Levanter: The Freedom I Found Through a Song 🎶

I think everyone, at some point in their life, has held onto something they believed they couldn’t live without, whether it was a person, a dream, or even a version of themselves. We start to convince ourselves that this is all we need and start to build our whole world around it. Our thoughts revolve around it, our decisions are influenced by it, and our happiness starts to depend on it.

Still, somewhere along the way, what felt like comfort starts to feel like pressure, and what gave us happiness gives us pain and hurt. And the toughest part here is we never realise that it's a burden, and since we aren't willing to let go of it, it hurts us more badly. Imagine that you are holding the wrong side of a thorn, a needle, or a knife, which you normally shouldn't do, but you don't know that it will hurt you, and you think it gives you a sense of safety. 

"Never wanted anything as much as you

Never crossed my mind that I could ever lose...

Empty-handed, now I'm lost

I know I gotta let go

With no regrets, you're already gone"

But if you keep holding it on the wrong side, then it will have no other choice other than to hurt you.

The same is with people. Letting go seems very hard, and it doesn't come easily. It feels like losing a part of our own self, like stepping into an unknown place with nobody you know or a place to hold on to.

*To new world, one way ticket 

"I let my dreams tie me down

Is it too late, can I break out?

They say it's darkest of all before the dawn"

Yet, sometimes, it is only in that moment of release that we begin to understand what freedom truly feels like. Like a sudden gust of wind that shifts everything in its path, change can be overwhelming, but it can also carry us to a place where we finally rediscover who we are.

Stray Kids has always been my favourite band, and one of their songs is named "Levanter," which means "a strong wind that blows through the Mediterranean," which basically refers to something powerful that moves, shifts, and changes direction. This can indicate our own self, and the second meaning is "someone who leaves or deserts, typically to avoid paying debts." This could also mean how we don't like to let go of someone because we think they are important in our lives, only to avoid getting hurt and experiencing pain.

“Levanter” is the title track of Stray Kids’ album “Clé: Levanter,” the final part of their “Clé” series. The word “Clé,” meaning “key” in French, represents their search for identity and purpose. In this album, they realize that the ‘key’ they were looking for was within themselves all along,

"And now that your weight's come off my shoulders

I realize that I can fly

I needed to find me (Now I know)

The key was inside of me all along

I'm listening to my heart, let it guide me

I feel the light, I feel the light"

But this song tells us that you should let go of things when you have to, and what you once thought you needed might actually be what was holding you back. It begins with a sense of attachment and belief, where the narrator builds their dreams around someone or something, thinking it is their everything.

But as time passes, that connection starts to feel heavy, almost like a burden rather than support. The song captures the painful moment of understanding that in chasing that one thing, you slowly lost yourself. The turning point comes with letting go, not out of anger, but out of clarity.

"I always thought (It was a race)

To win it all, and that you were the prize

The closer I got, the more I lost

My soul, it was slowly fading"

And in that release, there is an unexpected freedom. “Levanter” ultimately tells a story of self-discovery, where losing something important becomes the very reason you finally find yourself. This song has always been close to my heart, and every time I experience something like this in my life, this song always feels like a warm hug on a cold night, and it helps me stay calm and sane because sometimes we don't realise that letting go would be the safest option, and it helps me grow and update to my latest version.

This song taught me that just like the levanter wind, sometimes we don’t realize our strength until we let go and allow ourselves to be carried forward. So even though it hurts, letting go can sometimes be safe for someone both physically and emotionally. So, whenever you feel like this, listen to this song, I hope it makes you feel a little less alone.