Photo Credit: Maddy May (@madpicsbymaddy)
By Alissa Arunarsirakul // April 1, 2020
A Los Angeles based newcomer, Jensen McRae has been focusing on songwriting even more now than ever before. Seeking inspiration from the likes of Stevie Wonder and Carole King, McRae channels her most vulnerable self into her emotional music. At an uncertain time like this, McRae is shedding light on the world with her devastating new single, “The Plague.”
On “The Plague,” Jensen McRae reflected,
“I wrote this song to cope. I wrote this song because last weekend after the virus had been declared a pandemic I started thinking about the history of this country and how bad it has been, how it feels worse now. My fellow Americans and I are living in a country with an economic system that is quite literally debating whether or not the deaths of millions is a ‘good trade-off’ in order to save the economy, as if the economy is not in fact a metaphor that is made up of people and their work, people that deserve time and support and free healthcare.”
Before we get into what exactly the song is about, it’d be remiss to not highlight McRae’s refreshingly stunning vocals paired with gorgeous acoustics in “The Plague.” Lyrically, the slow burning track reflects on the tragedies and apathy world history has to show. As “The Plague” suggests, it’s time for us to wake up and realize how valuable human life is so as to not waste it.
“I cried while recording this video because I was hit, all at once, with all the horrors I’ve watched unfold on the national stage since I was born. We will recover from this outbreak, but I sincerely hope that as we move forward, we focus on mutual aid, civic engagement, and most importantly: empathy. Care. Please please take care of each other, and of yourself. Make choices that are driven by people rather than profit. Please. And assuming we get an election in November, please vote.”
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