Listening to Sabrina Nejmah and Deep End the first time was like discovering a rare jewel that shines with both reminiscent light and with the power of newness. This Hamburg born teenager of Moroccan mother and German father, shares her soul in her debut single that is a collaboration with her jazz bassist father, Norman Astor. Created during a random improvisational session in the duo home-studio, the song has a soulful jazz-tinged refrain and hypnotic, yet inviting, main vocal, drawing me into the song in the same way that a deep conversation with an old friend would.
The vocal of Sabrina is a surprise--smooth, compelling, and packed with an emotionalism that is far beyond her years. Their dance is over a catchy melody, with a vintage sheen, mixing old time glamor with contemporary pop. The instrumentation, which has a slight jazzy feel to it, gives the song a glittering sound that enhances the music further, courtesy of Markus Norwin Rummel, who worked the production in Hamburg. It is a sound that makes one wish to shut one eyes and get drenched in it and reminds one of the soulful warmth of Norah Jones, the raw honesty of Amy Winehouse, and the introspective edge of Billie Eilish and Gracie Abrams.
The song gets into the ugly reality of contemporary relationships- growing out of someone, trying to find something real- with a beat that is hypnotic and as interesting as it is catchy. It resonated with me as it brought back memories of times when I had to lose myself to find myself. Deep End is not simply a debut but an ambitious statement of purpose by a young artist that has no fear of baring her soul. It is fresh, full of emotional depth and you cannot help but hope what is going to happen next to Sabrina. This song reminds us how music can be a lifeline--that which can connect us with ourselves and with each other.
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