Felicity’s “Half Sad” Era Is All About That Post-Party Reflection Energy
Written by: Keyali Mikaela
You know that weird, in-between feeling after something big happens? Like the party’s over, your makeup’s smudged, and you’re riding home in silence wondering who the hell you even are anymore? That’s the exact mood Felicity captures in her dreamy, gut-punch of a track Half Sad.
The Aussie-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter is giving us ethereal synths, hyper-personal lyrics, and existential vibes—and we are eating it up. Before the single officially dropped today, we got to sit down with Felicity to talk about her creative process, emotional numbness, surreal lyricism, and how she’s evolving her sound in a way that actually feels like growth.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re stuck somewhere between “I’m totally fine” and “I could cry in a Taco Bell parking lot,” you’re gonna want to keep reading.
Next Wave: So, your single Half Sad is coming out today [May 30th]. The lyrics of Half Sad kind of toe the line between surreal and deeply relatable. How are you able to balance those two different feelings in your lyrics?
Felicity: That’s a really good question actually. Well, I try intentionally to do that. I like when there’s a nice balance of surrealism and realism. I think a lyric that hits you in the face and is very literal hits a lot harder when you buffer it with maybe things that aren’t literal—and vice versa. And I think that just kind of represents me as a person, too, ’cause I can be quite theatrical and larger than life, but then also be your bartender if you walk into the wrong steakhouse, you know?
Next Wave: Yes! So, for the song, there’s kind of a very specific mood that the vibe gives. If this song were in a coming-of-age movie, what do you think the scene would be that it’d be playing behind?
Felicity: I would love that, and I already have the answer. The whole song to me feels like you’re in a car. I mean, I know lyrically it’s like, “Who’s that looking at me in the passenger seat? Eyes black and she kinda looks a little like me?” Like, the song is about reflecting on a version of yourself you’re maybe not proud of or not familiar with. You go through a bunch of stuff and then you look back and you’re like, “Who was that person? I don’t even recognize them.”
Photo Credit: Hannah Gray Hall
So it’s definitely that scene when you’re driving home from the main event and you’re just decompressing. The windows are down, the sun’s coming up or going down, and it’s been a really, really lovely day. The scene might be like you’re in the car for a long time and there isn’t even any music playing—but the soundtrack to that would be my song.
Next Wave: Do you have any movies that come to mind when you’re picturing that?
Felicity: Nothing super specific, but very like teen coming-of-age. I don’t know why Hayley Steinfeld comes to mind—she’s kind of a teenager, yeah, randomly—but very much that vibe. When you’re 18 and trying to figure out who you are.
Next Wave: You mentioned the idea of kind of lo-fi dreams and numbness. How does sound design play a role in being able to express those emotions for you?
Felicity: I think a good song—or at least a good concept—when I feel strongly about something I’ve created, it all makes sense. Like if it’s a song about being really angry, it’s hard-hitting, fast-tempo, whatever. But with Half Sad, it’s about feeling in limbo, outside of yourself. So I wanted the song to have this mid-tempo, sort of out-there feel that matched that.
When we were figuring out the production, it ended up being more synth-heavy than my previous stuff, which I think helped evolve my sound. It was new for me—we hadn’t really experimented with that before. It’s a little stripped, a little synthy, and cruising. It kind of helps you think.
Next Wave: How do you think your sound or perspective has evolved since your debut release?
Felicity: I love live instruments. That’s where my writing process always starts. My first EP was very live instrument-heavy—live drums, electric guitar, all that. And with Half Sad, I think we’ve kept some of that, but pushed further into creating our own sounds. There are drum sounds in there that we literally created ourselves. It’s a little less organic, but in a way that helps push the vibe and story.
Next Wave: Is there a lyric in Half Sad that you feel most emotionally connected to?
