As we celebrated Pride Month over these past few weeks, I’m reminded of this quote from Dan Levy, creator of the lovingly accepting CBC show, “Schitt’s Creek.” Dan stated in his 2019 Canadian Screen Awards acceptance speech, “Wouldn’t we all be happier if we were able to love out loud?” These words speak volumes to queer and straight folk alike; to each’s own personal context, but it is also fitting with the message that chamber-folk singer-songwriter Raine Hamilton is delivering in her new single.
Released back on June 18th, “Love Has Come For Me” is, as the 2018 Canadian Folk Music Award for Emerging Artist of the Year recipient describes, “an anthem of radical self-love.” The Winnipeg, MB musician divulges further: “It is a song for looking inside of ourselves and loving and celebrating who we are. When I was writing this song, I was shining that light around inside, seeing who had been left behind and I rediscovered some parts of myself that I had long ignored.”
What a truly beautiful notion it is to allow yourself to recognize love and accept it; even more so when that love is self-derived. Raine so eloquently captures this feeling with her words: “And I know that I should name it, beholding so spectacular a thing / And I see that I can hold it all / It comes to fill the space that I’m within.” As for the chorus, “Love has come for me / Has come for me,” is an exclamation of finding love deep within the self and we all deserve to show ourselves the same amount of love that we so willingly give others. “For me, that discovery had a lot to do with queerness and finding my way to a deep love of that part,” Raine adds. “I want to release this song during Pride month as an offering to the queer folks out there looking for an anthem of self-love.”
It is evident that Raine enjoys sharing her experiences through music, and what makes this folk-tuned anthem more lovely is the quartet-esque arrangement she and her trio offer. Quintin Bart (double bass) and Natanielle Felicitas (cello) add the perfect accompaniment to Raine’s talented hat-trick of vocals, guitar, and violin. Co-produced with Lloyd Peterson (The Weakerthans, James Keelaghan), “Love Has Come For Me” is the fourth single released from Ms. Hamilton’s upcoming 2022 album, “Brave Land.”
Photo Credit: Megan Steen
Jess has always enjoyed a wide range of music genres and eras. Connecting deeply with classical music, she played cello from grade school through high school, and although no longer actively playing, her affinity for finding an emotional connection to music is still strong. Residing in central PA, she is new to the Canadian music scene and enjoys listening to new artists as a way to break away from “the usual.” Jess is an avid yogi who often finds a sliver of peace while on the yoga mat with good music playing in the background.
