JFH News: Firerose Releases New Single "Phoenix"

Firerose Releases New Single "Phoenix" With Music Video Directed by Chris Applebaum

The singer-songwriter turns survival into a defiant anthem of freedom and renewal, collaborating with the acclaimed director behind Rihanna's "Umbrella," Miley Cyrus' "Party in the U.S.A.," Demi Lovato's "Heart Attack" and Selena Gomez's "Who Says"

Photo credit: Chris Applebaum

NEWS SOURCE: Prospect PR
October 2, 2026

Singer-songwriter Firerose releases her new single "Phoenix" today alongside an official music video directed by acclaimed filmmaker Chris Applebaum, whose career includes some of the defining pop videos of the past three decades.

Written during one of the most difficult times of Firerose's life, "Phoenix" looks forward rather than back. The song was born before she had fully emerged from that chapter, imagining the freedom and strength she hoped would eventually be waiting for her on the other side.

"I wrote it when I was still in such a difficult season, as a premonition of what it was going to feel like to rise from the ashes," Firerose says. "I wanted it to be an inspiring anthem for all survivors, especially abuse survivors, but it's really for everyone who's overcome trauma. Now it's their Phoenix season."

Built around the refrain "I will rise / Out of these flames," the song transforms pressure, deception and pain into a declaration of survival. One lyric in particular remains especially personal to Firerose: "All deception crumbles / Under the weight of truth in time."

"Every single time I sing that, it's so visceral," she says. "Lies can be very loud and overwhelming, especially when they're being told with a huge machine behind them. But I do profoundly believe that ultimately, truth just is, and it always outlasts."

The accompanying video gives that transformation a stark visual language. In tightly framed sequences, Firerose is surrounded by black-gloved hands that reach into the frame, violating her face, hair and physical space. Those images are contrasted with Firerose outdoors, clothed in the sun, as she moves freely in a world filled with golden light.

"I wanted the visual world to be bold but simple, built around a struggle between darkness and light, despair and hope, destruction and rebirth," Applebaum says. "At the center of it all is Firerose, embodying two opposing forces and taking us on an emotional journey straight into the heart of the song."

The hands belong to Applebaum himself.

The collaboration grew from Applebaum reaching out to Firerose after connecting with her music and seeing her speak publicly about her experiences and advocate for other survivors. He reached out directly on Instagram, moved by her music, and told her he wanted to direct her next video.

When Firerose sent him "Phoenix," the concept came immediately.

"Firerose sent me 'Phoenix,' and I was driving down the 101 listening to it for the first time when I immediately thought, 'This is a smash.' By the second chorus, I was already seeing the video in my head," Applebaum recalls. "A few very specific images came to me almost fully formed. That doesn't happen often, and when it does, you know you have something special."

"The first time he heard the song, he's like, 'I can see the whole thing,'" Firerose recalls. "He had the vision right away of this darkness, of the gloved hands in the video, representing the oppression of surviving domestic abuse and what that really feels like, juxtaposed to the immeasurable relief of finally being free in the sunlight."

For Firerose, working with Applebaum also carried personal significance. She grew up inspired by his iconic videos, long before the two became collaborators and close friends.

Applebaum's career stretches across three decades and includes Rihanna's "Umbrella," Miley Cyrus' "Party in the U.S.A.," Demi Lovato's "Heart Attack," Selena Gomez & The Scene's "Who Says," Britney Spears' "Overprotected" and "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," Paris Hilton's "Stars Are Blind," Semisonic's "Closing Time" and many others. His work has earned multiple MTV honors, with "Umbrella" winning Video of the Year at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards.

"Firerose was extraordinary to direct," Applebaum says. "She's a completely inspired artist, and her performances were fearless, riveting and incredibly cinematic. She has a rare ability to command the frame, and watching her transform between these two worlds was one of the most exciting parts of making this video."

For an artist who spent years being controlled and denied her independence, instincts and creative voice, "Phoenix" arrives at a very meaningful moment.

"I've never been more grateful to be alive, to be free and to be able to use my voice again to collaborate with these phenomenally talented people," Firerose says.

That freedom has increasingly shaped Firerose's work. Over the past year, she has begun speaking openly about surviving narcissistic abuse and coercive control, while hearing from survivors who recognize aspects of their own experiences in hers. The survivors she hears from every day continue to inspire her to share her story.

"There's been this very powerful transformation of all the pain into purpose," she says. "And Phoenix is the pinnacle of that."

Applebaum sees that transformation at the heart of the finished video as well.

"'Phoenix' is ultimately about finding the light within the darkness, and Firerose brings that journey to life with extraordinary power."

That mission also extends to No One Asked Her, Firerose's growing, truth-driven podcast about faith, culture, healing, freedom and reclaiming your voice. Recent guests have included filmmaker and The Narcissist's Playbook director Mark Vicente and author Crystal Harris, with Firerose using the long-form format to explore subjects that increasingly intersect with her music.

"Phoenix" also begins the next phase of Firerose's recording career. She confirmed this week that the song is the first single from a forthcoming album, with additional music planned ahead of the full project, currently expected in early 2027.

For Firerose, "Phoenix" is ultimately about a feeling that extends beyond her own experience: reaching a point that once seemed impossible and discovering the strength within that has the power to rise above the most unimaginable darkness.

"If you're still here, there's no such thing as too far gone when it comes to being in an abusive relationship," she says. "It doesn't have to be your end, you can always rise and have your Phoenix season."

Stream/download "Phoenix":

https://slinky.to/Phoenix

Director: Chris Applebaum

Editors: Firerose & Chris Applebaum

ABOUT FIREROSE

Firerose is a singer-songwriter whose music draws on faith, resilience, healing and personal transformation. Following a period in which her voice and independence were systematically diminished, Firerose has entered a prolific new creative chapter centered on music, advocacy and her podcast, No One Asked Her. Through her songs and increasingly candid conversations about surviving narcissistic abuse and coercive control, she has connected with a growing community of listeners who see their own experiences reflected in her story. "Phoenix" is the first release from her forthcoming album, expected in 2027.

https://www.firerosemusic.com/

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW3L4961Tl99UIyFVBnhF9JRE8LOKDo9w

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2hUvYMF6MBxiZVXjiglBPX?si=7dxUS1TVSoG6NZkuNta7mg

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/firerose/1573519432

https://www.instagram.com/firerose/

https://www.tiktok.com/@firerosecyrus

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