Amanda Abizaid’s new single,  “When I Walk Away”: pure melancholy pleasure with a marketing twist

Amanda Abizaid’s new single,  “When I Walk Away”: pure melancholy pleasure with a marketing twist

In the constant struggle by artists – even major artists – to get new music noticed, musicians and agents and publicity people are digging deep into their creativity.  Some have expanded to TikTok and its new competitor Triller, some have become YouTube stars/influencers.  And of course, everyone is on Instagram and Bandcamp and Spotify and other platforms that assemble playlists and promote music.

A particularly interesting and strategically smart approach came to me courtesy of the very talented Amanda Abizaid.  She sent out an advance sample of her latest song, “When I walk Away” to fans – everyone on her fan email list. The message I received read:

Hi special fan, I’m beyond excited to share my new release ‘When I Walk Away” with you. You’re just a click away to enjoy! ….Just click below to preview and share with your friends.

The link took you to her website where you could stream the song and buy it at your price.  The link also allowed you to download lyrics, something I love. And of course, you could also stream or buy her favorite tracks. A nice perk for fans and a unique way to promote new releases to people who will be interested in them and will likely share them.

By now you can guess I am a fan of Abizaid’s, which is why I received the “fans-only” email.  I have seen her live twice, once in her middle-eastern flavored shake- the-walls blues rock persona at a rock club, and once in an intimate jazz supper club in her romantic blues persona.

“When I Walk Away” is the latter, and it is sheer, melancholy pleasure.  As she sings, you can see her ambling into a mid-summer foggy night, lit by an old-fashioned streetlight, ending a love that was just not to be.  It is like she is creating a memory in your mind with her music and her deeply feminine and deeply powerful voice.

Abizaid is a tall, red-headed Palestinian-American who plays the flute, sings the blues, and rocks the house with a hot band spiced with a middle-eastern lute instrument. The combination of musical cultures gives her music and her vocals a depth that vibrates your chest as well as your emotional center. Her career includes scoring films, winning a gold medal in the Global Music Awards, raising money for schools in the Philippines, and many, many packed concerts back when there were concerts to pack.

Go to her website and check out “When I Walk Away” and while you are there, become a fan so you get an advanced sample of her next new song.  You will be glad you did.

Patrick O’Heffernan