What would happen if people chose “love, acceptance, and connection” instead of hate, conflict, and disconnection? It’s the logical question New York-based singer and songwriter Jenna Torres attempts to answer on “What If,” the lead single from her forthcoming album Firebird, out December 5.
“This song was born of my lifelong belief that we’re all connected, that somewhere inside each of us is something that belongs to a greater whole,” said Torres in a statement. “In these times, I find myself wishing more than ever that we could put aside our differences and love our way through the hard things with compassion. That’s what ‘What If’ is about — a dream, maybe, but one worth holding on to.”
Like her very own “Imagine,” Torres mines a better world and solidarity on the country-pop ballad—The moment was breaking me / Dreamers don’t like defeat / Somehow there’s got to be a better way.
Written two years earlier, “What If” comes from a perhaps romantic idea of unity. “I admit there is a naïveté to believing that we are supposed to get along, but I seem to have an unshakable faith in celebrating our sameness rather than being distracted by our differences,” Torres tells American Songwriter. “I feel compelled to celebrate togetherness even when on the face of it, we are clearly fractured and at odds with each other.”
Admittedly, a romantic realist, Torres does believe there are more common threads that connect people than they realize. “The thread that would allow for a way of life where we truly are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers and where we look after each other just as we would look after loved ones,” she says. “I simply can’t accept that we don’t all deserve to be treated with compassion, so even in the darkest of times, I write from a place of hope. That is how this song was born.”
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In the accompanying music video, filmed and directed by Anana Kaye of Duende Vision in Nashville, Torres takes on the role of a Mother Earth figure, surrounded by natural elements. For Torres, who embraces a model of the earth in the video, it was a way to try to envision a more “perfect” and united world.
“As a woman and a mother, it is clear to me that nurturing feminine energy has the capacity to help heal and provide a safe harbor,” says Torres. “I was inspired by the image of holding the planet in my arms, nurturing it and protecting it from harm. … With a whole lot of flowers, fauna, fabric, and fun, we came together in the spirit of making my dreams a reality.”
Along with the “Earth” model, crafted by puppeteers Mary Tanner and Brian Hull, and sprinkled with animated pieces by Kyle Hollingsworth, the set and visuals were Torres’ concept. “It is exciting to create something out of pure imagination and share it with people,” she says. “My hope is that the message of the song allows for more love to find its way into our collective hearts.”
A follow-up to Torres’ sixth album Heaven & Hurt in 2023, Firebird, Torres bares some of her wounds so they can heal through a collection of songs on the power of rising after falling apart. “’Firebird’ is the story of rising after the fall,” says Torres, “and showing the world that a woman on fire doesn’t just survive, she soars.”
Torres says the entire album “speaks to the power of transformation, that somehow at our lowest ebb, we find the strength to go on.” She adds, “I tend to see life in mythological terms: that each of us has our own story, our own epic journey, and the symbol of the Phoenix has always spoken to me. Sometimes, real life strips everything away from us. At that moment, when it seems all is lost, there is a place inside us that refuses to die, and so we rise and recreate our lives from a place of wisdom, something I powerfully relate to.”
“What If” also taps into Torres’ personal and creative life and navigates those ups and downs. “The ebb and flow, the highest highs and the painful lows, the profound losses, among all of these, there are amazing moments of rebirth when in the darkest of times,” shares Torres. “You find just enough faith and determination to lead you out of the darkness and into the light.”
“What If” is a part of Torres’ life story. Splitting her time between New York City and Nashville, and herself between being a mother, a daughter, and an artist, has had its challenges. “I have lost and found myself many times, and the pattern seems to be that no matter how hurt I am, there is still some fight left in me,” Torres says. “Even though I may go quiet at some point, my voice returns with an undeniable passion, giving me something to say and feelings that cannot be denied or contained. Songs have saved me, songs have given me a reason to come out of hiding, and oftentimes, to navigate some very rough waters. They are my lighthouse and my way of finding the truth and making sense of what can so often be overwhelming.”
She adds, “There is magic in the way a song can move me—both my own songs and the songs of so many others. I truly believe there is music in all of us. What if every voice in this world were singing? Wouldn’t that be beautiful?”
Main Photo: Chad Crawford
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