Jenny Hval (b. 1980) has in recent years made a name for herself as a write… Read Full Bio ↴Jenny Hval (b. 1980) has in recent years made a name for herself as a writer, journalist, recording artist and sound artist both in Norway and abroad. Her first two albums were released as Rockettothesky. When her third record Viscera was released in 2011, Italian Vogue described her as: “an artist of significant competence, both musically and intellectually.” Multidisciplinary and transgressive are words often employed to describe her art, but Jenny Hval’s polyphonic artistry is in fact seamlessly interwoven between musical, literary, visual and performative modes of expression. Despite her young age, she has already infused, carved and modulated an artistic voice that is altogether present, accessible and obscurely complex at the same time.

Jenny Hval studied Creative Writing at the University of Melbourne, and Literature at the University of Oslo. She has released the albums To Sing You Apple Trees (Trust Me Records, 2006) and Medea (Trust Me Records 2008) under the alias Rockettothesky. Her third album Viscera (Rune Grammofon 2011) was released under her own name. 2012 saw the release of the debut album of Hval’s band project, Nude On Sand, in which she collaborates with Håvard Volden. Jenny Hval made her debut as a writer with the book Perlebryggeriet (‘The Pearl Brewery’) with Kolon Forlag in 2009. Alongside this she has contributed to magazines and newspapers like Vinduet, ENO, Bergens Tidende and Klassekampen. In 2010 Hval contributed to the artwork War Song by the American artists Valerie Tevere and Angel Nevarez that was performed during the Ultima Festival in Oslo that year. In 2011 she created the sound installation ENTER/ Flesh for the bigger installation ENTER Sonic Tank at Tou Scene in Stavanger. In collaboration with the writer Inger Bråtveit she also created the work Kvit Søppel (‘White Trash’) in 2011.

She is currently working on her second book and her fourth studio album.

Ritual Awakening
Jenny Hval Lyrics

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I clutch my phone
with my sweaty palm
in my hand.

I clutch my heart
in the coffin for my heart
in my hand.

It's so loud and I get so afraid,

so I start speaking.

Overall Meaning

Jenny Hval's "Ritual Awakening" is a introspective song about the unsettling feelings that arise when we become aware of our own mortality. The opening lyrics, "I clutch my phone with my sweaty palm in my hand" suggest a sense of anxiety or unease, as if the singer is reliant on technology to feel secure in the world. However, the line "I clutch my heart in the coffin for my heart in my hand" is a more powerful and evocative image, implying that the singer is grappling with a deeper sense of fear or vulnerability.

As the song progresses, the singer becomes overwhelmed by the chaos and noise around them, prompting them to begin speaking in an effort to regain control. This could be interpreted as a desire to find solace in spirituality or ritual, as the song's title implies. However, the repetition of the word "so" throughout the chorus also creates a sense of urgency, underscoring the singer's profound sense of disorientation and loss.

Overall, "Ritual Awakening" is a haunting and thought-provoking track that explores themes of mortality, anxiety, and the human quest for meaning in a turbulent world.

Line by Line Meaning

I clutch my phone with my sweaty palm in my hand.
I hold onto my phone tightly with my anxious hand.

I clutch my heart in the coffin for my heart in my hand.
I hold onto my heart which feels lifeless and confined in my hands.

It's so loud and I get so afraid, so I start speaking.
The noise around me makes me petrified and in response, I begin to speak out.

Writer(s): Jenny Hval

Contributed by Ellie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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