iskwē | ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐤ (short for waseskwan iskwew, meaning “blue sky woman”) is sharing “A Little Piece,” the sixth and final single from her upcoming album, the starkly honest and textured nīna (out April 12th), produced by 10x Grammy-nominated collaborator Damian Taylor.

“A Little Piece” twinkles with piano melodies and skittering beats, creating a wintry electronic soundscape which gradually opens into its prominent synth line’s exposed refrain.

1. Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically? 

Feeling overwhelmed, I was faced with myself alone and the choices I had made over the past several years. With conflicted feelings of longing, remorse, and loneliness, I felt caged by a sentiment I could neither explain nor understand. I was alone. My mind had fooled me. 

2. What was the inspiration behind this video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?

I opted to shoot this video myself, stripped down and in the bathtub, washing away as much of the ache as possible. I wanted to demonstrate the vulnerability I felt writing this song, and how personal to my heart the story remains. All of me, unfiltered. It felt appropriate to film and edit the video myself, so that I could touch each and every piece of this story and experience – so people could get a new perspective of how it feels behind my eyes, and in my heart.

 
3. What was the process of making this video?

I literally set my phone up, propped at an angle I felt comfortable with, and pushed record. I then let the song play several times on repeat, and just captured moment after moment, as I warmed to the camera and sunk back into the lyrics and sentiment of the song. I wanted to show a bit of chaos, the undoing, allowing myself to go from a sleek hair, just climbed in version of me to a more messy, seams coming undone version. The entire shoot took me about 20 minutes – with the edits taking several days of clipping and cropping.

Speaking of the pulsating and hushed tones of “A Little Piece,” iskwē explains the song’s painful and complex inspirations:

Feeling overwhelmed, I was faced with myself alone and the choices I had made over the past several years. With conflicted feelings of longing, remorse, and loneliness, I felt caged by a sentiment I could neither explain nor understand. I was alone. My mind had fooled me. My tears felt endless and yet somehow this new solitude wrapped itself around my sadness like a giant cozy blanket I could not imagine emerging from ever again. A little piece of me had died, yet I found a little peace inside. A little piece of me had died, yet I found a little peace inside.