J Stranger (the work of Cameron Henderson).
Stepping away from the gritty ebullient pop of its predecessors, ‘The Birthday Song’ is filled with dappled sunshine with its rippling acoustic guitar sound and the air of yearning and melancholy. The two vocals are in perfect compliment, wry, slightly distant and golden. Vanessa Raspa, the person behind Skyuka, says of the track:
I wrote ‘Birthday Song’ a long time ago. Originally it was penned as a solo song, but
when I rehearsed it with my good friend CJ Stranger I really loved the blend of our voices
together and felt like it brought a new kind of magic to the song. During this time I was
fangirling over Steven Schram’s production work, so we both flew to Melbourne to work
with him. Schram (an Aria winning producer known for his work with San Cisco, Jaguar
Jonze, Paul Kelly and more) was amazing at stripping it back and bringing out the raw
emotion of the song.
I then released it as part of an older body of work under a different
name but it was only out for a brief amount of time and then was no longer available (long
story)! I’ve had this song sitting there for years, it’s been one of my favourite’s. I’ve always
wanted to give it a second chance as the first time round I had absolutely no reach. Now
that I have a much bigger following, I can’t wait to share this song with the world, I’ve waited so long.
We are indeed blessed that we get to witness the delicacy and beauty of this track:
Skyuka is proving to be a prodigious talent. ‘Birthday Song’ is out now and available to download and stream here.
Feature Photographer: Isabel Ferraris
