With Origins, artists get the chance to share insights on their latest release. Today, R&B singer-songwriter Saleka reveals the inspiration behind “One More Night,” written for the television show Servant on Apple TV+.
Saleka’s music can be described a few different ways — silky smooth, melodically imaginative, and lyrically hypnotic are some phrases that come to mind. That last one is important: There’s something about Saleka’s music that reels the listener in.
Her latest single, “One More Night,” earns all those same descriptors easily. Written as a companion to the television show Servant on Apple TV+, the track also evokes a certain eeriness and some of the lack of certainty present in the show.
“The EP of songs written for Servant is a reflection of the character Leanne’s internal journey as she is breaking free from her oppressive past and discovering her power — experiencing love, lust, loss, jealousy, and grappling with womanhood,” Saleka tells Consequence of the song. “‘One More Night’ is the first of three new songs featured in Season 3 of Servant, and there might be even more to come next season,” she hints. “It is an honor to be contributing something small to this absurd and brilliant TV show.”
Following this EP of songs for the show, Saleka is gearing up to release new music later this year.
Hear “One More Night” and check out Saleka’s full Origins of the track below.
Limitation:
Photo by Rene Asmussen via Pexels
Something iconic and essential to Servant is its contained nature. Season 1 takes place entirely within one house; we as the viewers never leave. As the show continues, aspects of the house are expanded on, with additional rooms, the street, and the park behind the house, but it always remains confined and deliberate. This idea of working within meaningful limitations felt to me like part of the DNA of the show and was something I wanted to reflect in the production of the music.
For all the songs on the EP, I kept myself limited to certain distinct instrumentation, and “One More Night” is particularly stripped down. I took out anything that didn’t feel like a direct and necessary extension of the emotion, resulting in a slightly unusual but intimate format. Approaching the songs from this perspective taught me a new way of composition and production that I will take with me forever.
The Attic:
Photo by Fulvio Pessi via Pexels
All the songs I wrote for the show are discovered in and tied to one of these newly-revealed spaces in the house — the attic. It is a magical place, dark and haunting, full of anachronous objects and eccentric personality. I imagined each song originating from the soul of this attic. It is a room that holds a lot of history and forgotten love. Leanne brings life back to its neglected items — one of which is the Vivian Dale record.
Vivian Dale:
Vivian Dale is a character in Servant that is never seen. She is the performer behind these songs, a ’90s R&B and jazz singer with a tragic backstory. All the songs are written through her voice. She becomes a symbol of transforming trauma and pain into power. During these beginning episodes of Season 3, Leanne is discovering her own growing power but also feeling her weaknesses and lack of control more palpably.
This give and take is a concept played on in the lyrics of “One More Night.” Leanne feels understood by Vivian and turns to her songs in important transitional moments to find kinship and strength.
Art by Logan Sylve:
Art by Logan Sylve, Untitled
I saw this painting by an incredible artist named Logan Sylve, and it really struck me. I couldn’t get it out of my head. It reminded me a lot of Leanne’s character, the mysterious cross between a devil and an angel within the form of a reticent girl. Her powerful red wings sheltering her. But it also felt intensely personal. It reminded me of my own experience of womanhood, the constant struggle between shame and freedom that comes with vulnerability and sensuality.
I think this is a struggle Leanne feels in Season 3. There is a new element of physical vulnerability she is grappling with, and her dance to “One More Night” at the end is a breakthrough moment of physical liberation. I looked at this painting often while writing the song. It helped me connect to Leanne.
Temptation and Desire:
Photo by Juan Palacios via Pexels
I think, ultimately, “One More Night” is a song about watching yourself give in to temptation, and accepting the simultaneous beauty and pain of it. While the lyrics grieve, the musical bed is meant to remain tonally bright and warm, providing a sense of belonging and comfort. There is a quote from one of my favorite poetry books, Bluets by Maggie Nelson, that reads, “Desire was a sharpness, a tear in the static of everyday life… it delivers not an ache but a sudden state of grace.” I love the violent contradiction of this description. It feels accurate to me.
