Nova is the granddaughter of an epiphone-playing traveling evangelist; her father was a National Accordion Champion and her mother a classical organist. Having a family of wanderers who migrated across the U.S. every few years, the landscape and the musical influences were constantly changing: Spanish tangos, Sunday morning gospel, classical and jazz were the accompaniment to her home life. Her first song was recorded when she was three years old, and by the age of eight she was studying piano and performing in community musical productions.
As a teenager in Michigan, Shara honed her musical prowess singing along to Whitney Houston music videos and Mariah Carey albums. When pop music wasn't enough, she enrolled in the music program at the University of North Texas, immersing herself in the songs of Henry Purcell and Claude Debussy. After college, she moved to New York City and fell in love with its cold winters and busy streets. She continued to study opera on the Upper West Side during the day, but at night she frequented downtown clubs such as Tonic, Knitting Factory, and The Living Room, catching performances by Antony and the Johnsons, Nina Nastasia, and Rebecca Moore. She began to spend less time sight-reading Mozart and more time de-tuning her Gibson electric guitar to play her own newly-written songs. Coaxed out of recital halls and onto the small stages of bars and clubs, Shara assembled a coterie of musicians to accompany her with bass and drums, music boxes, wine glasses, and wind chimes. She released two full albums in 2001 (AwRY and Quiet B Sides) as well as a remix album with her band entitled AwRY.
In performance she showed unusual versatility, channeling the vocal theatrics of Kate Bush, the soulful seductiveness of Nina Simone and the gothic pop of Portishead. Her infatuation with theater and costumes inspired her to wear superhero capes, ball gowns, or Tudor corsets on stage, depending on her mood. Her deeply personal songs transcended the histrionics of opera; Shara was at last singing about what was closest to her heart. She began to see her own music as the most precious gift she could give to the world - as reflected in her namesake, "My Brightest Diamond".
Of course, opera never really left her, and Shara's performance blurred the lines between rock show and recital, setting baroque love songs alongside French carols and Prince covers. Her vocal lines reached for Puccini, but her guitar was pure PJ Harvey. The center of gravity here was the workmanship of a woman whose imagination had no limits. To sharpen her skills, Shara studied composition with Australian composer Padma Newsome (of Clogs) and began to incorporate a string quartet in her live show. The influences of Nat King Cole and Henry Mancini rounded out the edges. A few years later, she met Sufjan Stevens at The Medicine Show, a variety show hosted by New York City's incendiary poet, Sage, at Arlene's Grocery. This, in turn, led to a yearlong sabbatical from her work, doing splits and round-offs (not to mention the human pyramid) as one of the notorious Illinoisemakers. Shara was quickly promoted as cheerleading captain.
All of this led to an impressive resume, but My Brightest Diamond still had no album to show for it. So in 2004, she began work on two records: one featuring songs accompanied by a string quartet titled "A Thousand Shark's Teeth", and a more standard rock album featuring a full band (featuring Earl Harvin on drums, Chris Bruce on bass, and, on one song, her father Keith on accordion) titled "Bring Me The Workhorse", released to critical acclaim in August 2006 on Asthmatic Kitty Records.
Her songs distil stories to their most distressing points of contact: a phone call, an injured horse, a dragonfly caught in a spider's web. She doesn't share all the information - just the stuff that matters. The effect is a sensational compression of time, in which an entire event is summarized in a single note. This, of course, is the essence of opera. But My Brightest Diamond is much more than that. There is also the humor one might find in an old TV episode of Wonder Woman or Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. Shara's songs reconcile all the complex emotions found in each of us: she can grieve as comfortably as she can laugh, sometimes in the same breath.
Sites: BandCamp
Dragonfly
My Brightest Diamond Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Caught in a spider's web
As I looked at her once more
I thought that she was dead
So I left her alone & I went on my way
& I was dreaming of Paris & Pierre Boulez
But she called to me with a beat of her wing
She said come & fly away with me tonight
I've been up there before
Riding the wind & laughing & open
(til one day that great big black came pushing me down into sticky traps)
But now I am afraid of flying
I am afraid of finding the black again
Come & fly away with me tonight
The lyrics to My Brightest Diamond's song, Dragonfly, tells a story of a dragonfly that has been caught in a spider's web. At first glance, the dragonfly appears to be dead, and the singer continues on their way, dreaming of Paris and Pierre Boulez. However, the dragonfly calls out to the singer, asking to be freed. Despite being afraid of flying and finding the "great big black" again, the dragonfly implores the singer to fly away with her that night. The lyrics are a powerful and poetic metaphor for taking risks, confronting fears, and seizing opportunities.
