Famous Greek philosopher and athlete (as they were) Plato is often misattributed with the phrase “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle” but we do know it’s best attributed to English minister and author Ian Maclaren. My reason for bringing it up is that this truism that nonetheless always warrants repetition is at the core of “Hidden Hurt” by singer and songwriter Gina Naomi Baez. Hailing from New York City, Baez is an actress, singer/songwriter, YouTuber and social media influencer. You might have seen her in Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have it or maybe in Orange is the New Black or even CBS's FBI. If you’re into theater, it’s possible you’ve enjoyed her performances in various Off-Broadway and regional productions.
As a YouTuber, Nina continues to grow by Vlogging and singing for her audience. Her song parodies have garnered lots of attention from the general public as well as from major outlets such as MTV, E! ONLINE, The Huffington Post and many more. Her latest viral parody music video, "Lizzo's Truth Hurts x Hocus Pocus" took off after both LIZZO herself and the legendary Bette Midler reposted it. Music is at the center of Gina’s creative soul, and her most recent demonstration of it is this new song about accounting for what lies beyond the surface. When most people will talk about duplicitous intent and hidden agendas, she chose to talk about the pain and struggle that people often hide just under the face they show the world. The people who smile the brightest often hurt the deepest, she knows this and this is her way of giving those situations an outlet and a voice, so that we may always remember there might be a survivor behind every face. Well acquainted with scars that run deep, Gina’s return to music was sparked by being diagnosed with thyroid cancer a second time, and as heart-rending as those kind of news are, Gina channeled all those emotions through her love of music, still finding a way to work around her recovery process to stay active, positive and creative. Today this song stands as an uplifting reminder to find the strength within and take on every sour challenge that life can come up with. The song is a brilliant little display of Naomi Baez’ vocal range. The sweetness of her singing coupled with the bright and snappy pop production quickly enamored me. The compelling message behind her lyrics just floated to the top of my head as I was getting ready to start the day. She really hit the nail on the head with this one!
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