Have you ever thought about the one that got away? Maybe you’ve even gotten as far as imagining yourself with a future you could’ve had if that special someone hadn’t left. Tara Novak makes that dream a painted symphony in her latest single “My Heart Was Jumping”. The feeling of being reunited with someone you thought you lost is this unmeasurable feeling that Tara perfectly describes to us in such an artful manner. Her voice allows us to feel exactly what she feels as her voice fluctuates from high to low and stern to lighthearted throughout the song.

The song begins with a traditional Chinese flute, the Dizi. Once the song goes into the second half of the verse, we begin to hear elements of modern pop music. When the chorus breaks through, the song has completely transformed into a pop song with smaller elements of the Dizi throughout the song. In the second chorus, Novak introduces a trumpet, which allows the song to progress as it continues playing. The beat doesn’t stay stoic, it bounces around and switches through different percussion instruments and sounds.

Tara slows it down for her fans about halfway through the song. Her breakdown adds elements of hip-hop production while still keeping a classical undertone with the violins. Tara’s voice and beat have a gradual buildup during that breakdown where the beat speeds up and her voice goes higher. After her voice hits the highest notes of the entire song, the Dizi joins her voice in harmony and the beat drops back to the main melody and her voice carries into the chorus. “My Heart Was Jumping” has a playful yet shy demeanor that changes as the couple in the story gets back together. The record flawlessly combines different genres of music with contrasting sounds, but Tara’s voice has the be the most versatile instrument.