As a new singer-songwriter with a new debut album, Priscilla Ahn is an unfamiliar figure. But from her first breaths in "Dream," she possesses a presence that can't be overlooked. It's not just the startling clarity of her singing, but also the lovely and occasionally wry songwriting that's bound to capture listeners' attention and imaginations.
There's a sweet innocence to "Dream," with the childish hopes and desires of a "little girl, alone in her little world" captured in the sing-song cant of Ahn's flawless voice and swinging guitar. As she ventures from childhood to adulthood and old age, the song becomes more complex as it moves along.
The dream changes, as well: The child sings, "I had a dream / that I could fly / from the highest swing / I had a dream." The adult takes her flight from the highest tree, before finally seeking out the highest point of all. Looking back, she sings, "I lived it full and I lived it well / as many tales I lived to tell," adding, "I'm ready now / to fly from the highest wing / I had a dream." The song closes in the same simple address as it began, with Ahn lifting her voice — and her audience's eyes — to the sky.
Listen to yesterday's Song of the Day, and subscribe to the Song of the Day newsletter.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
