“The Long Breath” & “The Willows” are available now
Rising singer-songwriter Rowan Drake has shared two powerful new tracks, “The Long Breath” and “The Willows,” premiering via Arthouse Records/Atlantic Records. Both songs were co-written and co-produced by Drake and Jonny Shorr (Gayle, Catie Turner), joined for “The Long Breath” by songwriter/producer Alexis “Idarose” Kesselman (Joji, Twice). Mixing and mastering is by Lee Smith (Holly Humberstone, Easy Life). The releases are accompanied by official visualizers streaming on Rowan’s YouTube channel.
“‘The Long Breath’ and ‘The Willows’ are two sides of the same coin,” says Drake. “They focus on the two primary emotions I have been flipping between since parting ways with my first love. ‘The Willows’ is my wish for her to let herself detach from me and find identity outside of me. It’s something she’s been craving and part of me at times wants it for her. ‘The Long Breath’ on the other hand is anger. It’s a feeling of betrayal and confusion. It’s me asking her if she really thinks everything in life will just get better once I’m gone. Does she really think relief will just wash over her with my absence? I think I wrote the song because I know the answer and I’m both afraid of that answer and at times choosing to reject it.”
“The Long Breath” and “The Willows” come after the recent release “Still As The Night,” which is joined by an official lyric video. Currently boasting close to 20 million combined worldwide streams, Drake’s debut EP, Dear Ella features such heartbreaking and reflective tracks as “Lover Come Back to Me,” “Momentary Feelings,” and “How Do I Love Again,” all of which are accompanied by unique visuals.
Now with more than 41 million global streams, 5.9 million TikTok likes, 3.5 million combined views across all TikTok posts, and over 2.6 million official YouTube views, Rowan Drake has long used songwriting as a space for transforming his feelings into unexpected beauty. Growing up in the small college town of Ithaca, New York, the singer-songwriter first discovered the power of that outlet when, at age 15, a devastating accident ended his dream of becoming a competitive snowboarder. After devoting nearly all his life to his snowboarding career, Drake began exploring his innate musicality by dreaming up his own hypnotic form of pop – moody, immersive, and fearlessly confessional, merging the intense introspection of classic singer-songwriters with a more forward-thinking sonic aesthetic.
