Raph Solo could be the next big thing to take over the music industry. The London-based artist just released an absolutely beautiful video for his song “Broken Hearts” which is the second track from his Word Of Love album.
Similar to the other songs on the Word of Love album, Raph describes the sound of “Broken Hearts” as “POPTECSOL,” a new sound he created that combines pop, tech, and R&B soul. However, he sings “Broken Hearts” in a lower key and adds melancholy strings and anthem-like synth riffs over a lazy throbbing bass groove to give it a dark, edgy and sexy feel that reflects the bittersweet sentiment behind the song.
The song is about wrestling and coming to terms with some relationship mistakes he made in the past and re-discovering his worth so that he can love again. “I wrote the song a few years ago at around the time I met my partner,” he said. “We were both newly out of major relationships that had left us broken and bruised. While the love making was hot, the baggage I carried from my past caused a lot of friction and undue fear in our relationship.”
"Broken Hearts heal with time,” he sings on the fantastic track. Raph should know. Before meeting his partner, he experienced 7.5 breakups in nine years (one of the splits only scored a 0.5 on his pain-o-meter). His hardest failed relationship was with a man he regarded as a father figure. “It crushed me. It changed my perception of love,” he admitted. “Though I still believe in love, I don’t view it through rose colored glasses anymore.”
Born to Lebanese/Chilean parents on the Gulf of Guinea in Nigeria, West Africa, Raph is a singer, songwriter and music producer. He has released four full-length albums: Finally/The Album, Am I Too Much?, The Anonymous Icon, which features the hit singles “Star” and “Good Morning London” and WORD OF LOVE which features his smash hit from last summer, “Love Lives”.
Many of Raph’s songs reflect on his personal journey of finding love. Word of Love features seven songs including some dance inspired grooves, a few mid-tempo songs and an acoustic ballad. He wrote and produced all of the tracks on the album, with musical arrangement by David Brant and studio programming, recording and mixing by Mr Darlow.
Visuals are a key element to Raph’s work. The “Broken Hearts” music video was filmed on the Southeast coast of England and incorporates the famous white cliffs as a backdrop. Raph plays a mythological warrior-turned-prisoner who must conquer his fear and wrestle down his demons to reclaim his crown. Though fantasy, the video depicts the song in the way Raph’s love life truly unfolded. “It’s all shamelessly romantic and heroic,” Raph laughs, “but that’s me.”
The shackles he wears in the video are meant to symbolize the emotional baggage most people carry from failed relationships. Says Raph, “If you can free yourself from the shackles, you will one day reign over love.”
“Broken Hearts is about letting go of past loves, embracing what is new, and working to extend that love into tomorrow and beyond.”
Raph Solo’s "Broken Hearts" is being released globally through Angel King Musique and is available on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon as well all other online retail outlets. Its music video is available on Youtube. For more information, visit raphsolo.com.