Bella White has been a constant on my playlist since I discovered her in 2021.
Her modern take on bluegrass is refreshing and captivating, but her voice is what initially drew me to her. Her twang and vocal slides are like no other… so unique, so beautiful, I just can’t get enough of it.
White’s most recent single, “Rhododendron,” has been played through my headphones a sickening amount of times since she dropped it, and the more I listen to it, the more I connect with the melancholy lyrics.
The lyrics speak to the protective figures in our lives and how the sacrifices they make to provide for their children.
White wrote with the release of the music video:
“I wrote ‘Rhododendron’ on Mother’s Day while staying at my mum’s house during the middle of the pandemic. She was away, and I was missing her. I looked out of her bedroom window and saw a robin building a nest.
I began to think of the importance of mothers and daughters, and how hard our mothers, or anyone who wears those shoes, works to keep us alive. I felt wistful and melancholy.”
The thoughts she posed in this statement ring so clearly through lines like:
“Could I be a mother or a lover to something greater than my own instinct to suffer?
And would a sheep run if she knew she was for the slaughter,
or would she simply let her soft wool warm her daughter?”
The lyrics make me think of how much my parents did to set me up for the best future, and no matter how crazy my dreams were, they always supported them. The lyrics will make you feel homesick, reminiscent of your childhood, and miss your family and the village that helped get you to where you are now.
The song’s melody matches the haunting and deep lyrics, and the long and low steel guitar slides as she sings the chorus complements her voice perfectly.
I might be addicted to this song… but that is how most Bella White songs are for me.
White is a fresh face on the scene, but this young artist has a bright future… I highly recommend checking out this song and her other works before you regret not becoming an early fan.
