The deep chasm of emanating vibe that drips out from every echo and quiver of HIRIE's striking new single, "Bonfire," shouldn't be unfamiliar with fans by now.
Her most recent meanderings within the Music Industry involve joining forces with Paul Couture—the notary producer with credits behind French Montana and Max B's 2019 collaborative LP, 'Coke Wave 4'—to help her facilitate trying something different with her sound.
So naturally, when the two budding creatives amalgamated their hitmaker juices together over Facetime, the buzzing island-inspired platform for HIRIE's profound and uplifting messages was settled.
She's described her narrative behind this collaborative track as, "quieting your inner chatter - or rather, burning it so that the truth can find its way out," and that's the same attitude it exudes when we dive into the Reggaeton-motivated vibrations spilling over the edges of this new-age Classic. Here, HIRIE is whirring with a scintillating character that could buckle any knees at the first notion of an audible sensation. The production plays off the infectious vibe that the Filipina-intoner evaporates with every salacious echo that falls gets sucked into the Island Void.
There's a riffing guitar that glides across the playback's expanses with Ska-reminiscent downstrokes, and as the nostalgic pad samples raise the heat level through every transition, the beat renders up with a punchy, modern thump. While it might like there might be a lot going on within the interweaving filters and attention-grabbing slap-back reverberations found on "Bonfire," the fact is: it's the well immersed cut we anticipated from the two original Talents. Over an even balance, everything between the captivating narrative HIRIE exposes; to how her voice sits in the mix, was automatically assumed when Patricia's name showed up next Paul Coutures'.
With a Top-line as catchy as, "burn it like a rum-bum fire, take like a boom, make you higher," stuck in our heads, it's no wonder everyone has been taking notice of our newly adorned after-glow as we strut with "Bonfire," booming as our soundtrack.
Hello HIRIE and welcome to BuzzMusic. Can you walk us through what the process of creating "Bonfire" together was like? Where did the idea for the song come from? And how did you manage to do it over Facetime?
I was introduced to producer Paul Couture by my good friend and fellow artist, Shwayze. Paul and I hit it off instantly and so I found myself with a folder of really great tracks he had made specifically for me to catch a vibe. When I heard the instrumentation that is now “Bonfire” I lost it! I knew I had to write to it and did so instantly. The lyrics for Bonfire flowed through me before I even knew what I was singing about. I just recorded line by line until I listened back and started piecing the puzzle together. I realized I was writing a song about believing in myself again. Sometimes writing music is like an open diary that you don’t even feel responsible for writing. The beauty of this sort of artistry is allowing yourself to be vulnerable and spit words out without thinking about them first.
So once the lyrics were finished and I had a demo, Paul and I jumped on FaceTime to get to know each other and how we would like to work on the tune over the phone, essentially. Because of COVID and the mandated “stay at home” order, I invested in a little home studio with a mic I felt confident about delivering vocals through. I recorded my vocals, sent them to Paul and he did his magic! We both went back and forth until we were happy with the finished product.
What were the emotions you had to channel into for the performance you've captured over "Bonfire"?
I had to channel my inner strength and confidence for Bonfire because I want everyone who also hears the song to feel their inner strength and confidence. We may not always feel those things but the importance of music is to help us shift our moods when we need a little help getting through an emotional slump.
When you think back to working with Paul, what strikes you as the most valuable experience behind his collaboration on this track?
One thing I really appreciate about Paul (and that makes me want to work with him again), is his ability to let me shine and make decisions based on my own style. He agreed with a lot of my ideas and brought them to another level by giving me creative freedom of expression. He’s an extremely talented and patient person. I can’t wait to do more together!
Could you give us a few words that would act as Prologue to the emotions your listeners can come to expect from Bonfire, as well as the rest of your Music coming-out later this year?
Bonfire should leave you feeling exhilarated. You can do anything. You can start over and hit reset anytime and with anything. Don’t let anyone hold you down, including yourself!!! I have a lot more music in the works and its all the same underlying theme - we are stronger than we know. We are powerful in our tenderness, but we are not to be taken advantage of.
What has been keeping you inspired in 2020?
The strength I see in my fans and those around me is what keeps me inspired this year. It's obviously not a year we foresaw - but it will for sure make us stronger and hopefully wiser for 2021.