In Search of Myself: How Fletcher’s Album Became My Unexpected Antidote

I’ll admit, I was late to the Fletcher fan club. Honestly, I don't even know if I am in this fan club. My ex introduced me to her music a while ago, and at first, I had no idea who she was. There was drama about her music, and I remember my ex (my girlfriend at the time) sharing the backstory with me while we drove around. As we spent more time together, I started hearing more of Fletcher’s songs, and one, in particular, Lead Me On, hit me in a way I didn’t expect. It felt like it spoke to our relationship—one where we both knew that if we ever broke up (which, of course, we did - talk about manifesting), part of us would always long for the other and want to be led on in a way. That song felt like a soundtrack to our love story.

Fast forward to the breakup. At first, Fletcher’s music became an escape—something to help me distract from the pain. But over time, something shifted. As I listened more closely, I realized that these songs weren’t just about the breakup or about someone else. They were about me. I watched the interview she did with Zane Lowe for Apple Music and the theme I got out of it was the album was about self-love. When I heard that and relistened to each track it clicked, and I was like this is different. The album was a portal to my healing, confronting parts of myself I had been ignoring. The more I delved into Fletcher’s music, the more I started to see that the lyrics weren’t just speaking to love lost, but to the internal love I needed to find within myself. What started as a way to cope with my emotions evolved into a deeper, more profound healing journey - an unexpected antidote.

One song, in particular, Two Things Can Be True, made me realize that we are rarely just one thing. Emotions aren’t black and white. You can feel sadness and joy at the same time. You can love someone and let them go. That song forced me to stop looking for a “right” way to grieve or heal and instead, embrace the ebb and flow of those contradictory feelings. It taught me grace—the kind of grace that lets you be messy, human, and complex without feeling like something’s wrong.

And here I am, writing this blog, reflecting on how an album I never expected to impact me ended up being a key part of my emotional and personal growth. This isn’t just a breakup story; it’s a journey of accepting the unexpected, embracing parts of myself I didn’t realize I was neglecting, and allowing myself to change without judgment. Through Fletcher’s music, I learned that there’s value in the unexpected, in letting go of rigid expectations and discovering the depth of who I am.