The Complexity of Transformation: Meet The Sonic Avatar
As part of honoring our commitment to cultural humility and anti-oppressive practices in research, our CIAB team took great care in honoring the voices of all of our participants, and gained feedback each step of the way through collaboration with the Asian American community.
The Sonic Avatar’s Tracklist
The Past
Quote – Oliver Goldsmith Intro – 0:06
Ignite – K391 0:07-0:54
My Heart Will Go On Piano Version – (Titanic) 0:56-1:46
A Window From The Past Piano version – (Harry Potter 3) 1:47-2:49
The Present
Quote – Unknown 2:50-2:52
Butterfly – Loona 2:53 – 4:18
Hype Boy – NewJeans 4:19-5:17
Heart Attack (Chuu) – LOONA 5:18-6:19
Cookie – NewJeans 6:20-8:39
The Future
OMG – NewJeans 8:40-11:45
Hurt – NewJeans 11:46-14:15
Quote – Albert Einstein 14:16 -end
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Elizabeth Anglin for her incredible artwork titled The Sonic Avatar!
This teenager is experiencing the heavy weight of loneliness, and it’s clear that they are using a mix of haunting and dreamlike music to express the complexity of their feelings. It’s understandable to want to escape those painful emotions; that desire for relief is something many can relate to. However, they have a profound realization: to grow and truly transform into their best self, they must first confront and accept their past. This journey was incredibly challenging, but also a brave and successful step towards healing and becoming who they are meant to be.
Click Below to Follow Along with the Sonic Avatar's Music Analysis
The Sonic Avatar's Past
Running from their lonely past, this Asian American teenager shows understanding about accepting their past to transform into a new self. The beginning of the sonic avatar’s CIAB reflects their struggles by using a mix of haunting and dreamlike music to express their inner turmoil.
It begins with a quote from Alan Watts, who is best known for introducing Western audiences to Buddhist, Hindu, and Taoist ideas.
And when you are ready to wake up,
You are going to wake up.
And if you are not ready,
you are going to stay pretending.
The opening track in Sonic Avatars’ CIAB launches with an intense, stormy instrumental, rich with layered synths that create a sense of tension and anticipation. As the musical journey unfolds, the artist skillfully incorporates a variety of effects throughout the CIAB, enhancing the auditory experience and inviting listeners to immerse themselves fully in the soundscape.
For instance, in the song Love in My Head by Feeluvsyou –
Take me in, oh
I just wanna know
You make me feel so sick
I forgot you dumb bitch
Oh, I won’t cry here no more,
I just sit at the door
Wait for you to let go
The music suggests that the
teen feels alone at this
point in their life
The teen yearns for someone to share that loneliness-
Take me in, oh,
I just wanna know,
You make me feel so sick,
I forgot you dumb bitch,
Oh, I won’t cry here no more,
I just sit at the door,
Wait for you to let go.
In Its Hard :/ By oaf, The teenager feels lonely but believes they don’t deserve love, which is reflected in how they adjust the volume of the hyperpop track.
And I can feel the distance growing,
was it something that I said?
You make me feel like I’m important,
not just something to forget
Without you, girl my life is boring,
hope this moment never ends
Smile, I know that life hurts,
But we’ll be alright in the end
The past ends with Fallen Angel (Second Encounter) by“AZALI,” which evolves into a haunting, piano-laden composition that envelops the listener in an unsettling atmosphere, stirring up their fears about moving on from the past. As the final song unfolds, it casts an eerie shadow, evoking a sense of punishment—a loneliness bearing down on the teenager. Through this emotionally charged piece, the sonic avatar conveys their struggles and anxieties about the present, using the weight of the music to express their longing for connection.
The Sonic Avatar's Present
The sonic avatar’s CIAB moves to the present with a quote from the Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons –
We are meant to lose the people we love.
How else would we know how important they are to us?
This indicates that the teenager may have taken a past relationship for granted until it was lost. Currently, the sonic avatar is striving to create a dreamlike reality to escape into, one filled with peace and tranquility, as they feel emotionally numb. “It Was All a Dream” by Snail’s House is a gentle electronic instrumental piece featuring an organ pipe, which creates a surreal atmosphere that makes it easy for listeners to lose track of time if they are not present in the moment.
Following this track, the music shifts to a harsher tone with “Deep, Deep” by Have A Nice Life. This post-punk song is characterized by fuzzy, distorted vocals, heavy riffs, and rhythmic guitar. It evokes feelings of anger toward society and suggests that while many individuals may be unaware of this truth –
These atoms are liars
They do not realize and we can’t blame them
Art as a means of escape
They don’t see the down-side
The Sonic Avatar's Future
The sonic avatar’s future begins with “4Æm” by Grimes, starting with traditional Bollywood-inspired melodies before transforming into a high-pitched, fast-paced hyper-pop song that reflects the internal struggles of a teenager. The lyrics convey urgency and anxiety.
How’s the weather, baby?
Aphrodite I wrote your constellation
Into the sky S-s-sa, s-s-sa, s-s-sa, s-s-sa, ooh
Suns at night I’m out late at 4 a.m
He says, “How’s the weather, baby? How you been?”
You’re gonna get sick, you don’t know when
I never doubt it, at 4 a.m
I’m out late at 4 a.m
He says, “How’s the weather, baby? How you been?”
You’re gonna get sick, you don’t know when
I never doubt it, at 4 a.m
Then, the sonic avatar’s CIAB concludes with two consecutive futuristic instrumental songs: “Without You” by vivivivivi and “Credits Song For My Death” by vivivivivi. The songs are electronic and suggest that the teen plans to explore another world.
Finally, the teenagers CIAB ends with a quote from Alan Watts:
You can’t live at all unless you can live fully now
Their future needs to no words. The teen already knows, and so do we.