An homage to Ariza’s and my favorite series, “Stranger Things,” WILL combines electronic production with organic instruments and sonically hints 80’s nostalgia. Lyrically, the haywire fight between the series’ character Will with the monster is paralleled to my battle with the monsters in my head. If you’re ready to dive deeper into the meaning and how much the show has impacted me, read my open letter to the showrunners below.

Lyrics

VERSE 1:

Tired of this old flame

Following me 

Calling the same 

Demons hiding

You want me to break

This maze I’m in 

Baby I know, I’m trying

Pre-chorus

I’m lost but I’m fighting

Through all of this smoke

(Feel it draining me)

Inside, these walls

I felt so alone 

(Baby I’m fighting)

Chorus

Feelings haunting me 

I know I don’t want to give in 

Voices chasing me 

Promise your love will set me free

Verse 2

Sorry for all this pain 

Clouding you

but the lights you placed 

Are not in vain  

You beg me to fight 

this mystery

Baby I know, I’m trying

Pre-chorus

I’m lost but I’m fighting

Felt so alone

BRIDGE: 

It’s Haunting and it’s watching me

and it’s all I knew

With your hand in my hand,

now i’ll make it though

MY OPEN LETTER TO THE FANTASTIC SHOW RUNNERS and WRITERS:

Dear Duffer Brothers, 

You could say it was the timeless and uncanny soundtrack, the nostalgic cultural references, the microcosmic set design, the impeccable performances, or the gripping suspense combined deliciously with moments of comedic relief that had me fully absorbed when I started watching the cultural phenomenon that is Stranger Things.

And while all of that is accurate, in season two, like a crackle of static, something finally clicked for me. The world you’ve created split into more than two dimensions, extending past the supernatural, through the TV and into my life.

I’m referring to the compelling heart of your show: human connection and - the real darkness that we can very closely relate to - trauma and the honest depiction of recovery.

From Nancy, who turns her guilt into a tireless search for truth to Billy, who continues the physically and emotionally abusive patterns from his childhood. From Eleven, who not only embraced her past but also used it as armor to save others, to Will’s friends who made sense of his alarming disappearance through imagination and games. The vast spectrum of characters that deal with trauma on your show is so important to witness.

Season two zoomed into Will’s character, and the more the camera followed him, the more it felt like I was looking into a mirror.   

Plunged into deep darkness, I was stuck in between the version people saw of me and who I was. Looking back, I struggled to understand depression and how it had glued itself to me like the invisible monster so cleverly did to Will. As time passed and it became harder to crawl out from my emotions, I found it even more challenging to express my pain and fears to those around me, so chose instead to alienate myself out of shame. Growing up in Romania in the 90s, mental health was taboo, a stigma that presented itself as an individual responsibility rather than a collective one. That’s why I’m thankful for shows like yours. They are vital in opening up a healthy narrative around this subject, especially because of its honest depiction of how recovery is not a definite and tangible finish line.

Your show also taught me to hope: that we don’t have to go through it alone. Very much like Joyce did with Will, my mother never gave up on me. Joyce creatively created a system to communicate with Will and stood by his side even when many chose to be in denial and find her crazy. Denial being for me the darkness of the human condition that I find scarier than any monster. Yet your story confronts these issues and reinforces the importance of opening up to family and friendships, that it literally takes a village and that I shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help.

And, if you’ll ever read this, which would mean the world if you did, I hope you enjoy my love letter to Stranger Things and to my own story, a song I wrote entitled “Will.” I released it in hopes that it reminds listeners that they are loved, worthy, and not alone - just like your show did for me. And I hope you find in it my sincere gratitude for your how much your artwork has meant and continues to do so for me.

Sincerely,

Elline