“To be selected out of 350 more eligible performing artists was a huge kickstarter for me, pushing me into that ‘you can do this too’ territory. Beth and the other artists saw me as someone I'd not yet become, but who I wanted to be, so it was a real re-defining and re-inventing time for me.”
Vanessa grew up in Bradford, Yorkshire but her mother was abandoned in the Colombian jungle as a child and survived with monkeys before being rescued - yes really! This in turn affected Forero's own childhood and upbringing.
"I suppose being raised by a resilient, survivor type mama made us a not-so emotionally led family, so time on the piano became my only real space where I could let all of me out. I liked living in the shadows as a child, almost fearing my own voice, so I probably spent more time learning to talk on the piano than any other way. We'd talk for hours and hours about everything, everything I wasn't bold enough to express with words out loud. Even still, my expression through music has always been in a background, hidden kind of way as a screen composer or keys player. Now after facing a few fears, I've literally 'found my voice' on the other side and discovered there's a lot I want to say over here."
Vanessa has been on a personal journey as well as a musical one in the last year and feels she has a lot she wants to get off her chest in her forth-coming EP.
“In the years spent serving other peoples musical vision, I'd not realised how much I'd lost my own musical voice. But the more I chiselled it out and carved it into shape, the more I brought my true self - both personally and musically - back to centre stage on the Vanessa show, and its a place full of colour, feathers, fun and wildness. It's taken a hell of a journey to get here, which is why this EP is called "From The Uproar" - things got messy, but it was worth it.”
You can also hear echoes of Forero’s Colombian roots - of which she is very proud - in the use of Colombian skin-drums and upbeat rhythms in her gutsy Indie/Folk sound.
Forero is a skilled multi-instrumentalist as well as a producer, composer, arranger, and now singer. She is also passionate about working with women in the industry.
"There's not enough girls picking up drum sticks or getting stuck into studio manuals, and I think a lot of that has to do with it not being a suggestion to them in the first place - because "that's the boys job". I'd love to see more female role models that suggest otherwise and remind the girls that it's an option for them too. Besides, I just find having a bunch of talented, hot, wild señoritas on stage really powerful and makes things loads of fun for me, so I've herded in the girls for this one."
The songstress is also a bestselling author, having co-written the book on her mother’s extraordinary life ‘The Girl With No Name’, for which National Geographic made the globally broadcast feature documentary ‘Woman Raised By Monkeys’. The sequel book is on its way.
Forero’s self-produced debut EP ‘From The Uproar’ is due for release 28th March 2016.
Heaven Knows
Vanessa Forero Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
where we go from here now
Do we go
or do we find another home?
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
My fears hunger for a little hope
is it (...) for yourself
Or feel more on bones
We're believing in you
Be believing in truth
Will this pleading bring you
closer
Oh oh
Flesh and bone
How long will you keep me here
Will I know
or hear them say "I told you so"
Oh, only heaven knows
We're believing in you
Be believing in truth
Will this pleading bring you
Oh oh
This road is taking
Oh oh
Give up your aim, you're lost
You're on your own
Oh oh
Your own is waiting
Oh oh
Take out your load and go
You're on your soul
And where you go
Only heaven knows
We're believing in you
Be believing in truth
Will this plead
bring you closer?
Oh oh
The lyrics of Vanessa Forero's song Heaven Knows are quite mysterious and open to interpretation. The song's premise seems to be about uncertainty and finding oneself. The first verse asks, "Heaven knows where we go from here now / Do we go or do we find another home?" suggesting a feeling of restlessness and indecision. The chorus continues with "We're believing in you, be believing in truth / Will this pleading bring you closer?" which could be seen as a plea to a higher power, or to oneself, to find direction and purpose. The repeated "Oh oh" throughout the chorus adds to the song's overall sense of longing and searching.
The second verse goes deeper into the singer's fears and doubts, with the line "My fears hunger for a little hope / If it ain't real, is it (...) for yourself / Or feel more on bones" hinting at a desire for authenticity and meaning. The bridge of the song brings up the physical and emotional toll of this uncertainty, with the lines "Flesh and bone / How long will you keep me here / Will I know or hear them say 'I told you so' / Oh, only heaven knows" suggesting a sense of imprisonment or stagnation.
Overall, Vanessa Forero's Heaven Knows is a melancholic and introspective song about navigating the unknown and finding one's way. The lyrics are full of emotion and uncertainty, but the repeated plea to believe in oneself and in truth suggests a sense of hope and determination.
Line by Line Meaning
Heaven knows
Unknown forces or fate will determine the outcome of our situation.
where we go from here now
What direction do we take from our current position?
Do we go
Should we leave this place behind?
or do we find another home?
Should we look for a new place to call home?
My fears hunger for a little hope
My anxieties crave even the slightest glimmer of optimism or positivity.
If it ain't real
If our situation is not genuine or authentic,
is it (...) for yourself
then why bother pursuing it, if it only benefits oneself?
Or feel more on bones
We must rely on intuition and physical sensations to guide us through difficult times.
We're believing in you
We have faith in you and your abilities.
Be believing in truth
We must have faith in verifiable facts and evidence.
Will this pleading bring you closer
Will this act of begging or asking help you achieve your goal?
Flesh and bone
We are all human beings, with both physical and emotional needs.
How long will you keep me here
How much longer will I be trapped in this situation?
Will I know
Will I be able to recognize the moment when my situation changes?
or hear them say "I told you so"
Or will I have to endure the criticism of those who had warned me against my choices?
This road is taking
This journey is leading us down a particular path.
Give up your aim, you're lost
If you surrender your goal, you are admitting defeat or becoming directionless.
You're on your own
Ultimately, you are responsible for your own actions and decisions.
Your own is waiting
Your individual purpose or destiny is awaiting your discovery.
Take out your load and go
Let go of your burdens and move forward.
You're on your soul
Your moral integrity and inner values are guiding you on this journey.
And where you go
The location or outcome of your journey
Only heaven knows
Can only be determined by a higher power or the universe.
Contributed by Cameron A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sarah Mumford
Beautiful all round - talented, unique, different and characterful. Love it!
Angelina Tinetti
It's fantastic and special. I really like it!! Keep going like that!! Congratulations from Argentina and good luck!!
The True You Project
gives me chills woman!
Gergely Szegedi
Simply beautiful in every way :)