Nancy Hope steps out of the shadows and into the light with her new single Sidelines — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
If you’ve ever felt you were on the outside looking in, Hope sees you. In fact, she’s even written a song for you. On Sidelines, the 27-year-old Ontario singer-songwriter captures the transformative moment when someone who’s let herself skulk in the shadows for too long decides to step into the light: “Sidelines, I know that’s where I hide, to let everyone shine but not me,” she croons, over a plaintive piano melody that pulls straight at the heartstrings. “Fantasize about what it’d be like, to be in the centre for the world to see.”
The fantasy becomes reality as the track swells into full-on power-ballad mode, with Hope’s impassioned delivery matching her resolve that the time to make her move is now:
“ ’Cause I feel pretty, I feel myself
Sent those demons straight back to hell
If I lose my way, I can ask for help
I know I said tomorrow, but today is the day that
I, I know who I am
And who I’m meant to be
No more standing on the sidelines for me.”
Hope says the song was inspired by an eating disorder she struggled with during her late teens and early 20s. But the lyric is quite intentionally broader — generalized enough to make the track an instant, all-purpose anthem for anybody who’s been needing that little push to go from being a spectator in their own life to an active participant.
“Although Sidelines was a song written from my own experience, I know we have all felt this way at some point in our lives, and some more seriously than others,” she says. “This song is not just about the struggle; it is about overcoming it and declaring to never stand on the sidelines again. I think as human beings, we are afraid to be vulnerable, for fear we will be seen as weak. This song is saying it is OK to be vulnerable and ask for help, because that’s what makes us human.”
Three minutes of empowerment, Sidelines is an undeniable landmark in the still-ascendant career of this former music major. Since turning pro, she’s worked with some of the top musicians in Canada, including Rik Emmett of Triumph and David Tyson, producer and co-writer of Alannah Myles’ 1990 hit Black Velvet. As a performer, Hope has sung backup for Lorde at the MuchMusic Video Awards, appeared at the El Mocambo, and belted out O Canada at a Toronto Argonauts game.
She’s been releasing her own music independently for years, championed by her producer Kayla Diamond, who calls her “the rock star next door.” Which is not to imply that she’s ordinary: One listen to Sidelines, and you realize you’re in the presence of a once-in-a-lifetime talent. It’s just that she’s more than willing to share the spotlight. “To anyone who has ever lived on the sidelines of life, I hear you,” she promises. “And I hope this song gives you the courage to never stand there again.”
