Ivy Sole | photo by Araba Ankuma | courtesy of the artist
Watch Ivy Sole’s moving new music video for “Life”
Philly rapper Ivy Sole made a big impression on us this year with her candor, her sincerity, her knack for introspective self-reflection and, most of all, her skill on the mic and in the studio. Today, a new music video from Ivy Sole’s East EP premiered on NPR music, and it shows another side of the Philly artist still — one who advocates for positive mental health through powerful storytelling.
The video was inspired by a friend of Sole’s who took his own life during her sophomore year at the University of Pennsylvania, and the narrative follows the story of a man waking up in a bathtub, finding a farewell note and quite literally chasing his demons out in the world in the hopes of reeling them in. The message is echoed in the hook, an acknowledgement of the ups and downs of our day to day: “Life is wonderful, and terrible / But it’s beautiful, and love’s the same.”
As Sole told NPR Music:
“The lyrics are really my mantra. It’s how I remember that pain or struggle is temporary in the midst of a trial. I think my mental health often makes me feel despair even when there is light and love around me, but being able to see through the fog of depression and anxiety is something so invaluable to me.
Watch the video below, learn more about Ivy Sole in her interview with our Rahman Wortman and listen to her EP East.