This week’s batch of Big Island music includes singles from Sarah Bethany, Corinne Quinajon, and Esperance. All tracks are available to enjoy now on streaming platforms like Spotify, SoundCloud, and YouTube.
Multiple Na Hoku Hanohano Award-winner Sarah Bethany has released her second single titled “Through the Darkness.” Bethany co-wrote the song with Big Island artist Drew Daniels, award-winning producer/engineer Michael Surprenant, and multi-Grammy and Tony award-nominated composer/orchestrator Bryan Crook.
The music video for “Through the Darkness.” was shot and directed by Becky Yee, and Michael Surprenant produced it. The song was produced by Sarah Bethany and Michael Surprenant.
“Through the Darkness” is a song that reflects Bethany’s many experiences of feeling completely defeated as a musician and an artist. It is a song with a positive message yet confronts the reality that sometimes we need to go through difficulties to get to the breakthrough on the other side. The single features a 9-piece woodwind section throughout the song that creates a very distinctive sound palette.
The music video for “Through the Darkness” was shot on a cold night in New York City, with Bethany and crew freezing outside on some abandoned railroad tracks. They secured Natalie “McFancy” Wise, a fire dancer featured on VICE, VH1, and in the 20th Century Fox film The Greatest Showman with Hugh Jackman. The fire helped keep everyone warm and added the perfect element for the vibe Bethany was going for in the video.
Corinne Quinajon, founder of GalaxyQueenRecords, released her debut single “Crazy Bird” this week. It was written by Quinajon, produced by David Pichard of DWP Sounds, and recorded at Iliki Music Studios in Hilo.
The young artist’s song is an original piece inspired by the palpable energy she felt while observing a woman undergo a psychotic break at the beach. “‘Crazy Bird’ is a psychic evolution,” noted Quinajon. “There is an evolving taking place within the character.” Quinajon continues, “This song grew from the darkness of the pandemic, which was mentally and emotionally challenging for me.”
“Crazy Bird” is layered with sound, and Pichard and Quinajon worked closely to bring a theatrical element into the song, aiming for a retro feel, with a taste of the avant-garde.
The 27-year-old multi-instrumentalist loves being surrounded by many instruments- Korg and Alesis synthesizers, a 26-string lever harp, pianos, ukuleles, acoustic, and electric guitars. She often works by constructing a melody from scratch and then adding lyrics using a “sound first” methodology.
Corinne Quinajon is a talented writer and has a unique vocal timbre. Her lyrics are poetic, and in this new song, “Crazy Bird,” she brings a sultry, sophisticated simplicity to the table.
Matt Barbaccia, the lead singer-songwriter of a new alternative rock group Esperance, shares his excitement for his band’s debut single, “One Way Road.” “Writing this song has certainly kept us busy over the past few months, and I’m excited to finally share it with the world,” Barbaccia announced.
“I wrote this song last spring while I was sitting at Honokohau Harbor just jamming solo and enjoying the ocean views. I found the chords to the song and soon after came up with the lyrics that best suited how I felt.”
The album artwork features a beautiful shot of Big Island’s Mauna Kea summit, with the silhouette of a person walking along a rocky path into the clouds beyond.
Barbaccia, who was previously a math and music teacher at Konawaena High School, now focuses his time on entrepreneurial ventures and enjoys making music with his newly formed group.
The song was recorded without the use of drums, which Barbaccia says was intentional. “Sometimes, the drums can take up too much space and distract from the song’s true intentions. So, I decided early on to keep things simple with just a kick pedal throughout the song, maybe some tambourine is thrown in here or there, but that’s about all we needed. Sometimes less is more, am I right?” says Barbaccia.
Esperance feels confident with the release of their first single, and they plan on releasing another in the following months
Steve Roby is editor of Big Island Music Magazine.
