Getting 2 Know Song of Sappho

By Kayla Michelle Pisano

Song of Sappho is Kayla Michelle’s singer-songwriter debut release featuring three tracks: 'never fall in love again,' 'someone whose lips i’ve kissed,' and 'what about me?'.With both indie-pop and theatrical influence, these autobiographical sapphic anecdotes tell a story of yearning, young love, and finally… moving on.

Sapphic: Relating to attraction between women (and non-binary individuals) or relating to the ancient Greek poet Sappho.

prelude

If you had told Kayla Michelle a couple of years ago that she’d be releasing and performing her own music, she probably would not have believed you. Her songs were written to let off steam, not to be shared. However, with the support of her friends and family, her negative outlook changed. Her music and her stories all deserved to be heard.

My mom once asked me if I wrote music. She had every reason to think so. I had picked up all kinds of instruments, was writing stories, and loved to sing. But I lied and said no. Eventually, I got over my apprehensions.

While I had thought up a lot of different potential titles, Song of Sappho made me feel like I had won the lottery. I can’t really remember when I came up with it—but I drew and edited the cover soon after. The songs were all a little different, but what they all had in common was sapphic love. Sapphic artists made up most of my influences: Chappell Roan, Adrienne Lenker, King Princess, Reneé Rapp, and Billie Eilish. I was also heavily inspired, as many singer-songwriters are, by Taylor Swift. (Not calling her a sapphic artist. Well, that depends on who you ask…shoutout Tumblr).

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track 1: never fall in love again

This is the second song I ever wrote. Three years ago, I wrote it, made a terrible demo on my phone, and texted it to my high school best friend, Natallie. Not expecting much, the response I received was “OKAY DAMN.” Followed by some very helpful notes, of course.

But those two words are to thank for the song’s existence today. I was very inspired by country or campfire-type music that tells a story, almost like you would in a Broadway ballad. The lyrics are very straightforward and tell a true story. That being said, my perspective on the situation is much less angsty than it was when I wrote it! But I think it makes for high stakes in a song, right?

Basically, I really liked this girl I did high school theatre with. The first few lines were based on our very first interactions with each other, close to verbatim. These crumbs were what helped me to build the song’s foundation. The library story I mention in the song is true, too—the song in question (“favorite song from ‘Red’”) was “Treacherous". I sort of dedicated it to her in my head and had signed up to sing and play it for a concert we were doing in our school’s library. As you can tell, as much as I liked her, it didn’t work out at all. The funniest part about this song’s muse is that she wasn’t even straight; she just wasn’t into me specifically. Unfortunate, but I got over it.

track 2: someone whose lips i’ve kissed

I wrote this when I should have been paying attention in class, following a horrific situationship breakup that flipped my world upside down. It started with a realization that maybe what an ex is is just how much power we give them. It was an act of reframing the past couple of weeks and reclaiming my power. I coined the titular line, and then I opened my Notes app and wrote the rest. It’s a complicated situation, really, and it's another angsty song (I’m sensing a pattern), but I try to persist gracefully. I’ve come to realize this is one of those things you’ll never truly get closure for. But, ultimately, the song has been what drives and continues to drive my healing. For that, I will always be thankful.

I posted a demo on streaming to test the waters. But the demo version is quite different from the final product. After I was featured on my school radio’s YouTube and had become somewhat “comfortable” with the song, I felt it start to squirm. It wasn’t done. By this point, I was working on the song with my cousin, JJ Hoeffner, who produced the project. We changed some lyrics (also with the help of my best friend, Dakota, over FaceTime in JJ’s home studio), realizing this wasn’t meant to be a slow, sad song. So JJ and I found the true final form of the song to be something much more dynamic. The song starts like the demo until the halfway point. When the drums and guitar kick in, it enters rock territory. This way, the song would encompass the stages of grieving a breakup rather than being stuck in sadness. We were especially inspired by songs like “vampire,” “Snow Angel,” and “Happier Than Ever,” beloved for their crazy switch-ups. I wanted this song to not only be reminiscent and reflective, but also empowering.

track 3: what about me?

Mix another situationship song (though one that ended much happier, in true friendship) with sensuality and interpersonal drama. What do you get? A song with a title that has multiple meanings.

One meaning being “what about me” in the romantic-desire sense. Why not be with me? The other being this: if the object of my affections is deemed an outcast for whatever reason or motivation, maybe people think they are weird, what does that make me? What about me—regarding insecurity.

I had written this song on the piano, specifically, one in a practice room in the music building of my college. But JJ and I both quickly understood that this song was meant to be heard a different way. Our best attempt at describing it is Taylor Swift's “1989” era, particularly “Wildest Dreams” and the vault tracks. I feel like that era and its overall vibe best capture the free-fall feeling of falling in love when you know you shouldn’t, and wanting to run away from it all hand-in-hand with someone you hardly know. Away from judgment, consequence, and all of that, which is such a universally queer experience in itself.

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Song of Sappho is out now on all streaming platforms! If you enjoyed this explanation, I think you should check it out. But regardless, thank you for your time. If you take anything away from this, it's this: If you ever wanted to write a song, but thought it was “cringe” or something along those lines, this is your sign to finally give it a try. See what happens. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. :)

And finally, thank you to my cousin and friend, JJ Hoeffner, for helping me realize my vision and producing the project. I’m so incredibly lucky to have him. I am also very lucky that we ever got anything done, because we spent so much time laughing and goofing off!

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Kayla Michelle (she/her) is a queer, neurodivergent creative based in Central Florida. She’s a recently graduated theatre major and English minor from Rollins College. You can find her writing published in Flag Magazine, Fish Girl Collective, Little Old Lady Comedy, and more. Check out Song of Sappho wherever you listen to music. @kmpwriter on Instagram