Abstract
3rd single from album "Songs in the Key of Collaboration", ph.d. product.
Press release:
Crises abound in the world at the moment, resulting in divisions and stresses affecting our collective state of mind. ‘Freedom Is a State of Mind’ was co-written by Justine Hansen and Martin Høybye in Cape Town and has a crosscutting theme of space. Both inner space and physical space in the form of a sanctuary or safe haven, which the writers urge us to protect.
At the planetary level, it is not only our planet’s ecosphere that is threatened but also our relationships with the natural world and one another. Attitudes that are “poles apart,” as the song mentions, are also apparent in South Africa where systemic inequalities and crime as well as environmental, political, technological, and economic stresses have contributed to widespread despondency. In the face of this, how do we retain resilience?
The co-writers discussed this and other issues during their songwriting session – the first that Hansen had been part of. ‘Freedom Is a State of Mind’ is about finding and protecting places of refuge both “deep inside” and in the spaces, the commons, still accessible to us. Our oceans, nature reserves, communal gardens – places where we can connect with nature, ourselves and one other, and become more mindful of our interdependence.
“The song is a call to protect places of sanctuary, inner and outer, in order to gain increased self-possession and with that more humanity, simplification and healing with ripple effects,” says Justine Hansen. It is also a call to create safe spaces for dialogue where people can speak their truth more freely, even when it goes against convenience and convention.
Listen to “Freedom Is a State of Mind” here: https://hoybye.lnk.to/mind
Watch the music video here: https://youtu.be/OyoD0JzkQ-g
Although literally hailing from different ends of the world, Scandinavia and South Africa, the songwriters quickly found common ground in a desire to try to speak to what we might have in common across divisions, and to look critically at the deeper reasons for our crises
“During the session, we came from a theme of responsibility for others to a theme of convenience. The kind of convenience that drives not only environmental damage but also a market-driven colonization of inner space,” says Martin Høybye.
He co-wrote songs in Cape Town in 2018 and 2019, and in Denmark between 2020 and 2021 as part of an arts-based doctoral research project. ‘Freedom Is a State of Mind’ – out on January 19th 2024 – is the third single from the upcoming album ‘Songs in the Key of Collaboration.’
“We had a give-and-take-conversation and took careful notes, before playing a melody game. After a few hours this song was born, drawing on Justine’s backstory, which is one of overcoming a great deal of turmoil and hardship in her youth. It is a call to protect our sanctuaries, whether tangible or intangible, from being slowly appropriated in the midst of the many interconnected crises we are living through,” says Martin Høybye.
More info:
‘Freedom Is a State of Mind´ is the 3rd single from Martin Høybye’s upcoming album “Songs in the Key of Collaboration,” a The New Songrise production released May 3rd 2024 through Songcrafter Music
“Songs in the Key of Collaboration” contains 10 songs written with people who accepted Martin’s open invitation to co-write – regardless of any musical experience. All songs were created based on the experiences of the collaborators.
The album was produced by Dennis Ahlgren, and is the product part of Martin Høybye’s arts- and practice-based PhD thesis “Songs in the Key of Collaboration – Engaging with Anthropocene moments through personal and collaborative songwriting,” (Aarhus University, 2023).
See also:
The project “Co-write with Martin”: https://martinhøybye.dk/co-write-with-martin/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ArtistMartinHoybye/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martinhoybye/
Press release:
Crises abound in the world at the moment, resulting in divisions and stresses affecting our collective state of mind. ‘Freedom Is a State of Mind’ was co-written by Justine Hansen and Martin Høybye in Cape Town and has a crosscutting theme of space. Both inner space and physical space in the form of a sanctuary or safe haven, which the writers urge us to protect.
At the planetary level, it is not only our planet’s ecosphere that is threatened but also our relationships with the natural world and one another. Attitudes that are “poles apart,” as the song mentions, are also apparent in South Africa where systemic inequalities and crime as well as environmental, political, technological, and economic stresses have contributed to widespread despondency. In the face of this, how do we retain resilience?
The co-writers discussed this and other issues during their songwriting session – the first that Hansen had been part of. ‘Freedom Is a State of Mind’ is about finding and protecting places of refuge both “deep inside” and in the spaces, the commons, still accessible to us. Our oceans, nature reserves, communal gardens – places where we can connect with nature, ourselves and one other, and become more mindful of our interdependence.
“The song is a call to protect places of sanctuary, inner and outer, in order to gain increased self-possession and with that more humanity, simplification and healing with ripple effects,” says Justine Hansen. It is also a call to create safe spaces for dialogue where people can speak their truth more freely, even when it goes against convenience and convention.
Listen to “Freedom Is a State of Mind” here: https://hoybye.lnk.to/mind
Watch the music video here: https://youtu.be/OyoD0JzkQ-g
Although literally hailing from different ends of the world, Scandinavia and South Africa, the songwriters quickly found common ground in a desire to try to speak to what we might have in common across divisions, and to look critically at the deeper reasons for our crises
“During the session, we came from a theme of responsibility for others to a theme of convenience. The kind of convenience that drives not only environmental damage but also a market-driven colonization of inner space,” says Martin Høybye.
He co-wrote songs in Cape Town in 2018 and 2019, and in Denmark between 2020 and 2021 as part of an arts-based doctoral research project. ‘Freedom Is a State of Mind’ – out on January 19th 2024 – is the third single from the upcoming album ‘Songs in the Key of Collaboration.’
“We had a give-and-take-conversation and took careful notes, before playing a melody game. After a few hours this song was born, drawing on Justine’s backstory, which is one of overcoming a great deal of turmoil and hardship in her youth. It is a call to protect our sanctuaries, whether tangible or intangible, from being slowly appropriated in the midst of the many interconnected crises we are living through,” says Martin Høybye.
More info:
‘Freedom Is a State of Mind´ is the 3rd single from Martin Høybye’s upcoming album “Songs in the Key of Collaboration,” a The New Songrise production released May 3rd 2024 through Songcrafter Music
“Songs in the Key of Collaboration” contains 10 songs written with people who accepted Martin’s open invitation to co-write – regardless of any musical experience. All songs were created based on the experiences of the collaborators.
The album was produced by Dennis Ahlgren, and is the product part of Martin Høybye’s arts- and practice-based PhD thesis “Songs in the Key of Collaboration – Engaging with Anthropocene moments through personal and collaborative songwriting,” (Aarhus University, 2023).
See also:
The project “Co-write with Martin”: https://martinhøybye.dk/co-write-with-martin/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ArtistMartinHoybye/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martinhoybye/
| Originalsprog | Engelsk |
|---|---|
| Publikationsdato | 18. jan. 2024 |
| Publikationsmedier | YouTube |
| Status | Udgivet - 18. jan. 2024 |