Setting the tone with a 90s rock energy featuring guitar and drums with enigmatic melodic tones, Leela Misel opens her debut single Switch, with the profound and introspective lyrics, “Can’t be myself around strangers, I hide, in plain sight, like an agent, undercover, my cloak is my smile, don’t chip away at my identity, don’t trip out on my ancestry…”
With poetic prowess, the emerging artist from Australia explores themes of racial discrimination and code switching with this opus.
Code switching means “the modifying of one’s speech, behaviour, appearance, etc. to adapt to different sociocultural norms”, which is brought to life with lyrics such as the hook “I can switch, I can switch, I can Tik Tok and Blow, all the supervised lies, and the future don’t know” and the assertive “No! I will not compromise. Rules! Rules are meant to be, broken.”
We love how Leela delivers this message with an alt-rock vibe that is subversive in itself, fused with her bluesy-rock vocals, thus demonstrating the high concept nature of the artist.
Speaking on her creativity, Leela says, “I wrote this song after hearing the term ‘code switching’ on a podcast. The song celebrates this as a skill, while also grieving at repressing so much of what makes me who I am, just to keep others from treating me differently because of my race or heritage”.
We are inspired by the vulnerable depth that Leela goes to on this track, and the unique perspective she is providing the world from her lived experience. We are also obsessed with the guitar solo!
Leela Misel cites Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Dianna Ross, Dolly Parton, Faith No More, Incubus and John Farnham as influences, but it is clear that she is also creating a universe of her own.
We have added Switch to our New Music Spotlight playlist and cannot wait to hear more from Leela Misel!