A poem written on a sleepless night becomes a song about backing
yourself and going after the life you want.
South African singer-songwriter and storyteller Pilani Bubu releases her
new single, “Caged Heart”. It’s a song about finding the courage
to keep going, challenging your own limits and finally doing the things
you’ve been putting off.
Its story starts in 2014. Three years after leaving corporate life to
pursue her passions, Pilani had gone back to working in an agency. Late
one night, unable to sleep, she began writing a poem. It was a reminder
to herself to keep believing in the path she had chosen.
“‘Caged Heart’ is a very personal reflection of who I was 12 years
ago, in 2014. After quitting corporate three years earlier, I had gone
back to work in an agency. One night, I couldn’t sleep, and I wrote
this poem about defying my own limitations. At the time, it was an
affirmation, an encouragement to keep going on the journey I had
started. I was only one album in. Now, with my eighth album forthcoming,
those bold affirmations have become a lived experience.”
Back then, Pilani hadn’t yet released Warrior of Light or begun her
Folklore album series. Twelve years later, she can look back and see how
much of that late-night promise she has kept.
Following July’s “Doodle Do – Diminished Light”, “Caged
Heart” carries that encouragement forward. Pilani hopes it will reach
anyone holding back on something that matters to them and remind those
already pursuing their dreams to keep making room to grow.
“I want people to be encouraged by this song. If there’s something
they’ve been sitting on, something they’ve been deferring or
postponing, I want them to get up and do it, and do it now. Ask
yourself: if you were to die today, what would you wish you had done?
Even when you’ve chosen your path, you need to continue to be bold and
courageous, to break through your own ceilings, defy the boxes and
challenge your self-limiting beliefs. That’s what ‘Caged Heart’ is
about.”
At its heart is a question Pilani first asked herself years ago: what
kind of life do you want to live, and what’s stopping you from taking
the leap and defying gravity?
“Caged Heart” is out and available at https://ffm.to/cagedheart
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