Out Music: Raph Solo “Memory Lane”

In “Memory Lane,” out singer/songwriter Raph Solo takes a moment to look back on a deeply personal experience that nearly extinguished his self-esteem: his unsuccessful attempt at erasing his homosexuality through conversion therapy. The song’s lyrics, taken from the diary he kept at the time, were written as a prayer. “It’s a conversation between God and myself where I made a promise to never be filled with self-hate again,” he explains. “I believe the ultimate key to inner peace and happiness is self-acceptance and loving yourself the way God made you.” “Memory Lane” is Solo’s second release from his new album, LIFE, his powerful collection of retrospective ballads available now on Apple Music, Spotify, and all digital download outlets. The new acoustic ballad is comprised of three basic elements (vocal, piano, and strings) that also represent three important aspects of Raph: his music, voice and soul. Similar to the other songs on the LIFE album, “Memory Lane” encapsulates the theme that “what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” “I grew up thinking that being gay and believing in God were incompatible but what I know now is God is love and love is love and love can be platonic, romantic and of more than one orientation,” says the Lebanese/Chilean singer. The music video has a very European sensibility in its look and feel. Check it out below. For more information, visit raphsolo.com