On a deeper level, the dragonfly represents freedom, beauty, and resilience. Like the dragonfly, we all encounter difficulties and obstacles in life. We may feel trapped or stuck, but just like the dragonfly, we have the power to break free and soar if we choose to. The lyrics also touch on the idea of being held back by fear and self-doubt, but also the importance of taking risks and embracing new experiences.
Overall, the song is a beautiful and inspiring message about overcoming fear and seizing opportunities. The poetic language and metaphorical imagery make it an emotionally resonant and thought-provoking piece of music.
Line by Line Meaning
I once saw a dragonfly
The singer witnessed a dragonfly stuck in a spider's web.
Caught in a spider's web
The dragonfly was entangled in a web spun by a spider.
As I looked at her once more
The singer observed the dragonfly again.
I thought that she was dead
The artist believed that the dragonfly was no longer alive.
So I left her alone & I went on my way
The artist chose not to intervene and continued on their path.
& I was dreaming of Paris & Pierre Boulez
The singer was preoccupied with thoughts of Paris and a French conductor named Pierre Boulez.
But she called to me with a beat of her wing
The dragonfly made a sound, presumably by flapping its wings, to get the singer's attention.
She called to me & said free me
The dragonfly communicated to the artist to set her free from the spider's web.
She said come & fly away with me tonight
The dragonfly invited the artist to ride on its wings and fly away together.
I've been up there before
The dragonfly has previously flown in the sky.
Riding the wind & laughing & open
The dragonfly enjoyed flying, feeling the wind and being carefree.
(til one day that great big black came pushing me down into sticky traps)
The happiness of the dragonfly's flying was cut short by a traumatic event where it was trapped in a spider's web.
But now I am afraid of flying
The dragonfly is now afraid to fly because of the past experience of being trapped.
I am afraid of finding the black again
The dragonfly's fear is of encountering another situation that brings back the traumatic experience of being trapped in a spider's web.
Come & fly away with me tonight
The dragonfly continues to invite the singer to fly away together, hoping to overcome its fear of flying.
Contributed by Natalie C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
M.A. H.C.
I once saw a dragonfly
Caught in a spider's web
As I looked at her once more
I thought that she was dead
So I left her alone and I went on my way
And I was dreaming of Paris and Pierre Boulez
But she called to me with a beat of her wing
She called to me and said, "Free me!"
She said, "Come and fly away
With me tonight
Come and fly away
With me
Come and fly away
With me tonight"
She said, "Ah ah ah..."
I've been up there before
Riding the wind and
Laughing and open
But now I am afraid of flying
I am…
Siavash Alaghmandan
you know sometimes when you're bored with your life and you think wow I need a change and when you listen to something like this you see that there's this aspect of life that you've forgotten and you feel good again , kind of
MrWhiteman TV
Awesome comment
Spectral Lore
Can't believe this has more or less the same views as 2-3 years ago, come on people! Still one of my favorite songs of all time. Shara, why don't you also re-upload a high resolution version?
Rosie Sleightholme
This is the most inspiring and brilliant song I have heard for a long time, if not in my life. Thank you Shara
Joori
I use to listen to this not stop 4 years ago when I used to be depressed. I am slowly going back to that state. listening to this song again brings so many emotions.
Martin Breeson
One of the most beautiful songs in existence.
Scrimbly Bingus
You'd probably love BOA, may i recommend their song Duvet?
ni79
The MOST AMAZING live performance I have ever seen. I love her shining soul. Her pitch and range is astounding.
Erik Major
stunningly artistic and wonderful...perfect combination of music, words, and images. Thanks!
Love Pony
Loving this! Great song! Beautiful vocals and arrangements! Trippy video! Truly transporting! Thank you!