Starling Arrow, an all-star collaboration that brings together five leading American contemporary folk singers, has released a single titled “Wild Sweet” that will be included in their debut album.
The ensemble includes talented songwriters Leah Song and Chloe Smith of Rising Appalachia, Tina Malia, Ayla Nereo, and Marya Stark. Their debut album, Cradle, is due out January 2023.
Starling Arrow was unintentionally developed during the pandemic’s lockdown. In the wake of canceled tours, the 5 musicians were inspired to meet weekly over Zoom to collectively sing. Each week, they chose a topic and style of song to inspire their writing. Then, the following week, they would share what they had created, in the round, each taking a turn to unveil their song. It was during these sessions from which the new album was born.
The first song off the new album is “Wild Sweet.” It highlights the group’s songwriting and harmonies.
Ayla Nero wrote and shared the song “Wild Sweet” with the ensemble and recalls, “Each of us was tasked with bringing two original songs to record. While I had a few options of lullabies to bring, and even started recording one of them, I felt something else wanting to come through. Tina encouraged me to keep searching and in the wee midnight hours, I rediscovered this melody from the archives of my recordings.” She adds, “The foundation of Wild Sweet was born out of a loop pedal improv on a New Year’s sunrise set at a small festival many years ago. But the song was fully written during our recording process together in Asheville.”
“One of our songwriting prompts during our group mastermind had been ‘polishing an old gem’, so I dove into polishing this song seed. The lyrics came swiftly, inspired by the energy of being in the cocoon of staying at home during lockdown, as well as the cocoon of our songwriting immersion, and the magic of recording this album together. It was the final song to be written during this cycle of our collective song-catching journey, and captures the essence of what we were gathering. Wild Sweet sings to the emergence of widened wings after a deep season of rest, just as humanity is re-emerging into a new season of becoming.”
Author: World Music Central News Room
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