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SMA Turns a Difficult Goodbye Into an Act of Self-Reclamation…
The “Goodnight and Goodbye” video launches viewers into the emotional ending of VOICEMAILS before the full story has been told.
WATCH HERE: https://youtu.be/OGhM-XcqjcA
“GOODNIGHT AND GOODBYE” may sound like a farewell, but for Albuquerque artist SMA it is also an introduction. The September 19 single is the final song of her forthcoming VOICEMAILS narrative, deliberately released first. The official video premiered October 23.
The project began with an idea to tell the story of toxic love through voice memos. SMA imagined an emotional progression from anger and resentment toward gratitude for lessons learned. Its introductory track, “I JUST CALLED,” plays against the sentiment of Stevie Wonder’s “I Just Called to Say I Love You.”
“G&G is about moving on from the past: from relationships and previous versions of yourself,” SMA said in her original release. “More than anything else, it’s about me and where I’m at now.”
The material is informed by experiences beyond romance. SMA has discussed an estranged relationship with her sister and credits mentor Dounia Tazi with encouraging positive affirmations, self-acceptance and intentional growth.
Those ideas also inform the video’s transformation-centered creative direction, combining Y2K nostalgia with a dreamlike, fairytale-inspired visual concept. The premiere credits SMA with styling and co-production alongside Anamore Productions, and Samantha Boubel with videography and lighting.
The project also has a connection to N.I. Music Group and Eric T. Johnson, whose involvement with SMA has been confirmed by her publicist. Johnson, the group’s founder and chief creative officer, brings experience as a songwriter, performer and artist-development executive. Previously one-half of the pop-rock duo SHYTOWN, he has performed across North America and Europe and worked on music projects involving established recording artists. SMA’s original press release separately credits Mantra Beats for the instrumental and Richard Baca for mixing and mastering.
SMA has embedded hints about future songs in the third verse of “GOODNIGHT AND GOODBYE,” including “voodoo,” “labubu,” “broken,” “yours” and “ghost.” Listeners are invited to work backward, discovering how the character who can finally say goodbye reached that point.
As she puts it: “My only dream is that my work resonates with someone else.”
WATCH SMA’S MUSIC VIDEO: https://youtu.be/OGhM-XcqjcA
