We’re delighted to premiere the latest single from the wonderfully talented Lady Nade. ‘Rainbow’ is an uplifting anthem for embracing our complete, emotional selves. It is truly joyful music. Indeed, this is what we listen to music for – to be touched, to be moved. Over delicate guitar notes, Lady Nade conveys her theme effortlessly through the simple poetry of her words: “I feel blue and I see red // I hold the silence of what you never said // I’m your colour in the grey // While you dream // I’ll light your way.” Lady Nade’s voice is both beautiful and distinctive, seeming to be everything at once: deep and resonant, high and tuneful, gentle and powerful. And we are drawn in by the soft warmth of her vocal, as she falls through a melody that is at once fresh yet immediately familiar.
Richness and depth are added by the Halo String Quartet, comprised of Lydia Alonso’s cello, Hannah Teasale’s viola, and violin from Olekandra Halkina and Elizaveta Saul. Their gorgeous, sweeping sounds are lifted further by backing vocals from Ferris and Sylvester, with Archie Sylvester also supplying guitar and bass. The end result is a song that lifts and celebrates.
Nobody could express the glorious meaning behind this song as well as Lady Nade herself. Here, she shares what ‘Rainbow’ means to her: “Part of my joy as a musician comes from seeing how much music can support those on the other side of the microphone, my audiences and community. Music has always given me two gifts: the chance to nurture my own wellbeing, and the chance to bring wellbeing into the lives of others.
Throughout my career, promoting the positive link between music and wellbeing has been a thread I’ve continued to weave, whether performing in countless cities, festivals, and counties, or working in health settings such as schools, care homes, and community spaces to help break the stigma around mental health.
I wrote Rainbow to express how complex and varied our feelings can be, and the reality of holding opposing emotions at the same time. I wanted to put into words how duality exists within us, how joy and sadness, calm and chaos, comfort and pain can all coexist.
The rainbow is a symbol of embracing every one of these emotions and states of being. I wanted to give a voice to those who feel lost when carrying two emotions at once. For me, this was especially present when navigating grief after caring for my grandad: feeling relief that he was free from Alzheimer’s and no longer suffering, while also experiencing the deep grief and treasuring the positive memories we shared. I’ve also seen this duality through two friends who were fighting cancer together. When one of them unexpectedly passed away, the other was left torn between wanting to keep fighting for their own life and struggling with the loss of the person they had been fighting for.
Rainbow highlights that we are all a full spectrum of colour, and every shade is part of our true selves. For me, it’s about finding peace in accepting that spectrum. This song is a tool for embracing the full range of our emotions, promoting wellbeing, and giving voice to those dualities we so often carry silently.
Rainbow is about who we are in our inner world. We are complex people, with a myriad of different emotions that make us who we are. This song is about having compassion for our dualities and recognising that we are a Rainbow of human personality.”
Filmed and directed by Jacobo Lagüela, the accompanying video reinforces the mood of the song. Lady Nade finds joy in her performance, smiling and inviting us to share in it. When she emerges from the woods, into the brightness of the clearing with the faintest hint of a rainbow in the sky and vibrant balloons in her hand, we’re smiling along with her. She’s a rainbow, indeed.
