by tiffany arunarsirakul
Releasing his Alt Therapy album just four days before summer officially begins, first-generation Canadian R&B artist Emanuel strives to disassociate the negative connotation of what therapy is, with his form and expression of the term. Emanuel says people already generalize and define tranquility, peace, and love, but what we need to do is to redefine those terms and go back to the basics. Emanuel describes this pivotal moment in the music industry as a “renaissance of beautiful black art in the world.” Alt Therapy is Emanuel’s artistic declaration on the healings of our past that would have us trapped in bondage, depression, and sadness. He wants to bring gratification to the yearning of our hearts, rather than the voices which tell us we are not important.
Alt Therapy is built upon a cumulation of previous works: debut EP Alt Therapy Session 1: Disillusion and Alt Therapy Session 2: Transformation. The EP was a Juno Award nominee for Traditional R&B/Soul Recording of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2021.
Emanuel’s music is comparable to Frank Ocean, Khalid, and Daniel Caesar. This artist was named Apple Music’s New Artist of the Week, one of Amazon Music’s Artists to Watch, a SoundCloud Featured Artist, a Spotify “On The Radar” Artist, as well as landing Spotify’s premiere billboard in Toronto’s Yonge-Dunas Square. Emanuel uses the themes of freedom, hope, and love throughout his music, which is his method of storytelling.
The album opens with debut single “Need You,” an unofficial early quarantine anthem during the COVID-19 pandemic. Often, Emanuel resonates the lyric “I feel like I need you to be here,” addressing the loneliness felt. Golden Globe-winning actor, musician, and producer Idris Elba OBE started the social media campaign #NeedYou2020, “encouraging people to send in imagery documenting how they were coping with self-isolation to create an ‘inspirational collage.’” This project was built upon humanity’s need for connection, and showed a “sense of union in a distanced world.”
“Thought It’d Be Easy” comes next and follows the messages portrayed in “Need You.” Whether about trying to move on from a short-term or long-term relationship, unfortunately, it can be difficult to forget about someone who made a large impact in your life. We can try to improve ourselves while apart from that person, but often we end up reminiscing on the past and what could have been, as seen with the lyric “I thought it’d be easy to fuck someone else, but I’m fucking this girl and I’m thinking about you”.
You are then introduced to “Addiction,” and just like any feeling of being high from an addiction, the crash can be bad, but also make you long for the high even more. “I Need a Doctor” is Emanuel’s song for many to seek help, and wanting to mend their mistakes. He sings, “we start fires without words, this time it’s the worst. We should all be concerned.” With Emanuel’s music being a discourse for societal norms, he is expressing the thought which even actions when silent can be deadly and ricochet into something out-of-hand, such as hate, racism, even ulterior motives.
Then we get into “Detention,” reflecting on losing track of time and the hope to get further in life and even finding love. Featuring Dylan Sinclair, “Hindsight” felt like the epitome of 2020 — needing money, whether losing your job due to the pandemic, the insane rent increases we experienced, or even a new rise to entrepreneurship and making a small business for yourself. “Magazine” addresses how the desire to be recognized by strangers rather than your significant other can be draining and toxic to a relationship. “PTH” can be a follow-up to “Need You,” where you finally get that alone time with that someone. A total bedroom song appreciating female sexuality through Emanuel’s male perspective.
“Black Woman” is a very visual and emotional song, talking about the love a woman gives, even with the challenges that are in the way. We start with the cocoa butter kisses of mothers. “Black woman, sometimes, sad woman, but all of the time – she's a queen from another place.” Emanuel gives his appreciation and praise to Black women for they are the bearers and foundations of who we are. Appreciated but underserved, Emanuel asks, “What did I do to deserve you? Why do I always desert you?” What Emanuel is trying to communicate here, is that the love and strength women possess is undeniable. This is a song in honor of women.
“Pillows” surrounds itself with self-discovery and self-empowerment. It is about falling in love and possibly moving on from “Thought It’d Be Easy.” It is about finding peace and understanding with oneself. “Worldwide” is Emanuel’s form of expressing music and wanting to take his message throughout the world. Emanuel once stated, “sometimes when you’re singing, it’s like you’re thinking out loud,” correlating with his virtue that his music is meant for healing, not just for fun.
And then we close with “I Been,” a five-minute declaration of the growth, dreams, and hopes Emanuel has for the future. You would do anything for the one you love. The lyric “I cried a little, we fight a little, and that’s all right” encompasses the idea of being in a healthy relationship. Having the ability to express your emotions without judgment, not always agreeing with one another. Not every moment will be sunshine and rainbows in a relationship, but it is the everlasting love for one another that outshines the bad times. You would want to fight to protect the ones that you love, as well as do things you did not expect yourself to do. As well as the thought of “I wasn’t there when they broke your heart, and that breaks my heart.” It can hurt to know that someone you love was hurt before they entered your heart. Is it a coincidence with the lyric “your love opens up like a summer morning”? The album is released just a few days before summer officially begins!
Overall, this album exceeded expectations. The messages I received while listening to each song are quite powerful, and the album in general is a great outlet for seeking to change the past to change our future. Rather than making us feel constrained by our negative pasts, we should instead use that to our advantage and change our outlooks. Alt Therapy started with tracks about feeling lost and feeling like you need someone and ended with the confidence of self-love, self-appreciation, as well as self-discovery.
Disclaimer: This is just my interpretation of the album. Some parts may be completely different from what Emanuel intended.