Inspired by her love of The Divine Feminine, tarot cards, divination, hidden secrets and listening to one’s own intuition, Crystal Joilena’s single “The High Priestess” explores spiritual awakenings, shadow work, connecting with one’s higher self, and the truths and secrets behind the false representations of all things.

“When you think of a high priestess, you think of the Queen of secrets and a powerful femme who is in control of her own identity,” Joilena said. “That is what I consider my higher self, and I am a balance of my higher self and shadow self… Everyone has a shadow. The key is being able to have a balance between dark and light.”

She continues, “The High Priestess speaks about struggling with so many things in life, many ten of swords moments, many tower moments, but still coming out of each debilitating moment with learning experiences and ready to get up and try again anyway with a hopeful mindset that someday, if you work hard enough and stay positive, things will have a different outcome. She is a beacon of hope for all women and femmes who identify with her. Sometimes the shadow self can get in the way of that. We are susceptible to so much overthinking, anxiety and intrusive thoughts. It can get harder to see which way to go, harder to trust our intuition and the way feels like it’s closing in on us; that’s where the higher self comes in to pull out all of those swords and show us the way to go.”

The creation process of “The High Priestess” took a few years as it originally started out with completely different lyrics. With the help of producers Farhan Tanvir and Randy Pasquarella, it eventually made its way to the final version.

Joilena admits to being a perfectionist in the studio. She recognizes that it can be frustrating to others in the studio with her, but she finds the vocal recordings to be the most challenging aspect for her. Once the song is finally completed, numerous takes later, and is exactly how she envisioned it, that is when she feels the most accomplished.

Not only does the song explore spiritual elements, but it became Joilena’s own personal diss track against the music industry. The distrust, hidden agendas and ability to steal work without providing credit is all something she has experienced and struggled with. It can cause distraction, inability to stay grounded or find the power to change the narrative.

“There were many times when I felt like giving up, but knew that music is my calling in life and I could never,” she said.

All of those feelings and emotions are valid, and is why she hopes listeners take away some inspiration to chase their goals no matter what setbacks may arise.

“Bad times are temporary and life always gets better, even if it feels like it’s taking a while and the trials and tribulations are extreme,” she said. “I hope that femmes never forget their worth or let anyone try to change or define them. They are The Divine Feminine and hold so much power, more than they could ever realize, and their potential is limitless.”