Emerging artist Avonlea, who has previously earned acclaim from Billboard, L’Officiel USA, and Nylon for her buoyant melodies and raw lyrics, is back with an introspective and electrifying track, “Stranger.” Both the song and the accompanying video describe, with uncanny accuracy, the somberness and freedom that result from the end of a relationship.

“The inspiration for the song was my first serious break up,” said Avonlea. “He was my best friend, my everything. But we were both changing and shifting, so we made the joint decision to end the relationship.” Restless and desperate for a creative outlet, Avonlea picked up a bass and played a few notes that would later turn in to “Stranger.” “A couple of nights later, I was just losing my mind. I usually write songs on piano or guitar, but I was like ‘I need to try something new!’” Songwriting is an intimate process for Avonlea, and “Stranger” was an especially sensitive project. “Songwriting is the way I express myself. It’s sort of like my diary,” she detailed. “‘Stranger’ is so honest. It’s a confessional of how I was feeling post-breakup, and how I was going to get myself back out there. It’s my emotional thought process turned into a song.”

“Stranger” inspects an often overlooked aspect of breaking up: the sense of freedom, the titillation of heading into the unknown. “Right after the relationship ended, I started a friends with benefits type situation and I think that was one of the things that affirmed my feelings of the song,” Avonlea revealed. “because it was someone I knew so well, but getting into this other type of relationship with him, it almost felt like a stranger. That was one of the moments where I was like ‘This is unfamiliar territory!’ And that’s what ‘Stranger’ is about, putting yourself out there after a while of being with someone you’re really comfortable with.”

The rustic elegance of the video compliments the enchanting melody of the song and the complexity of hook-up culture that the lyrics expound upon. But most of all, the video communicates a deep sense of playfulness, and explores single life with a diverse perspective. “I think the video has a lot to do with freedom in relationships,” said Avonlea. “I really wanted to see a lot of different types of people, and personalities, and interactions. I hope that’s what people get from the video, a lot of social freedom and acceptance.”

Watch the video for “Stranger” below: