Moldovan-Romanian alt-pop artist Catalina Cara unveils her long-awaited EP What a Feeling, a five-track, genre-blurring collection that turns personal pain into cinematic beauty. Known for her velvet blend of dreamy soul, 80s-inspired synth-pop, and chill-step grooves, Catalina delivers her most vulnerable and expansive project to date: a meditation on loss, renewal, and the quiet strength that follows heartbreak.
Following her acclaimed debut Leap Year Baby (2022), What a Feeling marks a creative rebirth. It trades polish for presence — a collection that feels lived-in, tender, and deeply human. The title track, co-created in 2022 with producer Mihai Ristea and the late Casey Benjamin (Grammy-winning member of the Robert Glasper Experiment), serves as the emotional centrepiece. Its lush arrangement of shimmering synths, soulful vocals, and slow-burning rhythm gives the track a hypnotic quality that lingers long after it ends.
Drawing inspiration from The New Seekers’ 70s anthem “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony),” Catalina reimagines that spirit of unity in a time of war and uncertainty. The lyric, “I want to paint this world with love and sprinkle magic from above”, emerged during the early days of the Ukraine conflict, as her own family faced the pain of loved ones being sent to the frontlines.
The EP traces a powerful emotional arc, from numbness and loss to healing and renewal. Each song feels like a stage in recovery: grief slowly dissolving into light. Catalina’s voice floats through atmospheric production like a balm, grounded by Ristea’s textural production and Benjamin’s soulful touch.
“What a Feeling is a song I wanted people to experience as a warm embrace,” Catalina shares. “It’s about rebirth — finding peace, safety, and the freedom to share the light we discover within ourselves.”
Beyond its emotional depth, What a Feeling reaffirms Catalina Cara’s growing influence on Europe’s alternative scene. She continues to bridge the intimate and the universal, crafting songs that invite reflection while radiating hope.
What a Feeling feels like both a personal diary and a collective exhale, a sonic embrace for anyone learning to heal. Catalina Cara has not only created her most personal work yet but also one of the most emotionally resonant releases of the year.