SINGLE REVIEW: SAYANA “SMALL TALK”
Photo credit: Jonathan Lam
SAYANA catches your attention from the very first sound of “Small Talk.” Her vulnerable, luscious vocal instantly drags you into the storytelling that revolves in a melancholy ambiance. In the opening verse, she converts imagery, sound, touch, tenderness, and heartbreak into four short lines: “I go over things that you said in my head, every circle you drew with your finger; I trace on my skin, didn’t burn back then.”
SAYANA’s contemporary R&B vocal style has the vast capacity to capture various stages of emotions. “Small Talk” is a song worth repeating where you can savor every detail in her soulful, expressive performance and sink into the vivid imageries she created with her lyricism where the emotions and experiences behind the words leave a mark under your skin.
Born in Central Asia, SAYANA moved to Canada at the age of 11. Growing up, she has absorbed a wide range of influences from European radio, Middle Eastern melodies, and the folk songs that passed down from previous generations which nurtured her vibrant contemporary R&B vocal style.