VelumVelvet’s “Woman’s Burden” Feels a Little Too Familiar

Nothing seems more striking than a song from a woman who knows the weight of what she writes about. VelumVelvet’s Woman’s Burden carries that sense of familiarity, like a shared language for feelings that are difficult to name.

Maybe it’s because Donna James, the woman behind VelumVelvet, knows these feelings from somewhere. Based in Brigg, England, Donna first wrote the song as a poem back in 2011 before it found its way into her discography.

The keys from the start are slow, almost hesitant. You can almost picture a woman sitting alone with her thoughts, staring out the window while repeatedly telling herself that she carries it all so well. Then come Donna’s vocals, bringing all the weight of loneliness to the surface.

For a song titled Woman’s Burden, this one hits home. The line, “breaking in the silence, standing all alone,” feels like the exact moment when keeping it together is no longer possible. But it doesn’t stay in that feeling for long, as it eventually finds a way to step out of the shadows and keep going.

Somewhere in the imagery and metaphors, you can feel what the song is trying to say without it having to spell everything out. It simply comes through, because it’s anchored in something real. And as the track ends, you might just find yourself thinking, “Yeah, I totally know that feeling.”