Bacchanalia Magazine

By Reb Jordin: Journalist

Stella Scholaja, a pop singer songwriter, is set to release her single ‘Make Believe, Cinnamon’ on August 2^nd as the third chapter of her upcoming debut album. ‘Make Believe, Cinnamon’ is a song fuelled by heartache and delusion, spinning the tortured tale of the pain that comes when a relationship ends without the closure that you deserve. As a result of this you are left forever wondering whether their feelings were as true or as strong as your own, or whether they were just gaslighting you to use you and then discard you when they could no longer handle all that you had to give. However, despite all their wrong doings and maybe even some wrong doings of your own, you just wish you could ignore how they tainted your life and live in blissful ignorance playing make believe.

‘Make Believe, Cinnamon’ opens with a passionate electric guitar, reminiscent of the iconic 80’s rock ballads that have left listeners speechless for decades. A folky acoustic guitar is also added giving the single Stella’s signature coastal sailor’s song sound, immersing the listener in her siren-like vocals and the waves of her poetic lyricism. The song blossoms in the chorus with the lyrics, ‘do you ever think about me or are you just the same as you were before?’ This moment asks the question of did the relationship leave scars in the tale of your ex’s life the same way it tarnished your own? Here Stella explores the relatable concept of the aftermath of a relationship or a situationship ending, where your ex’s actions and your reactions lead to many sleepless nights plagued with wondering if your pain is even valid if the relationship meant a lot to you but had so little importance to them. Stella makes listeners feel seen after being trapped in their own situations similar to this, giving them a creative outlet to escape too and process in. A steady drumbeat and the addictive electric guitar add weight to her words, amplifying the pain behind the lyrics and nestling into the listeners soul.

The heartbreaking chorus continuous into the lyrics, ‘when you said you weren’t ready, I thought that you could be ready for me.’ This moment conveys the universal experience of girls falling for the ‘bad guy’ and then falling victim to the painstaking trope of ‘I can fix him’. However, some people just can’t be fixed as you can’t always romanticise and so give in to the abuses and gaslighting of a man who isn’t the romantic morally grey ‘bad guy’, but is really just a bad person who is too busy believing themselves to be great that they fail to notice how small they really are.

‘Make Believe, Cinnamon’ holds Stella’s most enchanting bridge yet with the beautifully crafted lyrics, ‘fix my heart and then leave me in torment.’ Here Stella presents when you bare your soul to someone so truly believe that they are the cure for everything wrong in your life when you are in the honeymoon phase of the relationship, only for them to hand your soul back to you broken into a million parts when it no longer fits what they are looking for. The beat builds throughout this electric bridge, bursting into the final chorus in a heartbreaking crescendo of Stella’s smooth vocals and powerful words.

‘Make Believe, Cinnamon’ is for the anxious overthinker girls who are still obsessing over an event that happened years ago. For the delusional girls who find comfort in the safe world of make believe. For the sensitive girls who haven’t yet realised that they can find power in their sensitivity. ‘Make Believe, Cinnamon’ is for the girls who hide beneath waves of insecurity, silenced by the people that they worship so are not yet ready to realise that they can have the power, that they can be the siren.

So go and give ‘Make Believe, Cinnamon’ a listen on August 2^nd and let it take centre stage in all your delusional cruel summer playlists. Also be sure to check out this talented artist’s previous two singles ‘Venus In Libra’ and ‘Siren Of The Night’ to fully immerse yourself in the whimsical world of Stella Scholaja.