Mid March and the news headlines went crazy when I announced the release of my next single, 'Testify'. When I wrote the song I knew it would capture attention and maybe create a bit of 'over the garden fence' chatter, but I didn't expect things to go global! The crux of the excitement lay within the subject matter of my song; and who I chose to sing it with as a duet... Let me unravel the story especially for my wonderful Female First readers...
Out May 6
As a playwrite, singer and songwriter I spend most of my days hopping on and off planes and bouncing between my home in Norway, over to the UK and New York. It's a wild and exciting existence and means that I get to meet a huge circle of new people all the time, some of whom quickly become friends. Over time I've noticed a growing trend amongst women, both from my close set of pals and those whom I've just recently begun working with….many feel lonely and at a loss in their lives. They begin drifting away from their husbands and partners as the pressure of raising the kids and juggling a career forces a natural divide between their close relationships.
This is normal right? Nothing new here I hear you saying. But what I'm also noticing is how a large proportion of these women are turning to each other for support and friendship - and on some occasions that becomes more of a physical relationship too. These aren't women who'd describe themselves as gay, they're just women desperately craving love and affection (maybe just someone to understand them) and it's their long term best friends who seem able to provide that level of relationship even better than their boyfriends and husbands.
Trust me, this is a trend that traverses the boundaries of vast oceans, it's not something that's just taking place on my doorstep. I felt compelled to bring this topic out into the open, to get people talking about it in a candid and free way. The best way to do that was to put pen to paper and depict this story in song. That's how my new single 'Testify' was conceived - it's a testament to the love of women and proudly boasts, "she's my lover"….it's a celebration of all women who maybe feel that their best friend can be more than just someone to talk to.
Fresh out of her whirlwind marriage and relying on her female friends for support, Sugababe Amelle Berrabah was the obvious choice to duet with me on this track. As soon as she heard the demo, Amelle instantly connected with this song, as a hi-five to the girl power that had seen her through her recent turbulent times. Her strong female vocals worked perfectly in the studio and we were able to create a beautiful melodic cocktail of voices that skip around the fun, cheeky beat of 'Testify'.
In a year that celebrates twenty years since the original girl-power ambassadors, The Spicegirls, hit No1 with 'Wannabe' - I feel now is the time for us girls to live life to the full and love every day!
My track 'Testify' with Amelle is released on 6 May on Intimacy Records.