Banners and Lily Meola perfectly reimagine a duet of heart wrenching song “Perfectly Broken”. The strings took my breath away from the moment I pressed play. The song is captivating and takes your heart on a ride and brain on a rabbit hole spiral of the person you love.
It is ok to be broken together. No one needs to be completely perfect or whole. Everyone is broken so to find someone that fits your broken and ragged edges is this magical little thing we call unconditional love. You don’t need to be alone to heal. “Now that I’ve found you I’m not letting go”. This idea of falling into the person you love that accepts you when you are in your lows and your broken and embraces you as perfectly imperfect is perfectly captured in this duet. It is remarkable.
This duet create a balance, two halves of a whole. If you were familiar with the original of this song you are familiar with its warmth and heartache. But when you pair Lily Meola’s stunning vocals you begin to see the other side of the narrative.
With Lily Meola lending her enchanting vocals to the duet, the song takes on a new dimension, creating a harmonious blend of voices. "I love Lily's vocals on ‘Perfectly Broken,” raves BANNERS. “It's a song about two halves coming together to create one beautiful thing and that's what she's done. I didn't know the song needed it until I heard her voice but now I think ‘Perfectly Broken’ would feel a little lost without her. She's brought a beautiful, raw emotion that adds a whole new layer of meaning. I love the new dimension she's brought to it. I was already really proud of ‘Perfectly Broken’ and now I love it even more."
“BANNERS is such a wonderful artist, so getting to sing on one of his songs was very exciting for me. This one in particular feels like it belongs in a movie. It’s so cinematic and his voice is just the crème de la crème,” adds Lily.
English indie-pop act BANNERS (a.k.a. Michael Joseph Nelson) is known for his effervescent melodies and immensely relatable lyrics about the human condition. With Nelson’s latest full-length, All Back to Mine, it’s safe to say he owns a market share in feel-good anthems streamlined to soundtrack your best life.
“Someone to You,” his soaring track about simply being “seen,” has nearly 750 million streams on Spotify. The single proved so unforgettable, BANNERS performed it on Season 16 of American Idol. Previous to that, his hit singles could be heard all over television, among them: “Ghosts” on Suits and Teen Wolf, ”Half Light” on The Royals and New Amsterdam, and “Got It in You” on The Good Doctor and America’s Got Talent.
Lily fell in love with classic singer-songwriters such as Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Cat Stevens through her mom before eventually discovering Adele, Amy Winehouse, and J. Cole. She was homeschooled at the house of legendary producer Bob Rock [Michael Bublé, Nelly Furtado, Metallica] and would contribute background vocals to his projects alongside his daughters. At an early age, Lily's timeless, soaring vocals caught the attention of songwriting and performing icons like Willie Nelson, Steven Tyler and Kris Kristofferson, with whom she performed and collaborated. Recently, Lily performed at the historic two day concert event at the Hollywood Bowl to celebrate Willie’s 90th birthday, dueting with Nelson on their song, “Will You Remember Mine.”
Review by Hannah Schneider