SOLEIL BARES HER SOUL ON “HEART STRINGS,” A CINEMATIC ANTHEM OF HEARTBREAK AND SELF-RECLAMATION
Miami-based singer-songwriter and DJ Soleil returns with a sultry new single that trades dance floor euphoria for late-night confession. “Heart Strings” is a bluesy, neo-soul reckoning with the ghosts of a relationship that gave less than it took. Backed by a live band and a black-and-white music video that flickers into color, the track marks a bold artistic pivot. It’s the sound of an artist choosing vulnerability over spectacle, and coming out stronger for it. Here’s the story behind the song that’s tugging at hearts everywhere.
Following the release of her jazzy, soulful cover of Dolly Parton’s beloved classic, “(A) Jolene (Cover),” Soleil shifts gears entirely with “Heart Strings,” an original single that trades the summery brightness of her cover for something moodier, deeper, and far more personal. Where “(A) Jolene” showcased her ability to reinterpret a standard with warmth and reverence, “Heart Strings” reveals a songwriter working through her own material, and the result is a record that feels both intimate and expansive, like a diary entry set to a groove.
Genre labels tend to flatten what “Heart Strings” actually accomplishes. It moves fluidly through R&B, Soul, Blues, Funk, Jazz, and Neo-Soul without ever settling into one lane for too long, which mirrors the emotional terrain the song covers. This is not a straightforward breakup ballad wallowing in sorrow. Instead, it charts a fuller emotional arc, from confusion and hurt to clarity and self-possession. Soleil herself describes the track as one that moves from questioning the past toward embracing personal growth, capturing that bittersweet moment of letting go while reclaiming the parts of yourself that another person never gave you.
The origin story behind “Heart Strings” is almost disarmingly simple. Soleil received a batch of instrumentals to write to and sat down on her blue living room couch for what became a short, self-contained writing session. The lyrics came together in roughly two hours, pulled from a specific situation she was living through at the time. What followed was an unusually smooth production process. When she sent the finished lyrics and vocal demo back to her collaborators, nothing needed to change. No lyrical rewrites, no structural overhauls, just a few added background vocals, a rarity in an industry where songs typically go through multiple rounds of revision before reaching a final form. That kind of immediate cohesion speaks to how naturally the song arrived, and it shows in the finished product’s unforced, lived-in feel.
The timeline tells its own story about the song’s slow-burn journey to release. Soleil wrote the lyrics and recorded a rough demo nearly four years ago. The version fans are hearing now was recorded two years later, and the accompanying music video only came together this year. It is, in her own words, a song that took forever and a day to reach the world, but the wait clearly sharpened rather than dulled its impact.
Wanting the final version to carry the warmth and immediacy of a live performance, Soleil assembled a group of trusted musicians rather than leaning solely on studio production. She co-wrote “Heart Strings” alongside CJ Hilton, who also produced the track. Richard Boisrond brought texture on guitar, Moises Lenare anchored the rhythm on drums, Josh Walton laid down the bassline, and Juan Santiago added keys that give the arrangement its smoky, after-hours warmth. The band tracked three full takes together before selecting the strongest one, and Soleil recorded her vocals separately, layering her voice over a performance that already had its own organic pulse. Acclaimed engineer Paolo Angulo handled the mix and master, polishing the record while preserving the small imperfections that give it authenticity, imperfections Soleil specifically hoped listeners would notice and connect with.
Visually, “Heart Strings” is just as deliberate. Directed by Riccardo Solorzano, the music video was built around a vision Soleil describes as timeless, elegant, and classic, something with the simplicity and gravity of a film rather than a typical performance clip. The video finds her alone in a room with a microphone, dressed in a striking gown, delivering the song as though it were being captured live in a single, unbroken take. The visual language shifts between black-and-white and color throughout, a clever device that echoes the song’s emotional duality, its ability to hold sorrow and strength in the same breath. A subtle but effective touch comes from the layered sound of a crowd clapping throughout the video, which gives the whole piece the electricity of a live show even though it was filmed in an intimate, controlled setting.
Lyrically, the song’s emotional peak arrives in a moment of quiet defiance. Soleil points to a line expressing gratitude, one that acknowledges everything a former partner failed to provide while affirming that she built those things for herself anyway. It’s a lyric that carries both tenderness and a sharp edge of self-assurance, the sound of someone thanking the very absence that forced her to grow. For Soleil, that lack of care ultimately revealed her own capability and strength, transforming what could have been a purely mournful song into something closer to an anthem.
That sense of empowerment is exactly what Soleil hopes listeners walk away with. Beyond appreciating the live instrumentation and the warmth of its imperfections, she wants fans to feel the song enough to sing along at full volume, and to internalize its underlying message: that self-worth is not negotiable, and that no relationship or person misaligned with your values is worth staying in. “Heart Strings” arrives as both a deeply personal reflection and a broader invitation for listeners to recognize their own resilience.
The single also sets the stage for what’s next. “Heart Strings” precedes Soleil’s upcoming single “Rubbish,” which will likewise be accompanied by its own music video, suggesting this chapter of her artistic evolution is only just beginning.
A New York native now rooted in Miami, Soleil has built a career defined by genre fluidity, moving seamlessly between Soul, R&B, Blues, EDM, Disco House, Deep House, Amapiano, Afrobeats, Baile Funk, and Pop, both as a vocalist and as a DJ. Her stage credits span Carnegie Hall, Miami Beach Bandshell, Hard Rock Live, Hard Rock Guitar Hotel, The Underline, and Sofar Sounds, alongside festival and brand activations including Art Basel, FedEx’s Formula One corporate event, Funky Buddha Festival, and Spirit Airlines’ #Music4Miles concert series. As a DJ, she performs regularly throughout Miami and has taken her sets internationally, including an official Miami Music Week appearance for Lady of the House and Labelworx.
Her work has earned coverage from outlets including Grammy.com, Billboard Argentina, Dancing Astronaut, EDM Sauce, Rolling Stone India, EARMILK, We Rave You, ELEVATOR, The Hype Magazine, and 102.7 FM The Beach Miami, along with recognition from Sony, Music.com, SoundCloud, and ReverbNation. Off stage, Soleil is a voting member of The Recording Academy, serving on the Florida Chapter’s Songwriters & Composers Committee, and mentors emerging artists through Grammy U, Women in Music, and Symphonic Distro. She is also active with the Next Generation Music Foundation, supporting youth in foster care through music education.
With “Heart Strings,” Soleil proves that vulnerability, patience, and honesty can be just as powerful as any dance floor anthem. Press play, let it linger, and let it pull at your own heartstrings.
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