THE PORTABLE INFINITE: DONNA MISSAL RELEASES “BEDROOM SESSIONS”

8/17/2020

DONNA MISSAL RELEASES “BEDROOM SESSIONS”

The Four Intimate Performance Videos Reimagine Songs From Her New Album, Lighter

View All Four “Bedroom Sessions” Videos HERE

Donna Missal - Slow Motion (Bedroom Sessions)

DOWNLOAD / STREAM LIGHTER HERE:

http://donnamissal.lnk.to/Lighter

Donna Missal performs intimate versions of four songs from her new album, Lighter (Harvest Records), in the “Bedroom Sessions” videos – a quartet of self-directed videos. After giving fans a first look at the “Bedroom Sessions” for “Slow Motion,” “Bloom,” “Who Loves You” and “Carefully” on Instagram, all four videos are now available for viewing on YouTube HERE.

The videos were shot in the bedroom of Donna’s Los Angeles home, with the exception of “Slow Motion,” which was lensed in the backyard of her childhood home in New Jersey.

“These videos were made by taking new instrumental interpretations of songs from Lighter and performing to them live,” says Donna Missal. “I made projections using footage captured throughout the process of creating Lighter and cast them over myself to be immersed in them. I recorded the performances live by capturing audio and visual at the same time, using a laptop camera and my recording set up, thrown about my bed or the floor.”

Releasing an album in the midst of lockdown gave Donna the inspiration for “Bedroom Sessions.” She explains, “I wanted this series to represent live performance in a way that is shaped by the environment, to bring live performing into an intimate space, using digital mediums to create and share. From the shifting paradigm for the way artists connect to listeners, along with the inability to tour an album live, we're all trying to fill the void – connect, and create. ‘Bedroom Sessions’ is a take on the challenge of staying close to others through music, even from far away.”

While “Slow Motion” appears as a moving piano ballad on the album, Donna casts the song with swelling stings on the powerful “Bedroom Sessions” version. An ode to letting go, “Slow Motion” takes on fresh meaning when sung from her childhood home. Seated on the grass where she played as a child, Donna wears a sequined gown, mic in hand, juxtaposing her past with the present. View the “Bedroom Sessions” version of “Slow Motion” HERE and check out the original track HERE.

Donna’s emotional vocals are at the forefront in each self-produced video, but she also received some long-distance help. Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Liv Slingerland plays guitar on “Bloom.” Infused with a raw tenderness, the song unfolds in the shadow of night as Donna declares, “I don’t want to be the reason you don’t shine, realize I’m standing in your light…I don’t want to be the reason you don’t bloom.” With its sparse arrangement, “Carefully” cuts to the quick of a relationship, with Donna accompanied by her brother Steve Missal on guitar. With a backdrop that evokes a stunning sky at sundown, Donna delivers an ethereal, layered “Who Loves You,” manipulating an Omnichord and recording vocals on two microphones to render a lush soundscape.

Donna has amassed over 35 million global streams in her career to date. In a feature that put Donna “In Conversation” with Shania Twain, Interview Magazine said, “Missal’s thunderous vocals, mixed with her poignant lyrics and a country-meets-90s rock attitude, transformed the record into a wildfire of emotional upheaval making way for growth accompanied by a newfound sense of creative empowerment; one that comes from being in full control of her story.”

“Indie rock darling Donna Missal delivered the goods with her sophomore album Lighter, giving fans a brand-new look at her songwriting skills, while largely maintaining the soulful sound they'd fallen in love with,” said Billboard, which included “Let You Let Me Down” in its list of “The 25 Best Songs By LGBTQ Artists In 2020 (So Far).” Atwood Magazine observed, “It’s a bleary-eyed, mascara-stained album – messy, raw, and utterly genius.” The New Nine noted, “Donna is the badass artist we need right now… Missal is unforgettable, the pure force of her voice can radiate through a room reaching the deepest corners, but at the same time be so soft and delicate. The way she moves through every realm between the two extremes gives you chills.”