Nolo Grace is a Korean-American artist and producer from New York City who made her debut with “Wake Up” featuring Sean Kingston before settling in Los Angeles in 2017. Fusing and experimenting with pop, R&B, and hip-hop, she crafts dreamy electronic alt-pop with soulful vocals and introspective lyrics inspired by her diverse life experiences. Her music can be heard in Netflix’s “Bling Empire,” showcasing her skills as an artist, writer, and producer. Nolo Grace is currently working on her album “Eyes Of The Dragon,” exploring themes of transformation. She is also the visionary co-founder of PARASOL, an innovative community uniting artists, entrepreneurs, and thinkers, whose mission is to “elevate consciousness”, foster creativity, and cultivate a sense of belonging both on and offline.
Nolo Grace’s latest release is the superb “Alone in My Dreams”, a luscious and exciting electronica-heavy track with a very futuristic vibe that skirts a line between danceable and meditative.
When I first heard “Alone in My Dreams”, I felt that the song was largely cathartic, and I didn’t understand exactly why until I read some of the backgrounds for it, as the themes and lyrics were sparked as a way to deal with feelings of persecution derived from recurring nightmares that Nolo Grace has faced.
“This song–and my album as a whole–explores the theme of identity, search for self, and the existence of multiple versions of self. We all have a higher self alongside the personality and narratives we take on in our normal ‘3D reality,’” – Grace explains.
“Alone in My Dreams” is a deeply introspective track that delves into themes of transformation and the complexities of life. It compares life to a perplexing maze and the mind to a “cryptic puzzle,” creating a palpable sense of navigating through uncertainty in search of enlightenment. Drawing parallels to Alice Liddle’s nonsensical journey in her dreamlike Wonderland, the song portrays heroes wearing various faces that symbolize death, rebirth, and metamorphosis, suggesting a profound path of self-discovery and evolution. Through themes of solitude, breaking barriers, and the influence of karma, the lyrics emit a vibe of resilience and a relentless pursuit of purpose amidst the unpredictable twists and turns of life.
This track has an equally luscious music video that leans on both the futuristic aesthetics implied by the music and the dream-like narrative where every image balances itself between the eerie and the surreal. The music video is yet another collaboration between Nolo Grace and director John Frost and it seeks to encapsulate the feeling of “running from ourselves only to end up at the same place.” according to Nolo Grace herself. The music video takes place in the confusing and surreal confines of an abandoned corporate warehouse, echoing Nolo’s past experiences as an executive and delving into the juxtaposition of spirituality within a corporate labyrinth.
