In the early months of quarantine, the two-time Grammy Award winning R&B artist H.E.R. began a livestream series, “Girls With Guitars,” a weekly conversation and performance with a fellow female guitarist on Instagram Live.OnEpisode 2, H.E.R. invited one of my biggest musical inspirations onto the show, Lianne La Havas.
La Havas, a British singer and songwriter, emerged in the 2010s with a subtle, soulful sound, weaving together elements from R&B, folk and pop. Both her debut album "Is Your Love Big Enough?" (2012) and her second album "Blood" (2015) reached the top five in the United Kingdom in their respective years of release. Her third album, "Lianne La Havas" (2020), dropped in July.
The livestream opened with the two artists fangirling over each others’ music, which was simply delightful to witness as a huge fan of both artists. La Havas began her performance with a cover of Aretha Franklin’s“I Say a Little Prayer" (1968).The low and gritty warmth of her vocals shone through, despite a slightly choppy Wi-Fi connection. As she sings, H.E.R. bobbed her head along and eventually joined La Havas for the final reprise. The spontaneity of their collaboration was lovely, making the session feel all the more intimate and impressive.
Following this, La Havas performed one of her new songs titled, “Bittersweet” (2020). She sang: “Please stop asking, 'do you still love me?'/ Don't have much to say, let's speak in the morning/ Please don't do this, I'm too far away/ Don't know what to tell you, babe.” A testament to the grief caused by loving from a distance, listeners can find solace in the chorus: “Bittersweet summer rain/ I'm born again/ All my broken pieces/ Bittersweet summer rain/ I'm born again.”
This past summer, I would go on walks and play this song on repeat, letting La Havas’ voice wash over me. While “Bittersweet” was recorded over a year ago, there’s something poetically apt about her lyrics, especially now. In a time of social distancing and personal reckoning, I’ve found that it is the little rebirths that she refers to — a summer rain, a song, a call with an old friend — that have brought me a sense of peace.
Over the course of about 30 minutes, La Havas and H.E.R. built a genuine connection with each other and their audience. Less like a concert and more like two friends catching up, this livestream was heartwarming, leaving me with an undeniable — and much needed — feeling of comfort.
