You never know what someone is going through, despite the cheerful or toughened exterior they might exude. French singer Tennin‘s emotional latest track ‘Morphée‘ powerfully captures the pain of silent struggle. As a non-French speaker I could not initially decipher the meaning behind the lyrics of the track, in spite of this Tennin‘s richly expressive vocals, combined with the poignant visualiser that accompanies it, had me understanding her struggle. The heavy basslines of the production entangled with soaring synthlines and a driving drum pattern to create a theatrically atmospheric feeling reminiscent of Labrinth’s compositions.

Tennin matched this energy perfectly, holding nothing back in her vocal delivery, which conveyed a sense of unyielding sincerity even before exploring the lyrics. Upon doing some digging into the meaning behind this emotional French R&B track, it became clear that the narrative behind this track is just as hard-hitting as Tennin’s performance. Through the lens of ‘Morphée‘ or ‘Morpheus‘, the Greek god of dreams, the track explores living a waking nightmare through private anguish with lyrics that translate to, “Morpheus opens their arms, I think they want me. Pulls me into the dark, when I see blue. They say they’re calm, but I see fire in their eyes.”

Raised in the South of France by a Senegalese father and a mother of Polish-Slovak heritage, Tennins’s multicultural roots have helped shape her sound into one that is as fluid as it is personal. Hip-hop was her first love and entry point into songwriting, before American R&B helped anchor her artistic identity. Over time, her sound expanded to include Trip-Hop and she began experimenting with more left-field soundscapes. Early singles landed  major placements like Tricky’s False Idols (where “Heal You” appeared on the Test of Time compilation) and Kitsuné Music with the aching “Guys In Tears.” In 2021, she hit the road with South African artist Dope Saint Jude as a backing vocalist, gaining more international recognition.

‘Morphée‘ was an illuminating listening experience for me and a reminder of how music can transcend the barriers of language, culture, and nationality. Despite not initially knowing the full translation of what Tennin was singing about, I was immediately grabbed by her expression of emotion, along with the expressively visualiser music video. If you enjoy darkly beautiful R&B tearjerkers then this track is for you.