By now you will know that we are huge fans of artist Pena Hughes-John and her powerful and evocative project, Lethia’s Natorium, so when we heard that she planned to release one of her album tracks, That’s the Way I Am, as a single, we couldn’t wait to explore it deeper!
As we previously learnt, the previously released Sorry No Longer Cuts It told the story from the view of someone who had been wronged, whilst That’s the Way I Am serves as its counterpart, telling the story from the point of the view of the perpetrator.
This is yet another reason why we love Lethia’s Natorium, Pena Hughes-John exudes intelligence with her constructs, and ability to deliver a thought-provoking and profound experience with her artistry.
The opus opens with the lyrics, “Some say I’m a leach, my methods I won’t teach, that’s the way I am, my words are smooth as silk, I don’t harbour no guilt…”, setting the scene from the mind of the perpetrator in Pena’s narrative.
Elaborating on the creative process to bring the song to life, Pena tells us that she wanted to bring a stark ‘day’ and ‘night’ mood. The visionary artist confesses, “The music had to convey the sinister thoughts of the storyteller of the song which is kept hidden from their ‘prey’.”
Pena cites the influences of Bjork and Tori Amos to portray the somewhat slimy-type character of the storyteller of the song, although there is no doubt that Pena is establishing a complexed hyper-reality of her own.
With the choruses, Pena says that she decided to “let rip on the vocal side of things, to bring out the anger and frustration of the storyteller of the song.”
We deeply appreciate the poetic nuance and charisma that Pena Hughes-John shares on That’s the Way I Am, her delivery is simply invigorating and we are here to stan.