Raven Numan shares second single "Here for Me"
After making a big impression with her debut track My Reflection, Raven Numan goes deeper into her creativity as she unveils her second single Here For Me.
Here For Me injects down tempo trip-hop atmospherics into a track which feeds into both the dark-pop space that’s introducing a new audience to goth sounds as well as the recent resurgence of darkwave. Raven’s black-hearted vocal delivery possesses a disquieting allure that’s heightened by her lyrics, which use substance addiction as a metaphor for desperately trying to find a blessed (if cursed) relief from your personal anxieties. An intriguing evolution from My Reflection, Here For Me was again solely written by Raven and was produced by her regular collaborator Ade Fenton.
Raven says, “‘Here For Me’ is about drug addiction and specifically heroin use: what it does, how it feels, what it does to people. It isn’t based on my experience but I’ve lost and know many people who have struggled with addiction to opiates, namely fentanyl and heroin. I think there’s something familiar to me in the struggle with addiction, particularly about what's drawn them to seek a temporary escape. I think anyone who’s struggled with mental health or drug addiction (they often coincide) can relate to the desire to find some solace - whatever it may be.”
You can watch the singles video below:
The video reflects the song’s inner turmoil with visuals that gradually descend into darkness. At first she casts a witchy magnetism, but the tone gradually shifts: first with Raven strapped to a leather chair like an outtake from an early ‘90s Nine Inch Nails video, and then sprawled on a blood-stained mattress like a detox turned into a crime scene. Its final shot, however, suggests that its nightmarish vision had been an out-of-body experience.
Both of Raven’s songs to date shine a light on the gloom of inner turmoil, after My Reflection honed in on unrealistic beauty standards and the insecurities that they provoke. Her music strikes up conservations about those near universal experiences that so many people go through, but few really open up about - an outlet for the artist and her followers alike.
Raven is particularly inspired by artists who similarly share uncompromising takes on visceral emotions, whether they channel those feelings with aggression or elegance: see Nine Inch Nails, Mazzy Star, Lana Del Rey and Deftones. But she’s also inspired by the empowered femininity of Beyoncé, Ariana Grande and Katy Perry. She has been surrounded by music her entire life as her father is Gary Numan, of ‘Cars’ and ‘Are ‘Friends’ Electric?’ fame, and she supported him at his special 1000th gig celebrations at London’s Electric Ballroom. Yet while her music appeals to his fans, her artistry takes those roots into a fresh, contemporary direction that will speak to her generation.
