Catalina Cara returns with ‘Circles’, a soulful neo-soul-alt-pop bop that journeys through elegant piano and rich vocal melodies.
The Moldovan-Romanian artist, who honed her sound in London’s music scene, delivers a hypnotic slowburn that feels like both surrender and strength. A rising voice in Eastern Europe’s alt-pop landscape, Cara has already made waves with a 2023 Elle Romania nomination for Best Emerging Artist and praise from Clash. With appearances at Electric Castle and Summer Well and multiple Spotify editorial placements under her belt, ‘Circles’ brings a soulful underbelly whilst delivering radiant pop top lines that flourish into the electronic beats and funk undertones of the chorus.
Clocking in at ust over three minutes, ‘Circles’ balances its heartfelt soul with radiant pop exploits to create something which fits both worlds. “This song isn’t about being whole,” Cara says. “It’s about moving through the phases until you can be.
It’s about the in-between, the loop, the shadow side of growth. The idea came from a simple truth I kept returning to: everything in life is cyclic, just like the moon. We’re born like a new moon—untouched, pure, full of potential. Then we grow, we love, we break, we shine, until we feel full. But eventually, parts of us fade.
Circles is about that cycle, and about finding the strength to rebuild when you feel empty. It grew out of a quiet hope to feel meaningful again and to leave something behind that mattered, in a time when I felt like I didn’t”
Listen below: