SONG PICK: Akine - No Gold

“She has gold running through her fingers, it turns to mold, yes she was a thinker, but now she’s sold, to the highest bidder”. At 17 years old and at the beginning of a career in the music industry – which saw many of such stories – one wishes that Akine never needs to look back and wonder why she has not heeded her own words. But the clarity of her thoughts certainly helps:

I wrote the song partly as a reminder of what could happen if I don’t work for what I want. It’s about a hypothetical person who wastes away their potential. This causes her to spiral into a wasted life of addiction and self-harm, becoming the worst version of herself, taunted by thoughts of what she could have achieved.

“Gold” is a smart and intense pop song, not far from what helped Lorde to become a superstar. Akine adds her own emotional vocal style to it, conveying that she deeply cares for her protagonist.

Listen to “No Gold”, our Song Pick of the Day: