Have you ever felt like you don’t fit in? Like no matter what you do, you’ll never be a part of the in crowd? Feeling like an outsider can be incredibly difficult. As humans, the feeling of belonging is one of our most basic needs, and to be without that notion of acceptance can be devastating. But sometimes standing out from the crowd can give us the chance to find out who we really are, as opposed to blindly following others just to blend in. On her single “Outsiders”, Antigua-based alt-pop artist Au/Ra proclaims, “We might be the outsiders / But the in-crowd is so out right now”, and for anyone who’s found inner power in standing out, this song is for you. The original version for “Outsiders” was released back in October, and now, she’s shared the acoustic version of the song.

You may not be familiar with Au/Ra, but we have a feeling she’ll be on your radar soon. “Outsiders” follows “Concrete Jungle” and “Kicks” as Au/Ra’s third single (and yes, the hook- “We don’t need good reputations/ We don’t need no thought control”- is lifted from Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall”). Per an interview with PopCrush, her stage name was inspired by a character she’d created for a Lord of the Rings fan-fiction named Aurthoreo. Born in Ibiza, Au/Ra speaks English as her third language (after Catalan and German)- and she’s only 15 years old.

 

If you enjoyed the acoustic version of “Outsiders”, we encourage you to check out the music video for the original version, below.

Au/Ra has not announced plans for an EP or album, though we’ll be sure to let you know if she does. Be sure to keep up with Au/Ra on Twitter, and follow Substream so you don’t miss a headline.