South African Celtic Folk Singer-Songwriter, Storyteller, Composer & Guitarist Dawn Melanie is back with her new EP ‘Be The Light’ & Single ‘Remember How’.
Dawn Melanie comments on the EP
“This three track EP is a compilation of two more recently written songs, inspired by the experiences we have collectively shared in the last 2 years, and one much older piece that I felt resonated with the current political and social climate world-wide.”
“As a storyteller, who is in part, what I feel songwriters and musicians do, I feel it is part of my purpose to tell the story’s we all experience and share. Music allows me to tell these stories in a way that crosses all boundaries and hopefully speaks to our common heart, soul, and humanity.”
“I wrote ‘Remember How’ during the unrest in Kwa Zulu Natal a year ago. I wrote it in a morning, feeling the level of anxiety and chaos in the world around my quiet valley home. The words were a call for us to remember what kind of humans we want to be. A call to remember that we all share this world, the highs and lows, and that we were all children once, innocent and without the prejudices, and that in coming together and treating each other with compassion we could rise, rather than fall!
“‘Remember How’ has been planned for release today for many months now, yet little could I have foreseen that again devastation would hit my home province. A massive flood unlike anything seen since the year I was born, swept through, taking with it many homes, businesses, vital infrastructure and an untold number of lives! A year ago KZN communities came together to rebuild after the unrest, and again now we are called to rise and stand side by side, remembering in the wake of this catastrophic natural disaster our humanity.”
“Somehow we must again rescue and rebuild, and remember how to help each other, and heal one another. I hope that this song will offer some small amount of motivation and positivity, in a time of great need, for our strongest humanity to shine through. To all those who are out there rescuing, searching for those lost in the floods, supporting, sheltering, homing and comforting others in this time of chaos… all I can do is thank you from the bottom of my heart for Remembering How.”
“I wrote ‘Burn the House Down’ about 5 years ago. It was written somewhat out of frustration that we were all waiting for someone else to fix the problems, be it governments or God’s, we place the need for repair at the feet of another rather than taking responsibility for a piece of it ourselves. It was a reminder that we are all from this earth and that that is where we all return, but that we could sow seeds that grow trees, and that each small action taken can shift the direction of the world if we are only brave enough to act. That as small as we may feel, we are powerful beyond measure.”
“‘Be The Light’ was written out of love, and a deep understanding of the anxiety, depression, and pain many of us feel as we go through life. We all get our Light dampened by life experience, our happiness often as fleeting as a memory of a dream when you wake in the morning. Yet we can all choose to shine for the ones we love and be the light when their worlds have gone dark, in turn someone will do this for us. If we all act as Light for another, we will find our way even on darkest nights, we will find a reason to hope in hardest times.”
You can listen to the EP HERE.
More info about Dawn Melanie
Dawn Melanie is a singer, songwriter, storyteller, composer, and guitarist. She was born in KwaZulu-Natal South Africa and raised with a strong connection to the place of her birth, as well as her ancestral Scottish, Irish and Germanic roots.
Dawn Melanie’s music is passionately original, an infusion of our stories from ‘here and now’, with something ancient and tribal, that makes you feel connected to stories from ‘there and then’. Her style is a unique and magical mix of Celtic Folk, Gypsy Jazz and Maskanda, with chunky rhythm guitar, haunting finger picked melodies and vibrant vocals.
Whilst performing as a solo artist, Dawn Melanie collaborates wherever the opportunity arises, and has been fortunate to meet and co-create with some amazing performers along the way. Dawn has also become a regular feature at some of South Africa’s music festivals over the last 5 years, including Splashy Fen, Earth Dance, Manifest Festival, Monteseel Music Festival and many more.
Dawn Melanie started writing lyrics and composing before the age of 13 and has a lot of original content in hand by the time she started her music career (just over half a decade ago). However, since then her music has grown and developed into a powerful force for messages and stories relevant to our universal culture. Her first release was a live unedited recording titled ‘Faraway Tales Part 1’ (done by Nibs van der Spuy), to capture the raw beginnings of her music at the start of her career. Her first studio album titled ‘Hear and Now’ captured nine of her many works.
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