Raylee Forest, a Chinese experimental pop singer-songwriter known for making “the perfect music for Disney villains,” dropped her latest EP, My World, on May 22. Forest masters her craft of storytelling by illustrating dark and vivid imagery of otherworldly shadows and creatures through her lyrics. She brings on a dark aesthetic as she plays around with different genres and pushes the norms. Forest’s distinctive sound can be heard throughout her songs like “Mask” which ranked in the top 300 songs and “Puppetry” which won a Silver Single award on the Chinese platform NetEase. Produced by Grammy-Award winner, Isha Erskine, My World offers a look into her inner world with five unique songs ranging from dream pop to heavy metal. 

Prepare to Fly

Get ready to answer your inner calling and soar with “Fly.” The dark pop song leads with piano tones that spark a sense of motivation. Forest brings listeners to the top of a building overlooking a city with her lyric video. She, the heroine, describes the initial feeling of fear as she looks down to the streets. When she tries to go back to everyday life and turn away from flying, something still calls out to her. The potential of not being able to fly anymore scares Forest. Inevitably, it’s something she can’t shake off as it’s “in her DNA,” which can persuade listeners to chase after their dreams.

“I was born to fly / Up high in the sky / I’ve done it a million times,” Forest sings. Fear is no longer part of her as she prepares to fly. “Fly higher… / Dream bigger… / I can feel it in my bones,” She repeats as the lyrics mirror the feeling of being free to soar through the sky. The latter half of the song prompts listeners to close their eyes, let all the fear fall away, and take flight. 

Revisiting the Secret Garden

Transitioning into a softer track with “Secret Garden,” Forest’s soft vocals accompanied by a synthetic beat incites the feelings of nostalgia and youthfulness. The lyric video helps the scene come alive with a moving image of a rusty gate opening. Forest’s fond childhood memories of burying bottle caps and dancing with fairies lay just beyond this rusty gate to the secret garden. Along with moments of “chasing the sun” and “dreaming big,” Forest sends listeners back to times of childhood where everything was big and nothing mattered. 

As she revisits the garden, she sings, “When we open the gate one more time / Is everything the same? Do you miss this place?” Though the memories may not be synonymous between every listener, the feelings of revisiting a nostalgic moment in time remains the same. “I can’t stop my heart from pounding out my chest / As I reach out to the garden latch,” she continues. An expectation set from childhood unsettles as Forest wonders if everything will be as she remembered. “Secret Garden” is perfect to listen to on a sunny day or in moments of reminiscing.

Fortune Teller, Who Will I Be?

Listeners are immediately drawn in by the hypnotic melodies as the track “Fortune Teller” plays. This dream pop disco fusion song sets the scene with Forest in front of a crystal ball yearning to know what’s in store for the future. With the sound of a thousand voices clouding her mind and making her unsure, the song is filled with questions like, “What does the future hold? / Who will I be? / Did I make it at all?”

Midway, she walks away from the crystal ball with uncertainty still following. The line “Ain’t nobody knows it better than I do,” repeats throughout the song, countering the repetition of the questions floating around in her head. This powerful anthem inspires one to trust in themselves as all the answers they’ll ever need is “in their hands.”

Open the Gates and Let Them Out

“Let Them Out,” the fourth song on the EP, takes a much darker turn into the heavy metal realm. An eerie electric guitar and drum tune unleashes the screeches of the “monsters” in Forest’s head. These monsters represent her inner fears, insecurities, and the darker side to her thoughts. To fit in, Forest listened to what others “planted in her head” and sealed away these undesirable parts of her as they had festered up inside. The rampant tone of the song accelerates a feeling of these monsters lurking and waiting for the moment she “lets them out.”

“Let them out, you can be yourself,” Forest sings as she encourages herself to release the burden of locking away her inner monsters. This track perfectly embodies the emotional turmoil one might go through when battling against hiding imperfections. Forest sheds light on the darkest parts with “Let Them Out.” 

Don’t Wake the Dream Walker

The EP takes a rest as the final song “Dream Walker” mellows out “under a velvet midnight sky.” The song is hauntingly beautiful as the blend of her silky voice and instrumentals create the illusion of a star and moonlit landscape scattered with flowers. “Please don’t wake me up / My dreams are blooming tonight / When they do, when they do, / I’ll be ready for them,” Forest serenades. “Dream Walker” reels in its listeners and paints a setting you don’t want to leave or wake up from. A perfect end to My World, Raylee Forest encapsulates her dreamy vision to her imagination.

My World is available to listen on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon Music, and Pandora. To support Forest on her musical journey and dive deeper into her whimsical world, make sure to follow her on Instagram and Twitter! 

Interested in discovering more new music? Check out our latest installment of our Sunday Spin Series here!