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Lilith Ai, 'Bloodlines'

This #NowPlaying discovery comes to us from this year's Tiny Desk Contest. You can see Lilith Ai on the latest installment of the Tiny Desk Contest Top Shelf livestreaming series with 2020 Contest winner Linda Diaz.

True to the track's title, on "Bloodlines," Lilith Ai addresses the sacrifices and rewards of motherhood and the bonds between kin. The up-and-coming songwriter from London begins by singing to her mother: "Did I break your body when I was born?" she asks, sparing niceties, unflinchingly recognizing both the physical and emotional ways her existence has caused her parents to tear at the seams. But by the end of the track, it's clear that "Bloodlines" is a love song written with wisdom, elucidated by her compassionate voice and complete with a promise of goodness. "Someday I'll have a daughter of my own / I'll feel love like I've never known," she sings. "Set myself on fire trying to keep her warm."

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Elle Mannion