“Pain” is an epic highlight from Manella’s latest album Songs My Mother Never Taught Me. Written immediately after a breakup, her words are raw and bleeding, but through her luscious, jazzy voice against the hypnotic piano backdrops, they are radiating a new color. Her molody treatment is refreshing. Manella pulls grace from pain. With lyrics that intrigues and evokes, beautiful breathable piano soundscape paints a starry night. “Pain” pulls your heartstring and draws you into a solitary, intimate space where one is alone and the truth is spoke.

Manella has a very special way to distill the messy, emotional aftermath of a breakup. Her authentic, poetic lyricism has so much heart in it that it hurts. “I can’t help but think that you don’t feel the same pain I do. In your stare I sense two daggers of emptiness.” No one expresses these lingering feelings better than she did. Her words are those you’d want to write down in a journal, frame it and put it up on the wall. “Capture me with your old eyes once more; Listening to the river on a park bench.”

The buildup feels like waves of heart wrench. The song’s progression captures pain in such a wonderful way full of contrast, while the harmonious vocal elevates all emotions to a spiritual level. At last, a solo guitar sees the lingering thoughts drift off, as the past leaves along the night. We had a chance to chat with Manella, where we talked about “Pain” and Songs My Mother Never Taught Me.

Punk Head: I love how rich the storytelling is in “Pain.” What inspired you to write the song?

Manella: I wrote the majority of the songs from my latest album, including “Pain,” over the span of a week following a breakup. I was overwhelmed with emotions and told myself that if I could finish a song in a day I’d feel better, be able to speed up the healing process, and overcome the pain. It definitely felt like a creative writing project of just putting down all my thoughts on the page, and then picking what worked to create the final product by nightfall.

PH: What do you like the best about this track?

Manella: I’m really proud of how I was able to take a really devastating moment in time and transfer it over lyrically. When I’m in an emotionally heightened space like that, what I write usually ends up being incredibly melodramatic or cliché, and I can’t express what I’m truly feeling at the time. “Pain” is one of those instances I managed to capture the confusion, loss, and love that still lingers after heartbreak. The band is also phenomenal; Joshua, Cole and Rodolfo took the musical material, passion and lyrics to a whole other level.

PH: What is your creative vision as an artist? And who are your biggest influences?

Manella: As an artist I strive to be a storyteller first. The album that “Pain” is on, Songs My Mother Never Taught Me, speaks of loss and heartbreak; sexual violence and objectification; mental health struggles; and the loss of innocence of our 20s. All my projects bring the listener on a journey, this one being an emotional, cathartic, and at times uncomfortable one.

My influences are all over the map. I love folk singers who stand the test of time like Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez, their lyric writing and compositional structures are just superb. Theatre is definitely another huge influence, it’s still an integral part of my life; writers like Sondheim and Gershwin have created some of the most heartbreaking moments of theatre in concise and imaginative ways that always surprise me after further listens. More modern influences are Phoebe Bridgers, Mitski, and Fiona Apple because they don’t shy away from the ugliness of their emotions, and aren’t afraid to get uncomfortable to tell a story the way its needs to be told.

PH: How is the music scene in Montréal?

Manella: The music scene here is incredible, there’s so many musicians creating such diverse and interesting projects. I’m constantly inspired by everyone around me, and I’m really looking forward to releasing some more collaborative projects with some of my favourite artists in the city over this next year, so stay tuned!

PH: What is the one thing that you’d like your fans to know about you?

Manella: Although I write quite sad and depressing music, I’m very silly and goofy in real life. I try to add a sprinkle of comedy into everything I do artistically; from my live shows, to collaborative projects, and social media. Art is definitely an extension of yourself; but I’d say the music I write currently expresses a small fragment of who I am, the introverted emotional side, not the side of me the world usually sees. Maybe you’ll hear some more happy, goofy songs from me in the near future, who knows?