Bottle - For YWCA

1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will be victim to severe physical violence by their partner.
Resources like YWCA are crucial in helping women escape physically threatening situations, so I wanted this song - this celebration of freedom - to be a source of good for an organization doing so much good of their own. We also chose YWCA because of their work for children and people of color. YWCA has created programs for boys and young men as well, helping to defeat a culture of violence through early learning and education. We love that YWCA not only protects women, but nurtures boys, as we believe this is a beautiful and holistic way to approach this issue.

Abuse can come in many forms, and my situation is detailed quite honestly in the lyrics of the song.
It's hard to write about, and at first it was also extremely hard to sing. (Sorry if you ever caught this song live and I forgot the words - a thing I rarely do, but which happened several times when performing this early on.) There may be a metaphor or two, but most of the lyrics are literal. It took many years for me to heal enough to write this song. Because for many years, the smell of 'ocean breeze' made me sick. For awhile, I couldn't even listen to the Red Hot Chili Peppers without getting a panic attack. For years, I couldn't do a lot of things without having a panic attack. Because for many years - and sometimes, on my darkest days still - I used apologies as a form of self harm.
But I was ready to write the song this past year. Because I was finally free. Because I'm "cleaner now." Because it's a celebration of just how good it feels to like yourself again. Because I realized I don't flinch as often as I used to. Because the last time someone had an 'ocean breeze' air freshener in their car, I caught myself saying, "that smells good."

If this is you, I hope you find your hope. I hope you find your peace. And I hope you find your freedom.