BEHIND THE SONG
THE LIGHT is a captivating song inspired by the TEDx Cumbernauld Women theme for this year: WHAT NOW?
Lennon, Lyon and Spina performed THE LIGHT as part of The TEDx Event on Sunday 5th December 2021 in Cumbernauld. Marking the third consecutive year of the TEDx Cumbernauld Women event, which runs in parallel with its sister event held in Palm Springs, USA, Lennon was invited back to continue the narrative of her inspiring 2019 TEDx Talk: Little Bird, Little Sailor, shaped by the lyrics of her song of the same title.
For her second TEDx offering, Creator and Host of The Homebird Sessions, Lennon brought together for the first time in this TEDx Special of the Show, three of Scotland’s Award-winning female talents: Elaine Lennon, Yvonne Lyon and Adriana Spina, offering the debut live performance of THE LIGHT in this pioneering musical demonstration of the potential of ‘What Now?’ possibilities.
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Part of a full day event with speakers from near and far delivering ‘ideas worth sharing’ on how we design the new normal, this special The Homebird Sessions at TEDx experience reached a 250 strong audience, both in-person and online, but also a potential audience of millions via the TED.com platform and TED YouTube Channel. It offers the global TED community a taste of what happens when artists come together to share their songs and stories, shining a light on Scottish songwriting talent.
Director of the TEDx Cumbernauld Women Maureen Hascoet de Cuestas said 'I do really admire the drive, ethos & professionalism with which these women lead their careers. I can’t wait to hear what these talents have created for us! What a treat!'
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THE LIGHT was created when these independent female Scottish singer songwriters who have masterfully grown through what has been the music industry’s worst year on record, came together to co-write a song inspired by this event. THE LIGHT reflects how they’ve drawn on their inner strength, friendship and respect to honour the light in each other, seeking out new ways to evolve as artists, individuals and as a community of songwriters.
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Winner of Celtic Music Radio’s Album of the Year for her Creative Scotland supported debut release, Elaine said: 'This release reflects the musical journey we have been on and where we are now moving into 2022. I’ve loved every minute of co-writing and performing with these two insanely talented humans and am extremely proud of what we have been able to bring to life in THE LIGHT. It’s been a joy to see the TEDx WHAT NOW? concept taken to a new level artistically and I’m delighted to be returning to the TEDx stage with The Homebird Sessions to connect once more with a global audience.'
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In what is the first ever song created specifically for a TEDx event, the poignant lyrics and uplifting melody of THE LIGHT offer the heart-felt and inspiring message of pushing forward with unity and purpose into the ‘What Now?’. It acknowledges and nurtures the light we see in ourselves and those around us: the light in me honours the light in you.
Yvonne, who recently released her 10th studio album GROWING WILD to high acclaim, said: 'It’s so good to have a focus for our friendship and collaboration which has been growing over the years. It feels like we were meant to create this song for this moment and it’s a lovely culmination of our collective songwriting experience and shared respect for one another.'
Adriana, who is currently working on her highly anticipated third album said: 'What a thrill it is to be collaborating with Yvonne and Elaine, both as part of the prestigious TedX event, and in the co-creation of The Light - a song that sums up perfectly how our friendship has been a source of encouragement for us over these difficult times. I’m so excited to be part of this project - it’s a pleasure to be working alongside such good friends, and immensely talented women.'
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THE LIGHT gives a glimpse of what may be to come from these talented and inspiring artists and hints of future collaborations to be released under The Homebird Sessions brand.
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'Beautiful track. Loved playing it!' CHRIS BAXTER - The Late Show's Acoustic track fo the Week on BBC Wiltshire, BBC Somerset, BBC Bristol & BBC Gloucestershire.
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'I love it!' EVE BLAIR BBC Radio Ulster
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'Stunning. Inspiring lyrics, wonderful musicianship and harmonies at their very best. This partnership could comfortably be described as the "crème de la crème" of Scottish music and songwriting. Truly uplifting!' FATEA MAGAZINE
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'Three of my very favourite singers and songwriters. The result is as wonderful as you’d expect. The Light - Yes!' BOO HEWERDINE
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'There is an uplifting warmth in this song, reflecting the collective joy and intimacy kindred musical voices create.' MIKE RITCHIE, Celtic Music Radio.
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'The perfect composition for what TEDx Cumbernauld women stands for: sisterhood, celebration and reflection.’ MAUREEN HASCOET (Director of TEDx Women Cumbernauld).
THE HOMEBIRD SESSIONS AT TEDX WITH YVONNE LYON & ADRIANA SPINA
ABOUT TEDX WOMEN CUMBERNAULD
TEDX Cumbernauld Women is coming back this year, on Dec 5th 2021, at the Castlecary hotel, for 150 people live and an additional 100 people on live-streaming. This is the third consecutive event and the only TEDX Women event in Scotland!
There will be 14 speakers / acts / performances, on the theme ‘What Now?’ from both the UK and US reinforcing the idea that Cumbernauld has its voices heard AND that we attract international voices too, putting my local town on the map as a hub for progressive thinking.
We have ‘ideas worth sharing’ from a wide variety of topics from the criminal justice system to business via grief and so many more. ‘What Now?’ allows us to come together as women in the community and share ideas on how we design the new normal... who we want to be and what systems we want in place to support our new visions for the world.
TEDXCumbernauldWomen is about bringing us all together and taking stock of the place’s best asset: its people, its talents and our appetite for community events.
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YVONNE LYON
Yvonne’s new album Growing Wild is a stunning collection of timeless songs, arguably her finest to date. Featuring twelve original tracks, including co-writes with Beth Nielsen Chapman, Boo Hewerdine, Julie Lee and poet Stewart Henderson, Yvonne continues to demonstrate her strength as an evolving artist, unafraid to paint with a broad and eclectic musical palette. Her tenth studio release does not disappoint.
Due to the cabaret style nature of the Homebird Sessions, online booking is not available. Please contact our Box Office team by telephone or email to make your reservations.
'Just stunning music' - Bob Harris BBC Radio 2
ADRIANA SPINA
Scottish-Italian singer and songwriter Spina’s sound is often hard to categorise. She has worked hard to craft her blend of Americana, folk and country.
With two studio albums to her name, Adriana is a regular on festival bills including Celtic Connections, Glasgow Americana and Butesong. She supported Joan Armatrading on the Scottish dates of her most recent world tour and has opened for acts of the calibre of Sheryl Crow, Paolo Nutini, Eddi Reader and Dar Williams.
Adriana's Christmas single Sparkle was playlisted by BBC Radio Scotland and selected by presenter Janice Forsyth who described it as a “beautiful” single of the week. Let Out The Dark was Album of the Week on BBC Scotland's Iain Anderson.
Adriana released her stunning stand-alone single "Still" in late 2020. A notable departure from her usual sound, with production by Mark Freegard and Boo Hewerdine, Still was critically acclaimed and reached the top 15 on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter chart.
Adriana is currently working on her third album, in collaboration with legendary songwriter Boo Hewerdine.