Follow Hope DeLuca
After “We’ll See” in August 2023, Hope DeLuca is back on Indie Music Center with a highly emotional song!
Hope DeLuca doesn’t yell to be heard. She never did. She just drops one line, and you’re stuck with it for the rest of the day. “You’re the right person, it’s just the wrong life.” That’s not flashy. Not poetic for the sake of it. It’s just devastatingly true.
Hope is in her twenties, but she writes like someone who has already packed up and left a few important things behind. This stripped version of words i choose is exactly what it says on the label. No decoration. No padding. Just the essentials. A voice, a few chords, and that quiet space where real things live.
The song doesn’t beg for attention. It follows the slow shape of a goodbye. Not the dramatic kind. The one you whisper because shouting won’t change anything.
She sings about getting everything she ever wanted. Writing songs. Playing shows. Living her dream. But the person she loves won’t be there for it. They’re staying behind, building a life she won’t be part of.
She knows she’ll see it anyway. In photos. A wedding. A couple of kids. A house somewhere in New England. The love is real, but it doesn’t fit. Not in the story she chose. And maybe that’s the worst part: not losing someone, but realizing you have to leave even if you love them.
“I will mourn the world where this was almost mine.” No metaphor needed. Just that.
Hope is based in Boston. She writes and produces her music herself. She doesn’t overdo it. She doesn’t try to sound like anyone. And that’s exactly why she sounds like someone you believe.
This isn’t playlist material. It’s not built for algorithms. It’s the kind of song that stays with you when nothing else does. And honestly, that’s enough.
Hope DeLuca’s take on “words i choose – stripped”
I wrote ‘words i choose’ a couple of years ago when I was wrapping up my last EP. I always had two versions in mind – the fun, upbeat, folky version, & the slower stripped-down version. I thought I would be releasing the stripped-down version a year ago, but life had other plans (as it does), & I had to take a step back from music for my own physical & mental health. Somewhere along the way, I also lost confidence in my ability to write, produce, perform, & release music. Releasing this version was just going to be a small thing, and then, once everything fell through, I thought I wouldn’t release it altogether. I rediscovered it while sorting through songs for the next project (!!) & its meaning changed entirely for me. It has served as a reminder to me that this is what I chose – writing songs, playing shows, producing – over everything else. This song, & this version mean a lot to me, & while I would never have expected to release a second version of a song a year & a half later, something about it feels right. I hope that you love it just as much as I do.
IMC Listening Guide
Quick insights to help you connect with the song on your terms.
Best weather to enjoy this song
Rainy day
Best time to listen
Midday energy boost
Best place to listen
On the road, At home
Does this song haunt the silence?
Melody lingers
Goosebumps scale
Maximum goosebumps
