Fiona Amaka is an incredible artist with soulful and heartfelt authenticity. We have been featuring her work for a couple of years now, and naturally wanted to cover her latest release, Justified. The track opens with a glistening soft rock energy with astral electric guitar motifs, psychedelic adjacency and poetic prowess.
Justified opens with the lyrics, “Yeah I’m getting on alright, but seeing you the other night, well I know I’m on your mind, but we both say that we’ve moved on, bet you never thought you’d hear me say…”
In essence, Justified poignantly explores the emotions that remain after a relationship has ended. Although Fiona insists she is “getting on alright” and both people have allegedly moved on, seeing her former partner brings back these old feelings.
There are emotive ebbs and flows in the lyrics, reflected by the production. At some moments, we believe the connection feels alive, despite a guarded exterior whilst it also manifests with a deep longing to recapture the closeness and comfort they once shared.
At its heart, the song is about regret, forgiveness, and the hope of a second chance. Fiona acknowledges she may have made mistakes and asks her former partner to let those mistakes go. There is a deep undercurrent of frustration and vulnerability, particularly with the hook of the song, which suggests how she struggles to accept a final rejection.
It’s really raw and honest, and this is what makes Fiona a great artist. Speaking on the sound and message, Fiona tells us, “Justified is a song about love and regret with a throwback 2000s sound which I feel sits somewhere between Macy Gray and Oliva Rodrigo in vibe.” We could also see this fitting into a film like A Star Is Born, P.S. I Love You, or The Lucky One.
As for who she created the song with, Fiona credits producer, composer and session guitarist Andy Zanini on guitars and production. She says, “I love the way his signature guitar licks wrap around the vocals.” We also learn that Kate Proudlove handled the vocal recording, whilst Stefan Antoinette provided additional mixing, and “his own indefinable, know-it-when-you-hear it layer of stardust.”
We adore the final result, and have added Justified to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we continue to stream the Cosmic version of Justified, and Fiona Amaka’s exquisite, wider discography.