Keith musician's sea shanty, With Women, pays tribute to Scotland's midwives
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A KEITH music student has caught the sea shanty wave in a song she penned to pay tribute to Scotland’s midwives.
Jazz Dey (28), a BA commercial music student in Glasgow, has enjoyed success on the Scottish music scene under the pseudonym, Modern Sonder.
Her song, With Women, has been released as part of a collaboration with midwifery staff and students at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS).
With Women tells the story of a mother giving birth, and the support, compassion and care she receives from midwives.
All proceeds raised from the single, which was timed to celebrate the International Day of the Midwife on May 5, will go towards the UWS Student Midwife Scholarship Fund.
The track was inspired by singing sensation Nathan Evans, and his sea shanty Wellerman, which went viral on social media.
Jazz said: "I first heard about the song from another commercial music student, Lorna Futter, who pitched the idea at one of our lectures. I immediately thought that I wanted to get involved with this project.
"It was the midwifery staff who came up with the idea of it being a sea shanty actually, and it just so happened that this format worked really well as a way of expressing the thoughts and feelings of midwives and new mothers.
"A sea shanty often features a lead vocal, and what’s known as a gang vocal, which is provided by a group of people.
"In With Women, the lead vocal in the track is the mother, and the gang vocals come from the midwives, providing her support, so in a sense it tells two different stories."
Despite being a songwriter with experience of traditional Scottish music, Jazz had never written a sea shanty before.
She added: "These days, I typically perform in the rock and pop genres, so it was a little bit of a challenge for me to put myself into that world.
"I did a lot of research into the history of the sea shanty and the role that women played in the history of the fishing industries in Scotland.
"Typically, it was men who would go out to sea, but women played a big role both while the men were offshore and after they returned. They really were integral in the culture, which then developed this style of music."
Lorna, creative producer for the song, was delighted with the end result. She said: "The initial brief came from midwifery staff, and I came up with the idea of getting midwives involved.
"Jazz has done an amazing job at putting together a powerful song, encapsulating the feelings felt as a baby is born.
"This was achieved in part thanks to inspiring meetings with midwifery staff and students – it was their stories that inspired Jazz’s lyrics."
UWS midwifery lecturer Sheona Brown said: "I’m absolutely delighted that we were able to work with Jazz and Lorna, who are musicians of the highest calibre. When I heard With Women for the first time, I was absolutely blown away.
"The reception to With Women has been overwhelmingly positive, and I’m so pleased that it is raising money for such a good cause."
With Women is available to download and stream via Bandcamp here.
