Vancouver, BC-based pop artist, Serena Sun has unveiled her new single, “Body”. Following her recent single “For The Hell Of It,” Serena’s latest release is the second single off of her upcoming debut album.
Through the guise of a vibe pop track, Serena’s new single discusses an extremely personal experience that she endured.
“This song is about sexual assault. I was sexually assaulted by a friend in university and was really shaken by it. Ever since I started pursuing my career as a songwriter, I’ve wanted to write about it but haven’t been able to find the words until now,” she shares. “I was on a trip to New York when my dad sent me an article about a protest against sexual assault going on at a university here in Canada. I was in my hotel room at the time, and was so upset that sexual assault was still such a prevalent problem on university campuses (and in general) that I wrote this song in 30 minutes. It felt so good to finally express it and have the lyrics also feel empowering to sing. I felt that it was important to bring another woman on as a producer and songwriter, so I worked with the incredible Tiger Darrow to bring this song to life. I hope that anybody who has gone through a traumatic experience will listen to this song and feel empowered, and enjoy singing (or screaming) the lyrics “F*ck you for trying to claim my body.
Listen to “Body” below, and find out more about Serena via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hey! I’m Serena Sun and I’m an independent artist, songwriter and producer from Vancouver, Canada. It’s nice to meet you!
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
TW:SA. ‘Body’ is about my experience with sexual assault. I wanted to make a song that felt empowering for those who’ve had a similar experience. The song is written from my current perspective, which is that of someone who’s had a lot of time to process and heal from what happened. The chorus is meant to make the listener feel powerful, to give them the courage to stand up against, and even take jabs at, their perpetrators if they want to.
When it comes to the global pandemic, how are you keeping yourself out in the public eye while not being able to perform?
Thanks to some amazing artist-oriented organizations here in Canada, I’ve had the opportunity to share my music digitally, as well as in person over the course of the pandemic. Recently, I was one of the featured artists in the TD Connected Series, which was a pre-recorded digital concert series hosted by CMI (Canada’s Music Incubator). I also got to perform at the Winter Arts Festival which was an absolute blast as it was located in the heart of downtown Vancouver. Major shoutout to the organizations and people giving artists the platform to share our music during the pandemic.
Canadian Beats is all about Canadian music, so if you were able to work with ONE fellow Canadian artist, alive or dead, who would you choose?
There are so many incredible artists who have come from and are developing in Canada. One that comes to mind is Lennon Stella. I love the projects she’s worked on and really admire her approach to being an artist.
What’s your goal for 2022?
I would love to really find my people and build a community around sharing our experiences–all the highs and the lows. All of my songs stem from a place of honesty and vulnerability, and this year, I would love to find people who live their lives with similar values and really understand and value my music for the energy it holds and its message.