Karen Atkins “Somebody”

Lovers everywhere know that magical instant where they’re certain that they’re exactly where they’re meant to be. They’ve found their partner, everything seems exactly right, and the future opens up like a flower. If you’ve been there, it’s unlikely that you’ll ever forget it. But should you need a gentle reminder, there’s “Somebody,” the new single by the pop singer-songwriter Karen Atkins. In three glorious minutes, she’s captured the moment of realization in all its color, majesty, excitement, and promise.

That’s nothing new for Atkins, a songwriter who specializes in channeling effulgent emotional states. Her songs grapple with the extraordinary illumination available to ordinary people — through love, new experiences, and learning to see the world differently. Profound optimism radiates from her grooves: even when she’s singing about a problem, sunlight is always breaking through the clouds. In part, that’s because of her effortless sense of melody, her sweet, catchy, easygoing beats, and the intimacy and compositional skill exhibited in her candid songwriting. But it’s also attributable to the magnetic quality of her voice. Atkins is a talented everywoman with an approachable delivery and subtle self-confidence that comes through in every note she sings. Hers is the voice of the spiritual counselor, of the trusted friend, of the inspired motivator, of the secret crush.

Where does that quiet swagger come from? Atkins has the balance of the person who is properly centered and wide open to the universe, and that generosity is audible in the music she makes. From its first piano chords to its last ringing strum, “Somebody” is all brilliant positivity, exuberance, and wide-eyed wonder at sudden romantic happenstance and the certainty that we can experience right now the kind of world we want live in, even when others tell us it’s not possible. Atkins’ self-directed video for “Somebody” tells a similar story. The camera captures the star on a beach in Mexico, watching the sunrise, descending the steps of a lovely local haunt, making friends, and shining with excitement and hope. It’s a gorgeous day she’s showing viewers — one filled with promise and opportunities to be seized. Wherever she goes, she turns her roving lens on other people; travelers and locals alike share in a joy that can’t be contained. Atkins approaches the camera like it’s an old friend she hasn’t seen in a while, and she can barely restrain her affection and enthusiasm. She smiles, her friends smile, strangers smile, and before long, the whole world feels like it’s smiling right back.