Bacchanalia Magazine

by Reb Jordin

Ha Vay, a singer songwriter who describes herself as the new poetess of girlhood, recently released her single ‘Ophelia’ on March 8th to much delight from fans. ‘Ophelia’ spins the tale of an ethereal woman caught up in the beauty of girlhood, free from a society who try to blind her from childhood’s whimsy. Ha Vay’s song reclaims the tragedy of Ophelia, which readers will be familiar with within the story of Hamlet, restoring her stolen youth as an act of radical feminism. ‘Ophelia’ also delves into the nature of stories we are told as children, entering the dream-marbled world of the likes of Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz through its accompanying short film which further builds on the rich lore of Ha Vay.

‘Ophelia’ opens with the staccato notes of the piano and the playful strum of a guitar which soon merges into the nursery rhyme like melody which secures its home within the memories of our innocent childhood days. The first lyrics, ‘Ophelia at the window, pining for the first snow. She’s twirling like a ballerina, never caring how you see her’ convey that she is still enchanted by the magic of fairytales and early girlhood. Ophelia is so unapologetically her which intrigues the listener as she ignores the burden of shaping herself to make others feel comfortable, which is something women are taught at a very early age to do in a society run by insecure men. ‘Ophelia’ is Ha Vay’s pursuit of breaking down the cycles which silence young women, the artist tells her listener through this captivating song that just because you have entered womanhood doesn’t mean you should leave the whimsy of childhood behind. So, dance under the full moon and scream to the stars, just don’t abandon your wildest imaginations because you are now confined by society to the harsh stereotypes surrounding women.

The single then enters the celebratory pre-chorus, ‘how the world held at the body of her grin. Wild eyes, silver lies, baby that’s just how she is.’ This paints the picture of people being intrigued by her freedom and sense of childhood wonder whilst as a society they often criticise strong women like her for being too outspoken or too independent. Listeners then enter the revelry further within the chorus. This moment is a cacophony of bouncy instruments and siren-like vocals which draw the listener to the protagonist’s name, cementing her importance to the rewriting of the tales of girlhood so that they can become a much more empowering entity. Ha Vay continuously battles the demure and submissive version of women throughout her songs. These are the women who make men feel comfortable and powerful by diminishing the wild and ethereal reality of girlhood. ‘Ophelia’ reconstructs the fate of womanhood by weaving a hope-laced tapestry portraying the story of a strong young women in touch with both her womanly femininity and also the stardust of childhood. This makes listeners feel seen and supported in their plight of regaining their confidence and healing their inner child.

The second verse opens with, ‘Ophelia caught a glimpse of Mars, she wanders out the dive bar. Fastening wishes onto stars, with safety pins from an overstuffed draw.’ This mystically romanticises the messiness of girlhood where our bed chambers are our own work of art and glitter coats our eyelids each night.

The production of ‘Ophelia’ appears to mirror the chaos of an enriched childhood where we run around in floaty dresses under the shade of a large willow tree which in adulthood no longer seems so big. Ophelia really is the preservation of the dream-like state which cushions us during childhood, where everything is just a little hazy and just a little magical because as children, we choose to be optimistic and are encouraged to replace our world of politics and destruction with tales of yellow brick roads and fairies in the forest.

‘Ophelia’ is for the nostalgic girls who are whisked away each night into the hallucinatory worlds of girlhood where rabbits can talk, and sun forever bathes our skin. So, go give ‘Ophelia’ a listen now as we anticipate Ha Vay’s upcoming album and any future show dates so we can all embrace the power of girlhood.

Photo Credit: Emily Oreste