“Higher Self” is a soulful and whimsical indie folk-pop anthem. It speaks to the belief that our intuition is a divining rod. Singer-songwriter Jenny Florinicia, originally from Metro Detroit,  was training to be a yoga instructor at Motherheart Yoga Sangha in Fishtown, Philadelphia  when “Higher Self”  was written. The song is infused with philosophical yoga themes and encourages listeners to discover, listen to, and trust their higher selves.  

Jenny Florinicia and John McDermott both attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Their respective mixed media performance majors shared some crossover. The duo met while working together in the 2018 Philly Fringe Festival’s The Buried Life (Apartment 20 Theatre Co.). Florinicia was a performer in the production while McDermott played guitar. This writing team furthered their collaborative relationship by working on the “Higher Self” single at Rittenhouse Square Park one sunny day in August of 2019. The song is a personal declaration of Jenny’s spiritual beliefs.

An acoustic performance video of “Higher Self” was submitted to NPR’s annual Tiny Desk Contest, filmed by Steven Jon of the independent art label Oh Yeah Cool.  Both acoustic and studio versions of the song were recorded at 90.1 FM WRTI Studios, on the campus of Temple University. The studio track personnel features Jenny Florinicia on vocals, John McDermott on guitar and bass, Mark Urmson on saxophone and keys, and Griffin Harrison on drums. The track was engineered, recorded, mixed and produced by Tyler McClure, Assistant Production Manager at WRTI and mastered by Mike Wertz of Little Cheddar Studios in Brooklyn.

The song will be released on all major streaming platforms Friday, October 23. An original modern dance music video will premiere Saturday October 24, at a virtual Zoom release party and will be available for viewing on YouTube, Vimeo, and IGTV.