Smoke And Mirrors

Beckah Amani

A song lamenting toxic overconsumption of fast fashion to the detriment of our environment and future

Why I wrote this song

For many young people including myself, the climate crisis is a very real and stressful reality. As a Gen Z female, I’m all too aware of the influence that the fashion industry has on our drive for overconsumption through fast fashion which has had detrimental impacts on the environment. Environmental issues related to fast fashion are close to my heart, especially water pollution, textile waste in landfills and waste disposal.

This song details how many of us have fallen for “painted glitter and shiny little” when overconsuming fast fashion. The lyrics “smoke and mirrors” refers to the vagueness, misinformation, half truths and confusion that surrounds this issue and the fashion industry’s lack of activism for the sake of profits and progress.

About me as an artist

Writing music that feels both intimately personal and widely resonant is one of the greatest artistic feats there is. And yet the skill to do it well is something surprisingly rare, a talent that is honed through hard work. A brilliant songwriter is one who reaches people in places of the world that they’ve never been, without ever travelling too far from their own sense of self.

Beckah Amani writes delicate, intimate folk songs that draw on deeply personal topics – heartbreak, placelessness, identity — with warmth and grace, drawing strength from her sonorous voice. Her work always manages to offer both solace and motivation, offering salve to the wounds of the world.

About the music video

The music video is a love letter to the planet. Keeping it simple, I filmed the music video on my phone in Mount Tamborine in the national parks, lookouts and local hang out spots around my family’s farm.

I really wanted to express my love for nature and showcase the beauty around me. I really wanted to recognise the beauty of the planet and how we care and want to do better for it.

The environmental organisations I admire or support

Fashion Revolution, Un Alliance For Sustainable Fashion, TRAID, Green Music Australia, Earth Guardians, One Tree Planted, SeaLegacy, Greenpeace, Conservation International, World Wildlife Fund, Waste & Resource Action Program, The Soil Association (UK)