There is something so simple, yet so beautiful, about creating a song using only two instruments: your guitar, and your voice. They carry a hauntingly beautiful, yet painful vibe, allowing you to put your mind at ease as you listen and reflect. In a new collaboration song by artists Dana Williams and Miki Ratsula, “Growing Up” delves into themes of self-discovery and healing. It hit me right in the feels, and I’m 100 percent positive it will do the same for you. The lyrics are beautifully written, and tell the story of a friendship that is falling apart. “Our friendship is fading / We’re drawing lines in the sand / Guess this is growing up.” What I find very interesting is that this song explores both sides of the friendship. Through Dana and Miki’s emotional lyrics, I was quickly drawn in.
Like I mentioned at the start, I love the simplicity of using only your voice and a guitar for music. I was truly able to take the time to understand the meanings behind the lyrics. Miki’s acoustics are absolutely stunning, and their voice pairs beautifully with Dana’s. One thing I did appreciate is how there was no belting or even any kind of use of the singers’ chest voices. Every word they sang, they sang with a breathy, emotional tone. And I want to give a special shoutout to Dana’s vibrato, which was on point and genuinely brought tears to my eyes. Everything about this was perfect.
“Growing Up” is actually not the first collaboration Dana and Miki have created together, which is great because I need to hear more now. Dana Williams and Miki Ratsula have made two other songs together! They first wrote Zach Hood’s first single “Flashbacks” in 2021, and in 2022, they came together once more to create Miki’s hit single, “Sugarcane.” Dana Williams has been releasing music since 2014, and has amassed an impressive average of 660,000 monthly streams on Spotify! As for Miki, they started their journey of releasing music back in 2016, and as of today, has an average of over 300,000 monthly streams on Spotify. There seems to be a tradition of Miki and Dana making music together. Here’s to hoping they keep it up for a long time!
Written By Isabel Mays
FOLLOW DANA WILLIAMS:
FOLLOW MIKI RATSULA: