Karman's self-produced debut, Happiness, That I Forbid Myself, is a quest for joy after a turbulent adolescence, moving from extreme darkness to saccharine euphoria. The songs date back as far as 6 years from the album's initial release, with 'Inside Out' written when Karman was just 17 years old, to just months before the album came out. In this way, Happiness is a timeline of Karman's emotional maturity and her understanding of what it means to be happy.
Effortlessly weaving through as many genres as there are songs on the tracklist, Karman shows off her strength as a musical sponge, soaking in the sounds that scored her childhood and teenage years, touching on DnB, House, Garage, Post Punk and Folk. Karman creates a unique tapestry of musical history that reflects on the theme of time and growth prevalent in the lyrics.
Ultimately, Karman discovers that happiness is something to boldly and actively pursue every day. You cannot sit around waiting for joy to find you; you have to go searching for it.