Meet Philly’s Secret Gem, Orion Sun
By Maryam Muhammad
The city of Philadelphia is home to some of the most talented artists, with the likes of Jazmine Sullivan, Jill Scott, The Roots, and Res being names that come to mind when people think about the city and its culture relating to R&B music. A newer, but equally worthy addition to this list is soul singer, Orion Sun.
Orion Sun for Flaunt Magazine (PC: Sandy Ismail)
Born Tiffany Majette, Orion Sun is a singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist who has captured listeners by making them feel like they’re the only person in the entire world when they listen to her music. At only 24-years-old, Orion Sun’s music has an intimate depth to it that is like no other in her age group. Much of her music is focused on not just love, but the idea of love in an isolated state; she often encompasses the feeling that she is in a disconnected place, yet comfortable with it at the same time.
In 2017, Orion Sun released a mixtape titled A Collection of Fleeting Moments and Daydreams, which features several songs, each having an immense feeling of nostalgia. Although it is just a ten-track mixtape from an underground artist, it managed to circulate enough to earn her a spot opening up for Daniel Caesar when he did a show at the Philly music venue, The Rotunda, in 2018.
The most popular track off that mixtape was her song, “Antidote,” which is her most listened to song on Spotify (with over 10 million plays). “Antidote” is a song for dreamers who have their heads in the clouds. Throughout the track, she gives testimony to how her love interest alleviates her stress and helps her feel the laid back, special feeling that she’s been craving for such a long time. Her lavender vocals float above soft piano and drums, as she describes what she sees in her imagination regarding their relationship. On the very first verse, she sings:
“I fell in love in the sky
On the back of a dragon
It was magic
We were so high, I thought I'd die
'Cause I could see heaven
It was heaven”
On her debut album titled, Hold Space For Me, Orion Sun continues her thematic discussion of both nostalgia and vulnerability, but in a more bold and profound way than before. Here, she tries to show listeners where her head is at, and while it is in a place of isolation and melancholy, it doesn’t come off as a negative thing.
Through constantly daydreaming and keeping her head full of thoughts, she attempts to avoid falling into the dark and uncomfortable positions that most people find themselves in when they’re in a relationship. This process can be seen in her video for “Coffee For Dinner,” where she escapes reality by envisioning herself as an astronaut, something that she always wanted to be as a child (largely because of her hero, Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to travel into space). These childlike, innocent visuals are what help her feel whole in times of doubt or struggle. Though she isn’t the only artist who relies on escapism as a form of therapy, Orion Sun utilizes it in a manner that is almost spiritual in nature—through it, she has the ability to ascend to a different plane at any given time.
On another song, “Holy Water,” she describes what she perceives to be true love, believing that she’s found the love of her life and there are only good days ahead, which is a break from the usual melancholy nature of the record; the song captures a hopeful romance, full of what seems to be raw potential. As a stark contrast, the third song on the album, “Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don’t Leave Me)” is a plea to try and repair a dying relationship. This song, a slow jam that is less than three minutes in length, is a vague, but simple message to whoever she is in a relationship with—she says she enjoys the life she’s made with this person and wants it to continue by repeating the line, “It feels so good to know ya.” Even though the majority of her music is based around the practice of being carefree and resisting anxiety, sometimes, she has to return to earth and focus on life’s difficulties.
TW on the embedded Instagram post (re: violence, police brutality)
Despite the ongoing pandemic, Orion Sun has been effectively using her platform as an artist to draw attention to causes that she feels are important, especially as a queer, Black woman. Recently, she raised over $12,000 dollars through the Bandcamp sales of her track “Mama’s Baby,” a song which she penned and recorded after attending a Black Lives Matter protest. During the protest, Orion says that she experienced police brutality and was injured quite badly, devastating her mother. On her Bandcamp page, she explains the song like this: “I was calming the river that flowed from my mom’s eyes, 830 miles away, over the phone. She was worried crazy and heartbroken over what had happened to me. I saw, then, that what the police did wasn't right, even when I made it out alive.”
Through this Bandcamp fundraiser, she was able to donate to two worthy causes:
The first was the GoFundMe for Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old, Black EMT worker who recently became a household name due to her untimely death in March of this year. When police forcibly entered her home (via a no-knock warrant) early one the morning, Taylor was shot to death a total of eight times after they mistook her for a suspect; it turned out that they were in the wrong home. This incident led to various protests around the country surrounding both the validity of no-knock warrants and the pending arrests of the officers who took Taylor’s life, as they have not faced any consequences for her murder thus far.
The second was the Loveland Foundation, an organization that focuses on supporting communities of color, but specifically Black women and girls. Founded by activist and author, Rachel Cargle, the Loveland Foundation was established in 2018 in order to help Black women and girls heal through receiving therapy and providing them with the financial assistance to do so.
With everything considered, not only is Orion Sun a phenomenal upcoming artist who has shown us the beauty of what can come to fruition while in an isolated state, but she also understands the importance of giving back to her community and trying to be a role model for others. She is showing the world the best of what the city of Philadelphia has to offer, not only when it comes to talent, but also when it comes to contributing to society. Although Orion Sun is Philly’s secret gem, there’s no telling if she’ll be their little secret for much longer.
Though Orion Sun is currently taking a break from socials, you should still check her out via her various pages (linked below). Stream anad purchase Hold Space for Me now!