Felly Accepts His Insignificance and Honors Life With ‘Crying in Sunshine’ Featuring Arden Jones
Singer-songwriter and producer Felly has always managed to perfectly balance his laidback sound with poignant lyricism and wit to create something fresh and unexpected, and he's truly at the top of his game with the new single "Crying in Sunshine," featuring Arden Jones.
The track has the infectiously chill, vibey sound we've come to expect, which expertly contrasts the optimistic melancholy of the lyrics. It's all about taking in all of life—the good and the bad—and coming to a point of acceptance in a complicated and sometimes dark world. The song's warmth somehow makes the struggle easier to take in, with some of the smoothest verses we've heard all year, all building into a swelling, anthemic conclusion driven by triumphant horns. Felly is also gearing up for a tour of 23 big shows, starting in Seattle, Washington on April 13 and wrapping up in Los Angeles on May 24, and we had the chance to catch up with the artist to learn all about the inspiration behind the track and what's next.
The Story Behind 'Crying in Sunshine'
Felly: "Crying in Sunshine" came after sitting at a tire shop for four hours. I had blown my tire and cracked the tire's rim while on the way to a session— and had to delay everybody. Luckily, when I did arrive that night after a "what the f***" day, everyone was still excited and inspired to create. I had something to surrender to, and I think you can hear that a bit in the song. I love blues music, but nobody likes actually going through bad times. I remember hearing a blues musician say, "blues music is struggle music, and if you ain't struggled, just keep living."
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What 'Crying in Sunshine' Means
Felly: To me, this song is a mercy song. Sometimes you gotta throw your hands up to a higher cause—to accept your insignificance. It honors the paradox of beauty and darkness of life. I hope people can feel comforted by any of my music. Music is healing to me. If I do a good job, it can be that to others.
On Collaborating With Arden Jones
Felly: I met Arden first at one of my shows. I knew of him and my first time seeing him in person was in the middle of the crowd going crazy to one of my songs. I was just like, respect, young man. Then we kept in touch and he started doing his thing. We talk a lot about music, life, obstacles, things that inspire us. I think he offers a fresh energy to this record. He makes it feel like a timepiece in my opinion. His verse feels very now.
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Felly's Favorite Lyric
Felly: "Swimming through plastic" always sticks out. I grew up swimming in the Long Island Sound, which is like the grossest body of water. I think that line just sort of paints the picture of all the beautiful things that have become corrupted, or polluted. It's sort of metaphoric, but could also be taken literally. We really do destroy a lot of the beautiful things we have, which is unfortunate, obviously.
On Looking on the Bright Side
Felly: I just keep gratitude as the North Star emotion. Knowing any and everything could always be worse, and knowing that becoming bitter is just about the worst thing you could do, helps me to keep an eye on everything—perspective. As Bob Marley said," I know Jah never let us down." It's a certain faith.
What's Next
Felly: I'll be touring this April with a full band. I think we'll be out circling the country for about 40 days. I really can't wait to play these songs and watch them take life live. Thanks for having me.
For more insights into our favorite artists today, click HERE to read our interview with Spencer Sutherland on his debut album, In His Mania.