Rising from the Smoke: A Song for the Shattered and Strong

In Ashes, LA-based songwriter jeanie (Christy Lamb) offers something far more than a melody—it’s a requiem, a memory capsule, and a battle cry wrapped into one hauntingly beautiful track. The song emerges from the devastating aftermath of the Eaton Fire in Altadena, but what makes it unforgettable is its ability to stretch beyond a single event and hold space for collective grief, survival, and reimagination.

Sonically, Ashes is stripped-down and atmospheric, carried by the artist’s ghostlike vocals that seem to hover in the air, as if dusted with soot. The production doesn’t scream, it mourns. Everything about the track feels scorched and sacred, like the kind of silence that follows a storm. The instrumentation is sparse but deliberate, letting each note breathe, each pause resonate. There’s no rushing grief here, just slow, aching truth.

What’s remarkable is how jeanie transforms personal devastation into something communal. This isn’t just about a fire; it’s about a fractured city trying to remember what hope feels like. Ashes burns, but it doesn’t leave you empty. Instead, it quietly sows the idea that from destruction, something new can be built, something maybe even better.

This isn’t just a song, it’s a space to feel, to remember, and to rebuild. And right now, that’s exactly what we need.