Raphaela Shares Glorious New Single "Bittersweet"

Lebanese Canadian artist Raphaela returns with her new single Bittersweet, a pop ballad that lingers in the delicate space between longing and serenity. Romantic yet restrained, nostalgic yet accepting, the song captures the paradox of love that does not endure yet transforms us all the same. With her signature blend of cinematic production and emotionally fearless songwriting, Raphaela turns memory into melody, crafting a track that invites listeners to revisit their own tender moments of connection, loss, and grace.

The seed of Bittersweet was planted in a dream. One night, Raphaela found herself revisiting the memory of a summer romance she had nearly forgotten. The dream was vivid, textured with the kind of details that often get lost to time—the warmth of a look, the sound of laughter, the feeling of belonging to someone for a fleeting season. When she woke, the emotions stayed with her, and she began writing. Out of that quiet reflection came Bittersweet, a song that honors love for what it was rather than mourning what it could never become.

At its core, Bittersweet is about acceptance. It is about those love stories that are destined not to last, whether because of circumstance, distance, or simply timing. But instead of dissolving into regret, the track invites listeners to embrace the beauty of impermanence. It asks the question: can love still matter, even if it does not endure? Raphaela’s answer, sung with warmth and vulnerability, is a resounding yes.

“Bittersweet captures the essence of a true love that can’t last beyond the moment it exists in—for one reason or another,” Raphaela shares. “But instead of mourning it, you choose to hold it gently, to cherish it for exactly what it is. That delicate balance—knowing something is fleeting yet unforgettable—is what makes it both so fragile and so special. That’s the beauty of it. It doesn’t have to last forever to mean forever to you.”

With lush instrumentation and a vocal delivery that feels both intimate and expansive, the track offers a listening experience that is cinematic without losing its intimacy. It swells with orchestral textures yet leaves space for silence, mirroring the way memory itself ebbs and flows. Each note feels carefully placed, as though suspended in midair, echoing the weight of emotions left unsaid.

Bittersweet follows the release of Muse, the title track of Raphaela’s forthcoming debut EP. Where Muse shimmered with the joy and ease of new love, Bittersweet tilts the lens toward nostalgia and longing, serving as its counterpoint. Together, the two singles hint at the scope of the EP, which promises to move through the full spectrum of love—from its sparks of inspiration to its most aching farewells. Due later this year, the project is conceived as a cinematic journey through heartbreak, healing, and the strange alchemy that makes even our most painful experiences shimmer with meaning in hindsight.

Raphaela’s artistry is deeply rooted in her own story. Raised in Beirut before moving to Ottawa, she carries within her a layered sense of belonging, memory, and identity. Her music reflects that duality—anchored in personal truth yet expansive in the way it connects across cultures and experiences. Each song feels like a film still, drawn from life yet lit with a sense of universality. Listeners who encounter her work are drawn in not only by her voice, smooth yet commanding, but also by the emotional honesty that threads through every lyric.

Bittersweet represents another step forward in Raphaela’s exploration of what it means to love, to lose, and to remember. It is an invitation to reflect on the relationships that shape us, even if they do not stay with us. The single asks us to embrace the tenderness of memory without clinging to what is gone. In doing so, it offers solace to anyone who has looked back at a past connection with both sadness and gratitude.

With Bittersweet, Raphaela proves that love does not have to be permanent to be meaningful. It is a reminder that every fleeting spark has the power to illuminate a lifetime.