Susie Suh and the sacred inner journey of "Invisible Love" (Official Video)

 

"we are powerful, glorious and innocent... always, always..."

"Invisible Love", the title track from Los Angeles singer-songwriter, divergent artist Susie Suh's latest full length feels like morning in the mirror affirmations but elevated, deep and spiritual. The song has an ethereal tone, maybe even otherworldly and not set in a specific time or place always. A hope that we can transcend and at least there is a suggestion (in my mind / as I listen) that maybe we can tap into a collective consciousness in a Jungian fashion and find love. It is a heady, heart warming and in some ways heart breaking concept while we see the ravages of war, hate and brutality that exists every second of ever day somewhere. 

Susie's vocal aesthetic bolstered by embracing layers and harmonies is bathed in a patina of sadness too, maybe because hope contains sadness. There is a baroque pop thing happening, a bit of Kate Bush and gothic post punk impressions too filtered through the beautiful orchestrated pop. “'Invisible Love' is a song about the divine nature within all of us,” Suh told Parade Magazine. “Love permeates throughout even though you might not see it. We are all sacred and we are all beautiful.” 

I have kids, I have daughters who have experienced toxic masculinity. I remember feeling sad and angry when one of my daughters told me she wears a back pack at music festivals, not because she likes to bring a lot of things in but the backpack serves as a barrier to male creeps who push up too close to girls. The male of the species are the most violent by far and I thought about that when watching Susie's wonderful Official Video for "Invisible Love" that depicts "different versions of the divine feminine" and as press notes indicate “Invisible Love” video is the latest visual release from Suh, all of which have featured a lone female character who travels the globe, displaying the beauty and power of the natural world. “I wanted to take people with me to these sacred and majestic sites around the world to show them the beauty of Mother Nature and also connect them to the energy there.”  

Maybe someday all of us can tap into our own "Invisible Love". If we love ourselves and each other fully things will get better. It won't happen in my lifetime but I hope it will happen in my daughter's.

-Robb Donker Curtius  

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THE FACT AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:

https://www.facebook.com/SusieSuh/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6zDFhpdu4WUVVGTz0JSLMh

https://www.youtube.com/SusieSuhOfficial

https://www.instagram.com/susiesuh/

https://www.susiesuh.com/

Searching for answers outside the modern world, singer-songwriter Susie Suh began to look within. A traveler and a seeker, she embarked on an outward and inner journey of self-exploration. These epiphanic experiences would influence the LA-based artist’s latest album, Invisible Love, which includes a special vinyl release.

“This album chronicles an inner journey that I’ve been on—a pilgrimage of sorts—to find healing from within,” Susie shares. She continues: “Music is a powerful tool, and songs can help one get in touch with their own emotions and truth. I wanted to incorporate into my music some more alternative and intentional elements that have helped me on my journey.”

With over 125 million streams on Spotify, and a series of high-profile syncs in the US and abroad, Susie has quietly and organically grown her audience and reach. In 2021 alone she was added to more than 130,000 Spotify playlists with no touring, marketing, and no big “corporate machine” behind her. After being signed to Sony Epic Records for her self-titled debut album, Susie created her own label, Collective Records. Susie’s instinct to produce and own all of her own music and content, with total control of all her creative choices—has allowed for a pure transmission of her artistry. The single “Here With Me” became an internet phenomenon after being featured on the first season of The Blacklist. And virtually every song on her second album, The Bakman Tapes, was licensed to film and television shows such as Parenthood, Awkward, Containment, and more.

Susie’s third full-length-release connects through a sonic haze with music that can be described as refreshingly honest, introspective, and vulnerable. It mines wells of unseen emotion, grasping for raw feelings in between the echoes of warm keys, plaintive acoustic guitar, and the delicately transformative power of crystal bowls.

Susie’s quest for self-knowledge and spiritual truths whisked her away to sacred and holy places around the world, including Lourdes, France, Glastonbury, UK, and areas within the US such as Sedona, Mt. Shasta, and Ojai. She lived with the Buddhist monks in Thich Nat Hanh's Plum Village, France where the daily practices of meditation and mindfulness helped her find grounding. Susie also studied meditation and alternative modes of healing like sound therapy. And she communed in nature, studying the energetic expression of plants and herbalism. “Being in nature is one of the most nourishing things we can do,” Susie reflects. “It connects us back to Mother Earth.” These experiences lifted her spiritually and emotionally, and enabled her to discover and embrace her authentic self. They ultimately ended up informing, not only Susie’s music, but her values, her perspective, and her life.

Invisible Love opens ceremonially with “The Beginning (Intro)” which features the gorgeously essentialized melodies of the crystal bowl. It’s a gentle and soulful way to open the Invisible Love experience. “Sound therapy works through entrainment,” Susie explains. “When you hear certain sounds, your body will entrain itself to the frequencies around it. Those frequencies can help lower blood pressure, help with stress and anxiety, and calm the nervous system.”

The ethereally uplifting title track is an anthem of self-love and empowerment. Susie explains: “Lyrically, it’s a song about the divine nature within all of us. My message is that love permeates throughout, even though you might not see it. We are all sacred, we are part of the divine, and we are all beautiful.”

On “Over You,” Susie explores an intimately sparse singer-songwriter format with acoustic guitar, dreamy vocals, and soaring melodies. The song was produced by the legendary Mitchell Froom (Elvis Costello, Rufus Wainwright, Suzanne Vega), and recorded in one take. Mitchell shares: “What struck me most about working with Susie was the depth of feeling she brings to her music. As a musician, but particularly as a singer, she brings a very connected yet understated approach to her lyrics that highlight their potency - creating a beautiful, haunting effect.”

Invisible Love features other standout tracks such as the cinematic “Blood Moon,” the electro-pop uplift of “Winning Feeling,” and “Down the River.” “Blood Moon” is a symbol for the solar eclipse, a time spiritually of heightened feelings and emotions. Written on piano when Susie lived in Ojai, the song alludes to a time of great change. The redemptive “Down The River,” produced by Scott Campbell (Stevie Nicks, Annie Lennox, Acetone), flows with Susie’s gently-picked guitar accompaniment, Armen Ra’s theremin and Donna Washington’s robust gospel vocals.

In her visuals, she would bring to life a lone female character in a modest dress who travels to all corners of the globe, displaying the beauty and power of the natural world. “I wanted to take people with me to these sacred and majestic sites around the world to show them the beauty of Mother Nature and also connect them to the energy there.”

Invisible Love represents a personal and artistic rebirth for Susie. “Invisible Love feels like a debut for me,” she says. “I’m welcoming everyone to get to know different sides of me like never before. I wanted to create a piece of work that, not only helps to uplift the human spirit, but also helps us remember who we truly are.”

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