“Alone, but free.”

That’s the root of what Mar Omin gets at on his newest single, “When I’m Gone”. The Amsterdam-based solo artist is no rookie. Having toured Europe extensively, he’s been releasing music for over a decade and isn’t stopping anytime soon. “When I’m Gone” is the second offering from a storied collection of songs that will consummate as his long-awaited debut album. Pivoting from the organic and ethereal “Little Bird”, his newest is an ode to self-discovery. It’s a place of humility he yearns from this time – having “the power to not know”, and continuing on independently; “All I know is: Don’t look for me when I’m gone.”

Words by Andy Gorel
Photos by Tatsiana Tribunalova

“I often write about leaving the past or people behind and going somewhere new. I guess I really have felt stuck most of my life. I often felt I couldn’t be ‘me’ or explore what being ‘me’ would feel, sound, and look like. That there was no time for it. I had to know who I was.”

“‘When I’m Gone’ is about releasing my fear of being alone. I often write about leaving the past or people behind and going somewhere new. I guess I really have felt stuck most of my life. I often felt I couldn’t be ‘me’ or explore what being ‘me’ would feel, sound, and look like. That there was no time for it. I had to know who I was. What I wanted etc. (Maybe this says more about our society as a whole). Therefore I’ve made many decisions I didn’t feel comfortable with. As I express in the song: ‘I have sold myself a thousand times, to a cause that I didn’t believe’. The song starts with the realisation of my fear. I’d rather have felt miserable doing what other people said than not knowing what to do and being alone. I break from that feeling in the pre-chorus saying ‘Maybe someday I’ll have answers. All I know is: Don’t look for me when I’m gone’. Trusting myself. Giving myself the power to not know. And to figure it out along the way as I leave everything behind. Alone but free.”

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