The Danish musician’s cocktail of pitch-shifted synths, R&B, future bass an… Read Full Bio ↴The Danish musician’s cocktail of pitch-shifted synths, R&B, future bass and an undercurrent of world music is already something quite apart from the pack, but her vocal – simultaneously otherworldly, childlike in its innocence and sweetly sensual – elevates her individualistic style to another level. While her tracks are skewered heavily towards the kind of alternative pop in which easy genre classifications lie just out of reach, Soleima’s own story is similarly unconventional. Raised in Aarhus, a city on the Jutland peninsula, Soleima grew up in a family home soundtracked by classic soul and R&B, notably Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Otis Redding. So far, so normal? Pretty much. Yet that’s only a snippet of the tale. Soleima’s mother took her to an African dance camp which operated as a cultural exchange between Denmark and Sukumaland in Tanzania, and she soon became enamoured with their music – especially with their collection of traditional African drums such as the sikulu. As a young adult, she moved out to Sukumaland for two extended spells, and even organized a grant to allow some of their members to live and teach in Denmark. She subsequently earned a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, did field work in Nepal and started to make a documentary about migration in Senegal. Soleima continues to spread her wings and craft her unique sound with avant-garde productions and the exploration of societal issues and the meaning of what it is to be human.

Paper
SOLEIMA Lyrics

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Hate mistakes on paper planes
Throw it up in the air, pretend I don't care
I watch you fly in my eyes
Just for a while, let it out of control
I wanna leave it untold

You know that you
You can light up

You burn the sky up
Only you, touch me higher
I want to see the paper fly
You can light up
You burn the sky up
Please take me where my feet don't have no steady ground

You, you can light up
Burn the sky up (you)
'Cause I want to see the paper fly

In too deep, there's no way back
Like a pilot in white, scared of the heights, yeah
People talk but I've heard all the lines once before, yeah
Only trust in your eyes and I know that I gotta go
Gotta go, gotta gotta go

You know that you
You can light up
You burn the sky up
Only you, touch me higher
I want to see the paper fly
You can light up
You burn the sky up
Please take me where my feet don't have no steady ground

You, you can light up
Burn the sky up (you)
'Cause I want to see the paper fly

I know they'll be calling it
A waste of time, waste of time
When the paper flies, yeah
But I don't mind falling back
'Cause you will take me where my feet don't have no steady ground

You, you can light up
Burn the sky up
Please take me where my feet don't have no steady ground
You, you, you
You can light up

Burn the sky up (you)
'Cause I want to see the paper fly

Overall Meaning

The song "Paper" by SOLEIMA seems to be about letting go of control and taking risks. The first verse talks about throwing a paper plane and watching it fly away, pretending not to care about the mistakes made in its creation. The chorus emphasizes the feeling of being lifted up and made to feel higher by someone, wanting to see the paper fly as a metaphor for taking risks and being brought to new heights. The second verse talks about being in too deep and having to rely on trust in one's own instincts in order to move forward, even if it means leaving things behind. The bridge suggests that others may view taking risks as a waste of time, but the singer is willing to take that risk with the help and guidance of this person who lifts her up.

One interpretation of this song is that it is about being in a relationship that challenges and inspires growth. The paper plane could be seen as a metaphor for their relationship, something that is both delicate and exhilarating. The singer wants to let go of control and let the relationship take flight, even though there may be mistakes or unexpected twists and turns along the way. The other person is seen as a source of light and guidance, helping the singer to reach new heights and take risks.

Overall, "Paper" seems to be a song about embracing uncertainty and taking risks, trusting oneself and others to lift us up and guide us to new heights. The motif of throwing a paper plane serves as a symbolic representation of this theme.

Line by Line Meaning

Hate mistakes on paper planes
I don't like making mistakes when folding paper planes

Throw it up in the air, pretend I don't care
I toss the paper plane in the air and act like I don't care about it

I watch you fly in my eyes
I observe the plane flying as it passes through my vision

Just for a while, let it out of control
I allow the plane to fly without any control for a short period of time

I wanna leave it untold
I don't want to speak about what happened to the plane afterward

You know that you You can light up You burn the sky up Only you, touch me higher I want to see the paper fly You can light up You burn the sky up Please take me where my feet don't have no steady ground
The person addressed knows that they can make me feel euphoric and lead me towards a state of unlimited possibility. I want to observe the plane flying high up in the sky, and I want to be taken to places where I haven't been before; places where everything feels new and nothing seems stable

In too deep, there's no way back
I have ventured too far in this experience, and there's no turning back now

Like a pilot in white, scared of the heights, yeah
I feel like a pilot who's afraid of heights

People talk but I've heard all the lines once before, yeah
I am used to hearing the predictable things people say in these situations

Only trust in your eyes and I know that I gotta go Gotta go, gotta gotta go
I only trust myself and know that it's time for me to leave now

I know they'll be calling it A waste of time, waste of time When the paper flies, yeah But I don't mind falling back 'Cause you will take me where my feet don't have no steady ground
Others may say that this is a waste of time, but I don't care because I am willing to follow this person wherever they take me, even if it's to a place where life feels unpredictable and unstable

You, you can light up Burn the sky up Please take me where my feet don't have no steady ground You, you, you You can light up Burn the sky up (you) 'Cause I want to see the paper fly
This person has the power to make my life feel exciting and bright, and I am willing to follow them anywhere to see this paper plane fly

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BJORN DJUPSTROM, TOBIAS FRELIN, SARAH MARIEGAARD, NADJA JOHANSSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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