‘Storm’ marks Beljune’s return to the limelight after a two-year hiatus. Mind you, he was not certainly hiding. Rather, he undertook a period of committed artistic growth and continuous writing. Following up on 2024’s ‘Glass Half Full’, which we covered at the time, ‘Storm’ uncovers a refined, revised version of Beljune’s musical allure, exchanging his previous R&B and soulful allure for a fiercer dive into intimate and introspective dark-pop goodness. Out today, ‘Storm’ still carries a certain soul-leaning elegance, a sign that the past has not been forgotten, just reworked into a more intriguing, contemporary package.
Introduced by tender vocal harmonies, ‘Storm’ soon blooms into Massive Attack-coded electronic beats, perhaps a nod to some latent trip-hop influences. Beljune’s melancholic and haunting vocals re-centre the piece in alternative pop territory, a camp that suits the song’s meaningful ethos well. You see, the London-based creative feels very strongly about the silence surrounding men’s mental health, a topic we’d argue is more urgent than ever. Influenced by a proud Queer identity, Beljune seeks to empower fellow men into seeking a healthier, more authentic path forward, not being afraid to display vulnerability.
Echoing his experience as a young man in Birmingham, Beljune recalls: “I began writing it reflecting on a personal breakdown I had, but men account for 3/4 of all UK suicides, and I knew it had to open up a bigger conversation. The lyrics “men with bravest bones fear the storm alone, fractured in their minds” speaks to so many of the men I grew up around in Birmingham, raised to be hard-edged, to ‘man up,’ and scared to show vulnerability. But it’s time to soften up hard lads, it’s time to start talking.”
Looking ahead at a pivotal year, the British artist has much more music waiting to be released. ‘A BLACK & WHITE FILM’ is Beljune’s debut EP, set to be unveiled later this year. Stay tuned!
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