Six-time Juno Award winner and mental health advocate Serena Ryder has released her new single “Better Now” today. “Better Now” is the fourth single off Serena Ryder’s upcoming album, The Art of Falling Apart, and arrives with a video that fans can watch here. The 10-track, 25-minute project chronicles Serena’s mental health journey and will be released on March 12. The EP is available for preorder now directly from the ArtHaus website here. Click here now to stream or download “Better Now.”
Of “Better Now,” Serena says “Life has kicked my ass in so many ways, but I wouldn’t change a thing — because it wouldn’t have changed me. I’m at a time in my life where I can see the beauty that comes from sitting in the uncomfortable moments. I used to smoke and drink through pain, now I know there’s a better way. Being sober is the bravest thing I’ve ever done and life is so much sweeter every day. I know better now.”
In May 2020, Serena launched the Art of Wellness — an experiential series designed for artists and creative professionals. A collaboration between Serena, her label ArtHaus and a range of mental health professionals, the Art of Wellness offers a variety of programs tailored to different facets of the artistic community, helping creatives develop mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques. In addition to the album, Serena is releasing several pieces focused on wellness, including an animated version of her keynote speech — also named The Art of Falling Apart — and a series of dialogues on health and wellness with several album collaborators (past sessions have included Melissa Etheridge and Adria Kain).
Yesterday, Serena joined Algonquin College for “A Conversation with Serena Ryder” on her mental health journey. What’s more, she recently hosted an Instagram Live chat with Sophie Gregoire Trudeau focused on mental wellness. For all the latest on Serena Ryder, sign up for her newsletter at serenaryder.com or follow her on Instagram or YouTube.
The Art of Falling Apart was written and recorded over 10 days, and the tracklisting allows the listener to follow Serena’s creative process in a truly linear sense. From beginning to end, they are with her. Each song was recorded the day it was written, featuring raw, unprocessed vocals. The album was written by Serena Ryder, Simon Wilcox, Gordie Sampson and Tawgs Salter, and mixed Joe Zook.
The album is one piece of a greater movement for Serena as a leader in mental health and wellness. A longtime advocate, Serena has worked with a variety of health and wellness initiatives, including Bell Let’s Talk, WE Day, Unison Benevolent Fund, and in 2018 won the Margaret Trudeau Mental Health Advocacy Award.
She has presented her keynote speech (also named The Art of Falling Apart) to audiences across Canada and will soon release a shortened animated version to grow its impact around the world. Recently, she launched The Art of Wellness — a free mindfulness program for artists and creatives. Combined with the album rollout, these pieces will help position Serena as a leader in both music and mental health.
Each track on the album is a story of the journey towards falling apart. Through “Candy”, Serena starts to be more transparent and vulnerable. In the second song, “Waterfall”, she learns to cry. These stories build to “Better Now” in which Serena realizes that one of the bravest things we can do is face our trauma, feelings and fears, and by doing so, we can truly learn to love ourselves.