Athena Aperta sees life in a new light in their inspirational new single and summertime ode Facing The Sun — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Boasting a classic ’70s singer-songwriter sensibility while hitting a musical sweet spot somewhere between pop, rock, jazz, folk, soul and bossa nova, the London singer-songwriter’s latest single works on multiple levels. First and foremost, it’s a sweet seasonal single superbly suited to your vacation road-trip playlist or backyard soundtrack. Dig a little deeper, however, and it’s also an empowering anthem for anyone who could benefit by banishing dark forces from their life and taking a few deliberate steps into the light:
“So long negative thoughts in my mind
I say farewell to all the times I allowed you to run my life
So long anxiety and the need to be loved by everyone
finally I’m facing the sun
Love, loving myself
Treating me better with kindness
Thanking the divine
So weird to realise you were your own enemy
And only you can set you free.”
Ultimately, Facing The Sun is about living with anxiety and being a recovering people-pleaser. Not surprisingly, for Aperta, it’s personal. After more than two years sober, Facing The Sun reflects their recent mental and emotional stability, and celebrates growing through everything they have experienced. Realizing that life doesn’t have to be about constant struggle and that with love, you can build wonderful communities, Aperta penned this song for anyone who has been or is going through something and wants to celebrate the hard work and resilience it takes to get to where they are.
Aperta (FKA Casey Tufnell) helps others feel less alone one song at a time. Nestled predominantly within the realm of folk, Athena’s repertoire seamlessly weaves in jazzy vocals, soulful tones and indie-pop elements. Vocally they are often compared to Amy Winehouse, India.Arie and Adele. While performing, they get words from the audience and write amazing songs on the spot (big up ADHD superpowers).
Aperta was based in SE London for five years, Berlin before that and Cambridgeshire before that. At the moment they’re based in Swindon — but not for long. Travel and global collaboration are at the heart of this artist’s vision, a former outdoor sports instructor who lives for adrenaline and living on the edge. A prolific songwriter, Aperta has collaborated with many producers and artists across the globe, attended multiple songwriting camps, performed at multiple festivals, recorded at Abbey Road Studios, created an LGBTQ+ events program in London and more.
Check out Facing The Sun above, hear more from Athena Aperta below, and take a shine to them on their website, Instagram and TikTok.
