Firerose begins her next album era with the survivor anthem “Phoenix”
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Newsdesk
Firerose has officially opened the path toward her next album. The singer-songwriter’s new single “Phoenix,” out today, has been confirmed as the first release from a forthcoming full-length project currently expected in early 2027. It begins that album cycle with a subject that has increasingly shaped both her music and her public voice: the process of reclaiming a life after surviving abuse.
“Phoenix” was written before Firerose had reached the freedom she describes in the song. During one of the most difficult periods of her life, she began imagining what it might eventually feel like to emerge from that experience. The song’s central refrain, “I will rise / Out of these flames,” came from that forward-looking perspective, placing its emphasis on the possibility of renewal even while the circumstances surrounding its creation remained unresolved.
Firerose describes the song as a kind of premonition. She hoped it could become an anthem for survivors, particularly those who have experienced abuse, while recognizing that the underlying idea could speak to anyone who has lived through trauma. That intention has gained additional significance as Firerose has heard directly from people who recognize their own experiences in hers.
The idea of truth surviving pressure becomes another recurring element in the song. Firerose identifies the lyric “All deception crumbles / Under the weight of truth in time” as particularly personal. She says the line remains visceral when she performs it, connecting it to her belief that lies can initially appear overwhelming but cannot permanently alter the truth underneath them.
The single arrives with an official music video directed by Chris Applebaum. His career encompasses three decades of prominent music videos, including Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.,” Demi Lovato’s “Heart Attack,” Selena Gomez & The Scene’s “Who Says,” Britney Spears’ “Overprotected” and Paris Hilton’s “Stars Are Blind.” His “Umbrella” video won Video of the Year at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards.
Applebaum’s treatment of “Phoenix” places Firerose between two opposing visual environments. Black-gloved hands reach into closely framed shots, touching her face and hair and invading her physical space. In contrast, other sequences show her outside in sunlight, free from the hands and able to move openly. Applebaum describes the concept as a struggle between darkness and light, despair and hope, and destruction and rebirth. He also supplied the hands seen in the video himself.
The director came to the project after discovering Firerose’s music and following her public conversations about her experiences and advocacy. Applebaum contacted her directly through Instagram with an offer to direct her next video. When she subsequently sent him “Phoenix,” he says the concept began taking shape while he was hearing the track for the first time during a drive on the 101.
That collaboration mirrors the wider creative independence Firerose associates with this period. She has described spending years with her instincts, independence and creative voice diminished, making her ability to choose collaborators and direct her own work especially meaningful now. Firerose and Applebaum jointly edited the “Phoenix” video, extending their collaboration into the final construction of the piece.
Her work outside music has been developing along similar lines. Firerose’s podcast, No One Asked Her, addresses faith, culture, healing, freedom and the process of reclaiming one’s voice. Recent guests have included filmmaker and The Narcissist’s Playbook director Mark Vicente and author Crystal Harris. The subjects explored there increasingly overlap with the personal territory informing her songwriting.
With further music planned before the forthcoming album arrives, “Phoenix” establishes the perspective from which this next phase will unfold. Firerose is beginning the project with a song written when the future she wanted remained something she could only envision. Its release finds that imagined future considerably closer to the present.
