ABOUT “MOTHER”

The impulse to write a song for Mother and motherhood came first from my friend and photographer Lena Bushart, who takes beautiful portraits of mothers with their children, every piece being a tribute to the connection between mother and child, the power of creation, and the nurturing nature of a mother’s love.

Her suggestion to write a song for mothers resonated within me, given that the past 7 years of motherhood have given me much valued insight into how much I owe to my mother, the incredible woman who raised me and made me the person I am today. Everything I am, I am because of her. If I lacked the capacity to fully understand what that meant when I was younger, I certainly realize and appreciate it now. My children helped me gain awareness of that on a deeper level than was available to me prior to becoming a mother myself.

I wanted to write a tribute to her service to me. And in so doing, to write a tribute to all women who give of themselves in this way, selflessly and without expectation of any thanks or reward beyond that of raising a decent human being instilled with a capacity for compassion, tolerance and kindness.

The second chapter, however, focuses on women in general, mothers or not, conscious of the horrors women have had to endure throughout history, and the painful conditions and treatment many women are still subjected to even now. Seeking to empower women, I set out to imbue this song with a sense of mysticism, something ancient and altogether feminine. I chant invocations of goddesses from different cultures, using languages such as Hindi, Egyptian, Yoruba, Mayan, and Farsi.

Sturla Mio Thorisson, my husband and partner in this creation incorporated a whole world of sound scape design into the evolution of this piece, in an effort to make its journey an epic one. This we did in an effort to help women connect with their inner power. The very power we call upon during childbirth, for example. We drew inspiration from the event of a volcanic eruption taking place in Iceland at the time, and imagined the sea crashing against the shore, the earth cracking open and magma shooting hundreds of meters into the air, for that is the power that dwells within the depths of the very earth we subjugate, rape, abuse and destroy for our own pleasure and needs.

At the beginning of this creative journey, I had asked The Webb Sisters to help me make this song what I felt it wished to be. I knew that Charley and Hattie were just the women I needed to help me realize my vision, and instill this piece with beauty, grace, sensuality, femininity and magic. Their stunning voices, heavenly harmonies and masterful playing makes for something timeless and divine. Considering the unlikelihood of traveling at the time, we agreed to work remotely, from our respective corners of the world.

Realizing the possibilities of that kind of remote collaboration, I also reached out to my old friend Marja Gaynor, an original member of The Swell Season, who wrote and performed parts for viola and violin on the “Once” soundtrack, which became the integral arrangements even in the Broadway adaptation of Once. She has a talent for summoning forces from the elemental and heavenly realms, and manifesting raw, untamed and awe-inspiring beauty. Her unbridled expression and creativity was a true gift to “Mother”.

I also approached an Irish cellist Patrick Dexter and a Spanish percussionist Manuel Barreto, both of whom I discovered through Instagram. Their contributions to this song were truly inspiring to me, for they had clearly aligned their hearts with the heart of “Mother” and brought her to the place she wished to go. The same is true for Marja and The Webb Sisters. But to receive the contribution of these beautiful kind-hearted men, Mio being among them, felt especially meaningful, considering that this song is a tribute to women. Having their generous and potent creativity as well as their masculine support and love stream toward this project, steers it clear from being an exclusively female endeavor, and displays mutual respect and strength in unity.

When singing the song I was struck by the realization, that it is as easy to imagine singing it to my daughter as it is to sing it to my mother. For I know that before not too long, my baby will want to spread her wings and fly beyond my reach, my protection. She, who is my world, my everything. And so the circle is complete. I only hope to help create a better world for her to live in.