( ENSPIRE Music ) “Coping Mechanism” Album Release and SNL Appearance
ENSPIRE Contributor: Gabrielle Maya
Willow just recently made an announcement for her new song release “Split” from her new Album “Coping Mechanism”. Both will be released on October 7th. “Split” is a reflective ballad that reflects on her fractured relationship(s) a heartbreak song of sorts.
She spoke with NME about her journey behind the album, the ideas go back to several years ago: “I was always looking back at some old notes in my phone, and I had a folder and it was called ‘Coping Mechanism’,” she explained, adding that she had started it back in 2018. “This idea has been with me for a long time.”
In her interview with Apple Music she discusses the making of this album:
“I feel like, with this album, I was going through a lot of heartbreak, and realizing I didn’t have a lot of good coping mechanisms. I really had to sit back and be like, whoa. How do I handle emotional stress? How do I handle confusion and chaos in my mind and my heart? And it wasn’t good. It wasn’t good. While recording this album, lots of alcohol, and lots of weed, but also the act of making the album was my coping mechanism.
And I wanted to kind of leave those unhealthy things behind, and hold onto the music because that’s the most beautiful thing that we can use as our coping mechanism, is our art and our expression… And at first, it was scary. I was like, oh my God, I’m the positive girl. I’m the girl who’s like, “Put a crystal in your ass, let’s go run in the jungle,” you know what I mean? I’m that girl. I’m the good vibes girl. And I was like, you know what? I can still be the good vibes girl while being like, I have feelings that are dark, and I’m going to do some shadow play and bring these demons to the light, and do a full evolution. And not only want to focus on oh, only positive, only positive.”
In addition, she also explains how the themes in this album are topics she has avoided in the past.
“I hate to say it because when I made music when I was younger I really wanted to stay away from the idea of heartbreak and romantic love. I felt like it was so played out. I just felt like everyone talks about that, and it’s just boring. But then your girl got her heart broken. And you know what, I said, ‘Maybe this is the time for me to make that album’. This is that album.”
With “Coping Mechanism” Willow also explored her love of metal music due to her producer Chris Greatti. She says, “Greatti plays the guitar like a freaking titan. He just plays like he’s in the music. I feel like the music he likes to play the most is metal, and so that’s his forte. We just worked really well together. I wanted to do that and he was like, ‘Oh, I know how to do this – which direction should we take it?”
It was recently announced that Willow will be the musical guest for Saturday Night Live on October 8th performing her song “Split”.
Listen to “Split” and watch the visuals in the video below. If you want to see the interview with Willow on NME click here. Listen to ‘Split’ and watch the accompanying visuals below.
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