Falling and Flying: A review of Kira Kosarin's Songbird

Hello! It's been a while. Literally *does the math* 3,5 months. I couldn't even tell you what's been going on if I tried, so I'm just not gonna. But basically, I've been depressed, trying to make sense of everything and now I'm working three jobs, so I barely have the time to do anything and, when I do, I focus on literature and the writing that is paying me aka Set List. So if you really miss me and you can spare $1, subscribe to Set List to read me way more often. There are a few posts open to read for free too, so make sure to click on that link to read them! 

If you're here because you googled "Kira Kosarin Songbird" or simply "Songbird", I strongly recommend reading the profile piece I did on her first (it's free!). I interviewed Kira for Set List about songwriting and both of her musical projects and tried to bring in a perspective that is a little bit different from other pieces about her. This review will be a little different than the professional tone I tried to bring to "Kira Kosarin Is Taking Flight": while on Patreon I'm a music journalist, here I'm just Kira's G. I'm Giulia, the headass who sends her a goodnight text every night these days. This will be more personal and cozy and just express the different ways this EP makes me feel. If you're down, keep reading. If you want the professional approach, click the link.

One of my first Songbird-related memories is from an accoustic concert back in January, that my friend Sofia transmitted to me through an Instagram Video Call. I wasn't expecting to watch the concert at all, and I even asked Kira for the set list beforehand, which I never do when I get to experience her singing every song firsthand. Sofi just surprise called me to say hi to K and then called me during the show. I cried like a little baby through it all. Mostly because I missed Kira and wished I was there but also because there was something just so magical about watching her perform the acoustic project that was meant to be heard like that. It wasn't the same thing as her Off Brand Era acoustic shows. It was Songbird Live before Songbird even existed. 

I have the best memories from that show, even if I wasn't physically there. From crying when I got the words to the title track, to crying when I heard FaceTime to yelling from my living room when Kira explained the story behing Loving You Silently and Sofi said "I'm gonna kill him" — my immediate reaction being "He's already dead to me". After leaving the stage, Kira came up to Sofi to grill her about not being to contain herself from laughing on stage, asked what I thought of the show and then told us about how the EP was almost ready and she had performed most of the songs that night. I texted her later asking if my guesses for the tracklist were right and though at that time the EP had two extra songs I hadn't heard, I guessed every single song that ended up on Songbird that night, back in January. For the following months I would guess or she would just straight up tell me the release dates, the singles, the order of them. She would change her mind or adapt things to the world situation, and I just got used to it but with every change, I would immediately try to get things out of her no matter what.

When quarantine came and plans started changing, we would spend days talking about fears and next steps. I would remind her a million times that I'm here and I will change the world for her if I have to. Then First Love Never Lasts came, and Something To Look Forward To and Loving You Silently and FaceTime. Release days often meant crying together and just remembering each other it's okay to feel weird about putting new things out in the world. I told her this release was going to be cathartic and healing for the both of us in some way, but though I knew it would be for her, I didn't realize just how much it would be for me. If you read my Off Brand review you know how terrified I was of losing something when the music came out and it wasn't mine and Kira's thing anymore. With Songbird, there were no losses and there was no fear. Our thing, was making sure the rollout was the best it could be. We were doing things and creating together and I always wanted to come up with ideas to just make her grow. I loved being the one she came to when she felt the fandom wasn't excited enough about Songbird and even if it drove me fucking insane, I loved and still love doing things to get the fandom excited.

I felt connected with Songbird from day one. It was all the soft and vulnerable things I love about Kira put together in five beautifully made songs. But making everything that I made for the last four months and knowing she knew she could rely on me gave me a purpose. When things got dark and I wasn't sure if I was meant to even be in this world, I knew I couldn't go anywhere. Because I pinky promised K that as long as she wants me arround, she won't have to go through this shit alone and I fully intend on keeping that promise even if I have to fight myself.

Music-wise? Songbird is a collection of heartbreaking songs filled with so much love for the world and for the person she was growing into that it gives me butterflies. The title track has been the song I have on repeat all the time because it makes me feel safe and sound. It's such a quiet, softly well-produced track about so many feelings put together and it just makes me so happy. It's the only song I haven't really cried to (except on release night but that doesn't really count, because it's release night) because it makes me feel like everything is going to be okay.

FaceTime is probably the song I was the most traumatized with from the get-go. I'm not gonna get into details because of the privacy of a surprising amount of people, but I've had my good crying sessions to this song since the beginning, when Kira first posted snippets from it, before she even wrote the second verse and much less the perfect bridge. She had just finished the song when we met last August and I was sure it was going to be soul crushing by release day because the song just represented so much stuff to me. But I guess it's a good thing FaceTime was the last single. By the time it came out? I was bulletproof.

First Love Never Lasts, also known as my song (because Kira has been relating it to me since she started performing her own music in 2018) is exactly what you would expect the lead single to be. And it's just so freaking good. No one could've made it the way she did and the very thought that she considered giving it to someone else stresses me out.

Something To Look Forward To is just the most underrated song on this goddamned extended play. How dare you not have this music video above 100k views yet? How dare you? How is the song not over 200k streams? Like are you having a good year? Are you not desperate for something to look forward to in the middle of this madness?? Am I the only one who had to play this song on repeat every day before bed for MONTHS because it was the only thing stopping me from having an anxiety attack?? Come on!!

And finally, Loving You Silently. I'm not gonna get on the lyrics or I'm gonna cry even more but this song has taught me so much about the way I perceive Kira The Musician vs. Kira My Friend. For a while, I couldn't handle the way this song made me feel but now that it's out, it's just a song. But it's also the song that we had to push together on release day. It's the one that later had us anxiety-giggling, me at 3 am, her at 11pm on FaceTime about how bad the world was at the time. Loving You Silently is so much more than what it is about. Even if this song is not the one that changes the world, it has changed my life and strenghtened our bond, and that's all that matters to me. 

If you haven't yet, please give a change for the piece of magical greatness that is Songbird. If it makes you feel even 1% of what I feel, it'll change your life.

P.S.: Set List patrons got an exclusive video of me reacting to Songbird today. Subscribe so you don't miss it!