‘Freedom’ is the new protest single from Scottish singer-songwriter Beldon Haigh, who is joining the anti-Trump camp along with his powerful and inspiring ballad.
Beldon was a prolific songwriter back in the 80s with bands such as Boxing Clever and Mikifin, but since then he developed his skills as an artist, taking 18 months to write and record his new solo album from which ‘Freedom’ is taken.
Interestingly, the idea for the song came to Beldon in a dream and so he quickly jotted it down when he woke up, penning the song in just twenty minutes. Beldon recorded most of the track at his home studio in Falkirk, but he then traveled to New York to records the strings and piano, whilst the overall product was mastered in Los Angeles with the help of Stefano Bonzi.
With quality songwriting skills and musicianship, ballads and protest songs come easily to Beldon, using hints of humour combined with substantial lyricism to create meaningful music, as can be seen in ‘Freedom’. In addition, Haigh prefers to use real musicians and instruments when recording his music, as opposed to fabricated sounds, in order to gain a high level of authenticity.
Beldon is influenced by a wide range of artists, covering a number of genres that all contribute towards his easy-listening, pop-rock sound. These artists include Bob Dylan, James Taylor and Lou Reed, as well as pop acts like Tears for Fears and Elbow.
The context behind Haigh’s protest song ‘Freedom’ is even more important to him considering his family background. Beldon’s wife is a Honduran immigrant with family in the US who are under threat of deportation from Trump’s policies and he is also a father of three children, one of whom is mixed race. In addition, Beldon’s mother was a pioneer for the Women’s Ministry and was the first ever Scottish female priest in the Episcopalian church – as such, he was raised with an acute appreciation of feminism and women’s rights.
Trying to send out his own message, Beldon is protesting for freedom, simultaneously asking, ‘What does the word even mean?’
Links:
https://twitter.com/beldonhaigh
https://www.facebook.com/Beldon-Haigh-Freedom-An-Anti-Trump-Protest-Song-1270990246327550/?fref=ts
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/freedom/id1195525999?i=1195526008