Explore the Purple Skies of NYC with Klemntyna

Nostalgia. Vulnerability. Hope.

With the world as we know it changing before our eyes, we’re all experiencing these emotions, possibly as we never have before. Klemntyna, a New York City and London-based singer-songwriter, is no stranger to the feelings. In fact, she infused them into her recent single, “Purple Skies,” as a metaphor for her New York City home.

“To me, “Purple Skies” is a metaphor for NYC (and quite literally its jaw-dropping sunsets that were an inspiration to me!), which makes me [feel] the most powerful and dynamic, [and] at the same time quite lonely,” Klemntyna explains. “One summer afternoon, I went to the Whitney Museum and had a chance to watch the most beautiful sunset on their terrace. At that time, I was feeling sentimental and nostalgic about someone I was hurt by right before the summer. I was still hoping for a change, and felt very vulnerable and unstable as, even though I was hurt, I knew the minute they texted me, I’d forget about everything. The line “Purple Skies” reminds me of the beautiful and unforgettable memory, but most importantly [serves as] a barrier that prevents me from moving on. Thus, the song expresses a mixture of cold and warm feelings. I wanted to express what nostalgia for someone feels like to me, which I associate with coldness and rawness. At the same time, through lyrics and voice, I also wanted to show my vulnerability, warmth and hope.”

[Klemntyna is a singer-songwriter based out of New York City and London. Image by Isabelle Ragnetti.]

Self-described as an R&B pop artist with alternative tendencies, Klemntyna dropped out of NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music to move to London, where she began working on original music with an LA-based producer, resulting in two debut singles. Since, she has released two more songs and performed at The Bitter End, Rockwood Music Hall, and Bowery Electric in New York City.

“Purple Skies” showcases the hard work and thought behind Klemntyna’s music career. Long inspired by Scandinavian music and Nordic-style sounds, Klemntyna blends her unique interests with the “rawness and futurism” that she found from the inspirations of the city to create something all her own.

The song begins with ambient, echoing instrumentals reminiscent of a quiet New York night. Klemntyna’s gentle, sweet vocals enter like a wave rolling in, rippling over the rippling surface of the backing track as it almost imperceptibly builds towards the first chorus.

[To Klemntyna, “Purple Skies” is a metaphor for New York City. Image by Eva Dang.]

There, Klemntyna’s vocals begin to show the dynamic strength that is one of my favorite elements of “Purple Skies.” Perfectly paced and phrased with care, the lyrics allow Klemntyna’s voice the freedom to flow between each line as she admits, “Baby, I’m overwhelmed with thinking too much / Too attached to form of you, I’ve learned to love so much / And lately, I’ve learned to understand what I’m like / And I guess my biggest flaw right now is / That I see you / I don’t see nobody else / I’m tired of thinking of you baby / can’t get high above / the purple skies.”

As the track picks up, Klemntyna’s vocals build in intensity, echoing the longing for connection that the lyrics present, a theme that many listeners will be able to relate to. The “minimalism, nature, [and] coldness” that Klemntyna infused from her Scandinavian inspirations serve to create an aesthetic that carries through the track, filling its dips and turns with space that only emphasizes its power.

Despite the song’s inherent despondency, Klemntyna doesn’t think of “Purple Skies” as a sad song, but instead “an expression of confusing, mixed feelings, kind of running back and forth between cold and warm emotions, and melancholy that something isn’t the way it used to be or we want it to be.”