Orla - Close To Me Review

During the course of lockdown, we have been keeping our eyes on lots of upcoming emerging and fresh talent that has been on the rise and indulging ourselves in new music. One of our favorite lockdown artist discoveries has been the fabulous ORLA. 

She is a Soul/Pop singer/songwriter originally from Brussels in Belgium who has since moved to Ireland and is now based in Dublin. She began songwriting at the age of fourteen which was heavily influenced by artists such as Alicia Keys and Lauryn Hill. ORLA was drawn to music with a storytelling aspect and took inspiration from songs which heavily include raw honesty which can certainly be heard in her very emotional and heart-felt lyrics throughout her debut release.

 Her influences have also lead to her creating a wonderful blend which has allowed her to create her distinctive and powerful voice, trust us when we tell you, this girl has got an insane vocal range!

Moving to Dublin at the ripe young age of seventeen, she pursued studies in Music and performance, picking up a loyal following along the way. ORLA’s music is mainly influenced by Lana Del Ray and Sabrina Claudio prompting her to write songs with strong harmonies and relatable lyrics. She has also been exploring opportunities of electronic production in her songs.

Her debut single ‘Close To Me’ was released 20th November last year and has been a huge favorite of ours ever since, the song is highly impressive for a debut release with ORLA’s stunning, powerful vocals and luscious harmonies taking the center stage of the track.

ORLA states that “Close to me expresses the pain of recognizing a relationship is over but feeling desperate to keep that person close to you for just a little bit longer. The song is one last attempt to hold onto someone I knew I had already lost. It is a vulnerable and honest response to the end of love.”

Overall, the track is a very honest, raw, emotional, empowering and a deeply resonating listen. ORLA certainly proves that she is a star who is on the rise and knows how to perfect her craft and tell a personal story through her storytelling lyrics which captivates the listener:

“You, You want my heart and I want to give it up so I don’t feel so stuck.”

“Honey we’re breaking, we’re shaking and I don’t understand.”

“I just wanna make love and feel you close to me, wrap me in your arms and take my whole body.”

This girl certainly proves that she is one to watch for 2021! ‘Close to Me’ is a stunning track which is flawless from start to finish and is filled with delicate and soft tones that make it gorgeous on the ears, it’s impossible to dislike this track and it is also very catchy, it even sounds like something that Lana Del Rey herself wrote so a huge well done to ORLA on this outstanding debut release. The song is very well written and produced, it’s superb!

We highly recommend checking out ORLA and we’re sure she’ll be back with a brand new release to wow us even further with soon, we can’t wait to hear more from her.

Make sure to check out her debut release through the following links:

Spotify - Here

Apple Music - Here

Amazon Music - Here

MusicBox PR Team