Moriah Bailey is an Oklahoma-based harpist and songwriter, formerly known as Sun Riah. Self-describing her work as “(mostly) heavy-hearted (mostly) harp songs,” this shines through in every track out so far on I Tried Words, her upcoming album, with her voice and her harp at the centre of every piece, carrying vivid and introspective lyrics.
“So You Say,” the first single, is an ethereal piece, with Bailey’s harp and voice further uplifted by the additional layer of drums and a string ensemble. It’s a strained and sorrowful track about mental health struggles, with the outro driving the point home: “And if it's in my head/Why can’t I just change all of it?”
Bailey’s latest release, “The Ocean Life,” continues this trend, and is accompanied by a music video of scenic sunsets and shadow dancing. Its echoing, wistful vocals contrast gorgeously with the plucks of the harps, and once again the strings wrap the whole thing up together. Beautifully bittersweet, that last refrain is going to stick with me for a while: “Won’t you please let be the moon?”
I Tried Words releases on December 2, 2022.
Moriah Bailey is an Oklahoma-based harpist and songwriter, formerly known as Sun Riah. Self-describing her work as “(mostly) heavy-hearted (mostly) harp songs,” this shines through in every track out so far on I Tried Words, her upcoming album, with her voice and her harp at the centre of every piece, carrying vivid and introspective lyrics.
“So You Say,” the first single, is an ethereal piece, with Bailey’s harp and voice further uplifted by the additional layer of drums and a string ensemble. It’s a strained and sorrowful track about mental health struggles, with the outro driving the point home: “And if it's in my head/Why can’t I just change all of it?”
Bailey’s latest release, “The Ocean Life,” continues this trend, and is accompanied by a music video of scenic sunsets and shadow dancing. Its echoing, wistful vocals contrast gorgeously with the plucks of the harps, and once again the strings wrap the whole thing up together. Beautifully bittersweet, that last refrain is going to stick with me for a while: “Won’t you please let be the moon?”
I Tried Words releases on December 2, 2022.