We work so hard that our art consumes us. Developing and nurturing your craft has its highs and lows. Success can be measured with triumphs and losses. It’s not always a victory to come out on top, and “After The Opera” by Jude York dives into the feelings of longing, betrayal, passion, and heartbreak and the desire to close the curtain.
“After The Opera” is a creative metaphor. An opera is a theatrical art form that combines music and drama. The exaggerated expressions of emotions can be reflected in relationships both personal and professional. There’s so much that happens behind the scenes. When you’re performing, you’re taking on the role of a character, you aren’t yourself and it can be an escape. When the show is over and the curtains close, you’re back to reality. The Opera that Jude is singing about can be a symbol for a toxic relationship in his life. It seems like there were always problems (in the relationship) that the average person wouldn’t be able to see. Their relationship became one for show, and their love was put on display for people to perceive but they became actors, and were no longer partners.
“After The Opera” is a song about a realization that a relationship is not what it once was. That once the music stops (when the relationship ends), Jude will be able to heal and gain clarity from their time together. Produced by Jude York and Lucky West, this song is filled with the emotional highs and lows of heartbreak which is reflected through the instrumentation. Just like the relationship portrayed in the lyrics, the song itself is also one big performance. Just by watching the music video, I can see Jude’s emotion and frustration by how he sings the lyrics. I really liked listening to Jude’s voice, it was so silky and smooth. His voice has a lot of flexibility to sing in different genres and I love that this was made as a pop song, but I could also envision a jazz version of it as well. The storytelling is incredible and is perfectly displayed in the music video. I just can’t get over how clever the concept of this song is and how I was immediately hooked when I started listening.
Jude York is a singer-songwriter from Australia. He was born to be a musician because his mother was an opera singer, and his dad was a jingle writer. The world got a hold of his talents when he debuted on Eurovision Australia Decides in 2022. Now as a verified artist on Spotify, he has over 416,000 monthly listeners on the platform. His songs “Those Were The Days”, “Monaco”, “Mr. Porcelain”, and “Cashew” have streams that are in the millions. It’s safe to say Jude is a rising star. I am excited to listen to his other music. Check out “After The Opera” and give it a listen!
Written By Alexa LaMalfa
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