There’s something about being an artist that leads people to mistakenly believe that this is entirely a voluntary choice made by individuals who have simply thrown caution to the wind in exchange for some small sliver of hope that a career will magically manifest around them. More accurately, it’s a grind that requires sacrifice on nearly every level of their life and, more often than not, it’s compulsory. For many, art is almost as necessary as breathing, a natural byproduct of their existence, and when it fails the results can be devastating.
Wren Kelly’s latest single, “Game Over (featuring MAJE),” examines just that: the feeling of teetering between being successful and the fear that you’ll never amount to anything more than a never-was.
“Game Over” captures the frantic, nervous, energy of dreaming big. For all the hope that gets invested into these dreams, there comes an ever-present weight of very real consequences of having bet so heavily on yourself. The music industry is all fun and games until you realize it’s time to cash in your chips and the time for that might have been years earlier than you anticipated.
“‘Game Over’ is a song about the anxiety that comes along with ‘the dream’,” explains Wren Kelly. “Being somebody with anxiety and also somebody with a lifelong goal of doing all of the scary things is kind of a catch-22. How can we reach our full potential while always waiting for the axe to drop? Between comparisons, insecurities, nay-sayers, and just plain old fear, it can be difficult.
“This song is for anyone who has felt like their dreams are a ball and chain. It’s a recognition that with our greatest joys there also lives anxiety, doubts, or even pain! Being a successful human often means clapping for yourself for a long time before you hear applause from others, and that’s okay!”
It doesn’t seem like Wren Kelly has given up hope, though. She notes that sometimes it’s a matter of perspective—preferably one of hindsight. There’s still something to be said about the journey that makes (most of) it worth it.
“Don’t let your dreams feel like chains,” adds Kelly. “Your dreams should free you. Your dreams should lift you to the highest of places. Like the first verse says, ‘one day you’re gonna miss this part’. So let it go, relax your shoulders, loosen your grip, and embrace the things you’re meant to become.”
While Wren Kelly frames the song up and hammers it home in the chorus, it’s MAJE that steals the show with his loquacious lyrics in the latter half. The pair are well balanced, but it’s MAJE that puts the double-edge on that sword. It’s short and sweet but then again, isn’t that just the perfect metaphor for this industry?