"Kollox xemxi" - ghoolie's bittersweet new single is more than meets the ears

With her latest song Xemxi — Maltese for sunny — Greta Holland (known artistically as ghoolie) has encapsulated a feeling that many of us know all too well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Od1N9oq7gg

With angelic vocals and an upbeat instrumental — crafted by John Cutajar, Ryan Paul Abela, Melchior Busuttil and Luke Grech — it’s easy to ignore the subject matter of the song, which is far from “xemxi”; the feeling that everything is falling apart, but you put on a smile anyway, because hey, at least the sun is shining.

"The inspirations behind the track, and subsequently music video, are frustration and toxic positivity. My frustration ranges from dealing with chronic illness, which impacts literally every decision in my life, mental health and general life uncertainty, to things that are just part of Maltese life. Walking through my street which used to be full of cacti and thyme, but is now occupied by another hotel under construction. Tourism that treats locals as spectacles, especially in rural areas. Breakdowns in the car that we spend too much time in. The music video is full of references to this — but it’s also full of things I love. The sea, my friends, and my art. It’s the dilemma of having so much love for life, but being so exhausted by it at the same time." - Greta

That tension between love and exhaustion, the island's beauty and its burden, runs through every layer of the song, and crucially, it's a tension she chose to explore entirely in Maltese.

"It’s my first song entirely in Maltese. I can’t see it being any other language. Lyrically, there are phrases that wouldn’t hit the same in English, but additionally, the sun and sea are some of the most identifiable things about our island. Some listeners don’t catch the irony of the song upon first listen, but that’s kind of like Malta. A sunny island that likes to party, but one with a history of generational pain and glaring issues we pretend don’t exist. It’s about all of us being overwhelmed, but ultimately having to show the world how ok we are." - Greta

The irony of the song runs deeper than it first appears. For Greta, Xemxi acts as commentary on how we collectively deal (or fail to deal) with mental health:

We talk about mental health awareness, but the reality is most people don’t have the time or support to confront their problems in the first place. And unfortunately, even if we do open up, our problems aren’t a quick fix. Most people aren’t equipped to deal with others’ heavier issues. “Are you ok?” starts to feel like a performative question. Professionally and socially, there is a persona to uphold and an expectation to keep going. So, to avoid burdening others with my life story, 'Kollox xemxi, kollox tajjeb u kollox sew.'"- Greta

It's a sentiment that cuts deep for many of us, and the genre Greta landed on feels like the perfect vessel for it. What began as a personal outpouring gradually took on a life of its own in the studio, but she emphasises she's not the first to put an upbeat spin on "depressing" lyrics.

"During the studio sessions, Xemxi evolved into something jazz-disco adjacent. I think my years of consuming jazz, funk and MPB influenced the initial sound and chord progression, but the song started to remind me of another genre I love; Japanese City Pop. This was totally unintentional but I felt it fitting, as it’s also a style full of upbeat songs with sad lyrics. Maybe it’s a form of catharsis. But the effect of Xemxi’s deception is amplified when the meaning is revealed to non-Maltese speakers."- Greta

What makes Greta’s artistic output all the more remarkable is that she isn’t just a musician. With Xemxi she has brought both of her worlds together as a musician and professional 2D animator in an independently produced, fully animated music video.

I’ve always been drawn to art and animation. I was definitely a Cartoon Network child, and I was always coming up with my own stories, or inserting my characters into existing ones. I taught myself animation after watching ‘animation memes’ on YouTube. They’re short animations accompanied by some trending song. But it seemed like basically everyone could do it with a decent software. It was accessible to indie, often young, artists. I practiced a bit through the years but I didn’t really get into it until 2021, when I got an iPad Pro, Procreate, and therefore a good enough way to animate. I started uploading my animations to YouTube, some did really well! My most popular animation has almost 4 million views, which is crazy. - Greta

From there, animation and music began feeding into each other in ways she hadn't anticipated.

My animations were usually about media I liked. But I quickly realized I couldn’t monetize a video with copyright music, so instead I started making covers from scratch. I’ve always been covering songs; there’s videos from 2016 of me doing acapella covers the world will never see, but there are the beginnings of my obsession with harmony arrangement. The first cover I used for an animation was a cover of ‘You Always Hurt the One You Love’ by the Mills Brothers. It was well received. Eventually, I taught myself how to record and produce songs on GarageBand, using the library of instruments included. I had always wanted to write my own songs, and now I had the means to do it. In both my art and music, I like to have creative ownership. This is why I’d call myself a songwriter and not just a singer. The way my music sounds is always going to be very deliberate. I never want to make music I wouldn’t listen to myself. - Greta

It’s inspiring to constantly see the bar of Maltese talent getting higher and higher. Greta serves as further proof that the island’s creative scene is alive, evolving, and in more-than-capable hands. If Xemxi is any indication of where she’s headed, I for one can’t wait to see what's next.

You can support ghoolie on all streaming platforms, and on YouTube