In her new single, “Shade of My Shadow”, Qymira is wearing the big boots of Celeste, her character from the action-noir movie “Shadow Transit”. More than a promotional song, it is an unfiltered expression of our inner demons. A musician who conducts her own string scores, Qymira mixes intense strings and soft vocalisation to address the mental health issues that often plague creative communities. Qymira is not only an interpreter, but a vocal advocate, translating the “shadow” into a message of survival.
The score, composed with Richard Taylor, is raw, something that is lacking in pop music. It challenges the listener to look to the parts of their lives they normally deny. In the high-stakes world of art, there is pressure to be “luminous” but Qymira embraces the dark. Through the narrative of transformation via memory, she emphasises how mental health is not a side road from the creative journey, but often the fertile ground for true creativity.
The article comes at a crucial time in the career of Qymira, who is now an advocate for change at the QCinema International Film Festival. Her call to arms on women’s leadership in the arts echoes her musical discipline. “Shade of My Shadow” reminds us that shadows aren’t there to destroy us, but to highlight the truth. In all, the song is a lesson in finding harmony amid the self’s cacophony, while maintaining technical proficiency. Qymira’s journey from dance to film music demonstrates that we can only thrive by being vulnerable. In translating “Mother Gaia” into “Celeste”, she redefines the industry’s role in not just manufacturing but nurturing talent as human beings.
A Hong Kong native, San Francisco-raised and British-educated, Qymira is a multi-faceted talent working at the crossroads of classical and urban seductress. As a classically trained pianist, violinist and singer, she is the first female violinist in the UK National String Academy in her teenage years. Her journey has taken her from the UK Music Week charts (with songs such as “Satisfied”) to conducting some of the world’s largest orchestras, such as the Hong Kong and Philippine Philharmonics. Now in London, Qymira has transformed into a multimedia engineer, integrating her talents as a lead actress and film composer.
Ou bat tanbou epi ou danse ankò.
