Tuesday April 12, 2022
Born Again is the new single release from Australian rapper, singer-songwriter, and producer Iluminative. On the new track, the Byron Bay-based music artist charts the true scope of his creative focus, a life narrative succinctly rendered with emotion-drenched lyrics, unflinching insight, and a sensibility that’s difficult to ignore.
With the opening chorus lyric, ‘We all live, we all die, we all live again because the soul never dies’, the song explores spirituality, amid many other themes, in a disarmingly powerful way. As Iluminative says about his background and what influences his writing, ‘I come from a life of being a young athlete and went through spiritual awakenings in the process to find my real self.
I am focused on health and wellbeing, improving myself and evolving. I also come from a background of being undiagnosed with Asperger’s, Autism Spectrum Disorder, so I suffered a lot but suffering leads to enlightenment. I was diagnosed with ASD in 2020, this includes OCD, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. So I work extra hard on my health and wellbeing just to appear well.’ Iluminative is strikingly candid on this track, allowing the listener unmitigated access to a private sphere.
Couched inside the autobiographical narrative is a subject that is perhaps not often explored in song—or if it is, it is hidden behind metaphor and simile, transformed into imagery that one must decipher to understand correctly. Born Again goes a step further, outlining a condition presented with honesty and simplicity yet fitting the rap structure in the same way a poem might adhere to established meters and form. The language is direct and understated, yet notable for these reasons; for example, from the first verse, ‘I had a really lonely life / no real social life / just a lot of crippling social anxiety to fight’.
When heard against the music’s quite low-key and subdued construction, the contrast is evident, bringing to life the ruminations with austere and impactful energy. A stand-alone performer, writer, and producer, Iluminative’s new track rises above the standard accepted rap confines, issuing a poignancy as memorable as the melodic dynamism running through it.
