Forgiveness and all of the emotions that come with it are a very difficult but powerful thing. Cynthia Erivo’s album, “I Forgive You”, released on June 6th, 2025, is a wonderful summary of those emotions. Everything from the buildup, to getting protective over yourself, to finally appreciating someone and everything that they have done for you, and carrying those experiences on. The album is told through 4 acts, separated by its respective interludes.
“Why” is the first interlude and the album’s intro. The interlude is originally a song by the artist Annie Lennox and sets the tone for the first act of the album, which is all about the pain and turmoil you can go through while in a relationship. The first track of this act, “Best For Me”, opens with stacked vocals acting as synth pads in the song and a melodic whistle from Erivo, and talks about breaking up with someone for the benefit of both of you. Some lyrics that really stuck out to me from this track are “I know we both deserve the change, and there’s nothing I could say to ease your pain,” and “I’m not sayin’ it’s better, but different is better for me, that’s why I had to leave, baby, it’s best for me.” These lyrics are very all-encompassing of the track as a whole. The ending of the track has this beautiful piano solo that stops abruptly, almost like it’s a musical representation of the relationship that’s talked about in the song.
Some other songs that really stick out to me in this act are the songs “More Than Twice” and “Worst of Me” as they have a lot of connections between the two. They both talk about the struggles of being with somebody that is not a good partner, but I feel like in different stages, with More Than Twice happening during the relationship and trying to communicate how you feel, while Worst of Me is the final straw and is what ends the relationship (which is fitting as “More Than Twice” is the second track in the act and “Worst of Me” closes out the act). The tie that connects the two tracks is this drowning motif that pops up in both. More Than Twice says, “You pulled me in when I fought it, You wеigh too much, now I’m drowning,” and Worst of Me says, “You could cut me deeper than the ocean, but I refuse to drown, I’m comin’ up, I wanna breathe again.”
The next interlude that transitions us into the next act is called “I Want You”. While I would love to talk about this act in detail and depth, this part has the album’s most sensual moments, and trying to go into detail on these specific songs would be tiptoeing a very thin line. One thing I would like to talk about is how Erivo talks about these moments in a relationship. She paints these really beautiful pictures in the listener’s mind with how she describes these actions.
This next act is about the emotion, love. It’s interlude, “Until You Saw Me”, repeats the same lyrics. “I never knew you until you saw me”. The first track of this act is titled “Holy Refrain” and it is a beautiful gospel ballad all about love. The song paints love and the person that Erivo is talking about as the same feeling that someone would get in following a god and following a religion. It’s not so much as seeing this person and this concept as God, but that warm embrace that so many people get from their own religion and beliefs. This song is also the longest Erivo has ever held onto a song, with the track being 4 years old before finally coming out on this album. It also had a very big glow-up, starting as a one-line repeat with a very simple melody and ultimately turning into the choir ballad it is now.
A song that is totally different from any other on the album is “Be Okay”, a song where Erivo is completely acapella. No drums, no pads, no instrumental at all. Just Erivo and her stacks of vocals singing.
The final act of the album, reaching the final emotion and what ties the whole thing together, is introduced with the interlude, “I Forgive You”. In this last chunk of the album, Erivo reveals a lot of herself and her own internal dialogue, rather than the interactions with other people. “Replay” talks about some of her hardest emotions she deals with, like thinking everyone will leave her, a hero complex, and constantly chasing validation from people. The string that ties all of these together is the statement, “I’m working on myself, but these emotions keep playing in my head,” with the chorus.
The closing track of this album is “Grace”, a wonderful song that is all about cherishing your loved ones and carrying on the love and light they had after they pass on. The song features a voice note from a girl actually named “Grace,” which was a girl who Erivo actually met during the Wicked press tour.
This album is truly one of the most beautiful things my ears have ever had the pleasure of listening to, and it has become one of my favorite albums of all time. Much of it is due to Erivo’s artistry and the way she uses her voice to create most, if not all, of her songs on this album. The way she also writes about all of these very complex emotions just makes them make sense.
