Weaving themes of identity, isolation, and resilience, ‘Living in My Own World’ is the powerful new single from New York artist Cloe Givelin. Not only is this a fantastic slice of pop-rock brilliance, but it’s also a profound statement on the musician’s lived experience as a Eurasian, biracial woman. It’s a fine balance between isolated vulnerability and empowered determination, translated into Cloe’s authentic lyrics as well as the guitar-driven and unapologetically raw soundscape. Drawn from the painful reality of her mother’s passing before moving alone to the US and heading straight into the covid-19 pandemic, this songwriter conveys how she found strength in displacement.

With flashes of fiery indie-rock, compelling pop melodies and a charming singer-songwriter core, there’s something alluringly nostalgic about ‘Living in My Own World’, which is reminiscent of The Cranberries, Alanis Morissette and Blondie. Cloe’s training as a classical pianist and harpist adds a unique dimension to this artful arrangement of fizzling guitar riffs, punching rhythms and those soaring vocals. Even if your identity is vastly different from this artist’s, you can’t help but connect with the emotionality of existing between worlds, whether that’s cultures, nationalities, personal or work life, or other roles we have to take on. By the end of this song, Cloe Givelin leaves behind a positive message that by protecting one’s own peace, it is possible to navigate this dissonance. ‘Living in My Own World’ is a promising insight into her upcoming album SPH.

“As a Eurasian/ biracial girl, a dreamer, a girl who lost her mother and far away from her father. I often feel like I am living in my own world. I have been living by myself for 10 years. I moved to US on my own without knowing anybody in America. It was six weeks before Covid. The first one and a half year I don’t have any friend in this country. I only talk to my doorman and my neighbor when I bumped into them. I never belong anywhere, and I belong everywhere. Before that I have travelled alone in different countries in Asia and Europe. I lived in different hostels, trying to heal from my mother’s passing and explore the philosophy of life in different worlds. I am just so used to being a foreigner as a different looking girl, even in my hometown.”

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