Feature | Exzenya

A chill ran down my spine seconds into the haunting intro of Exzenya’s latest single, “Captivity”. The song begins with an unsettling rendition of the first few lines of “Down in the Valley”. The American folk song was considered a “jailhouse song”, making it a fitting beginning to a song about captivity. 

Exzenya’s voice is raw and ragged in a way I haven’t heard before. There’s nothing to “beautify” the lyrics, making the grit and discomfort of the message impossible to ignore. Her voice is captivating (no pun intended) in its unpredictability, flitting from a powerful wail to a lingering vibrato and back again. Both lyrically and musically, Captivity creates a truly immersive listening experience. The words illustrate the desperation of being held captive and the slow descent of losing hope and a sense of self. Swirling together the captive begging for freedom with feelings of love and empathy for her captor, the song explores some very real and complex dynamics that prisoners have expressed. In addition to being an impressive singer and songwriter, Exzenya actually has a background in psychology and communications. Her lyrics in Captivity draw from real experiences of known POW camp and Holocaust survivors, as well as cases of kidnapping and coercion. 

I appreciated the authenticity of this song. Exzenya clearly took the message very seriously with her areas of expertise and the stories she is trying to represent. There are no gimmicks, no excess of affected instrumentation or vocals. I feel like this is necessary to capture the full message of the song; the pain, the confusion, the inner turmoil, the despair. It would feel strange to package such meaning in a catchy melody with overly polished vocals, and it is clear that Exzenya intentionally steered away from that. I respect her dedication to upholding the authenticity of the important message she conveys that gives space for both trauma and healing.