Felicity: The whole song feels like what I go through every day, honestly. But the first line—and one of the last lines—definitely hit. The first line is:
“Lately I’ve been feeling like a stranger / I don’t even recognize my phone. / Does my nurture go against my nature / or am I just, like, way too f—ing stoned?”
Photo Credit: Hannah Gray Hall
That lyric… sometimes I look at myself and I don’t recognize who I am. I don’t even know if I like that person at certain points. Like, how far down do I have to go before I hit what’s really me? Do I have to go all the way to the bone to find something authentic? That’s exactly how I felt when I wrote it.
Next Wave: What are you hoping listeners take away from Half Sad?
Felicity: Definitely a sense of comfort. It’s hard out here—especially now. And it’s nice to have a soundtrack to that. My favorite thing is when someone comes up to me after a live show and says, “I’ve been through that exact thing.” And I’m like, “Me too.” So I hope this song does that for someone else. It’s kind of a circle of girlhood in that way.
Next Wave: And you’re originally from Perth and now based in Nashville—two very different creative environments. How do you bring those together in your music?
Felicity: Yeah, they’re really different. But also the Outback is kind of just… the country. So maybe not that different? Being in Nashville has helped so much, though. Like, I play piano enough to write, but I don’t play for myself live yet. But my producer Austin Luther plays everything. Being around musicians like him lets my creativity run wild.
But also, Australia’s music scene is thriving. From where I’m from in Perth, musicians are sprouting left and right—it’s wild. Growing up there, I didn’t listen to a ton of music unless it was shown to me. So the records I did have, I held really close. Then moving here just opened everything up for me.
Next Wave: I’ve heard that a lot about Nashville. It’s become kind of the new New York/LA.
Felicity: Totally. It feels like there was this big migration here over the last few years. As an artist, it feels like a privilege to be here. There are so many stages, so much community, and multi-talented people. You get to really figure out your artist project—your live show, your voice, your identity. I could play a show every night here and learn something new each time. I don’t know if I could do that in every other city.
Next Wave: If someone were hearing your music for the first time, what do you hope they’d understand about you as an artist?
Felicity: I hope they listen to the lyrics. That’s my favorite part of all of it. I think music is made to heal and bring people together. As artists, our job is to create community, help people feel seen, be their mouthpiece. I hope someone hears my songs and feels less alone. I write about my problems, and they’re not unique—we’re all going through similar things. It can feel isolating, but we’re all in it together.
Next Wave: Do you find it easy or difficult to write from that place of vulnerability?
Felicity: Really easy. I don’t write unless a song needs to be written. I can’t just write to write. Something has to spark it. Sometimes I even write about stuff before I’ve processed it emotionally, which is not always the healthiest thing, but it’s authentic.
Next Wave: When you perform, does that vulnerability carry over onstage? Do you feel exposed, or is it more cathartic?
Felicity: Performing is where I connect with the music best. It’s literally my favorite part of this whole thing. Some songs hit differently live than they do recorded. Like, someone will say something about a song after a show and I’ll be like, “Wow, I wasn’t even thinking of it that way.” It feels like the song gets to exist in its truest form live. So yeah, it feels good—not scary.
Next Wave: Last question for you—what advice would you give to other artists trying to write from a vulnerable place without feeling like they’re overexposing themselves?
Felicity: I think songwriting is such a beautiful language—you have total freedom in how you speak. Like, I’m Australian, I talk fast, I trip over my words, I don’t always say what I mean. But in a song, I get to be intentional. You can use metaphor, be literal, take on a character, speak in third person, reveal a lot or a little—it’s all valid. It’s your narrative. So find freedom in that.
Felicity’s not just writing songs—she’s making space for the weird, in-between feelings we usually try to brush off. Half Sad is a hug in the form of a synth-pop fever dream, and it’s already got us deep in our feels.
If you’re someone who journals at midnight, watches coming-of-age movies for emotional support, or stares dramatically out the window during car rides—this one’s for you.
Stream “Half Sad” everywhere today. Your inner teenage self will thank you.
