Syria-born singer-songwriter Bedouine (real name Azniv Korkejian) has shared her first new single of 2019. “When You’re Gone” is a gentle reflection on time spent alone. Over a lush string and acoustic arrangement, Bedouine narrates a loose, associative boredom. While she sings about walking in circles just to pass the time, “When You’re Gone” is anything but boring. Bedouine’s voice is soothing and gorgeous, delivering every lyric like a whispered lullaby.
“When I started ‘When You’re Gone’ I was just messing around with pretty chords,” Bedouine says of the song. “Then the lyrics spontaneously came to me much later when I read something on Instagram, which is kind of hilarious. It triggered a line that eventually rolled out the entire song. In retrospect I think it reflects on the time since I’ve released my first record; in nondescript hotel rooms alone or getting dropped off a cliff after tour is over, not exactly sure what to do with myself. It also touches on what that can mean when it comes to the people you’re closest to.”
The video for the song, filmed at Iceland Airwaves, uses the spare and stark landscape to illustrate the singer’s loneliness. Like the song, it’s a bit melancholy — but also strikingly beautiful.
Watch the video for “When You’re Gone” above.
