A MOBO Award-nominated musician from Coventry is releasing a poignant remixed version of her charity record to mark National Grief Awareness Week from Thursday.
A new orchestral mix of My Darling, will be available to download on Friday, a song which its writer Sandra Godley, hopes will provide some support for those grieving at Christmas.
The original version of My Darling, which was first released in August, has already raised more than £1,000 for three local charities in the wake of the pandemic – Surviving Bereavement, Molly Olly’s Wishes and Coventry and Warwickshire Mind.
It is a particularly heartfelt piece of work for the Bristol-born musician and local radio presenter, Sandra, who is still grieving the loss of her own aunt to the virus in April last year.
On announcing the remix, she said: “Grief affects us every day of the year. As we approach Christmas, many people like me will be challenged by memories of loved ones. There will certainly be an empty chair around the dining table at my house.
“I’m hoping this song will be a help to everyone experiencing grief during Christmas time. We can walk this journey together.
‘Grieving is changing me. I’ll make it through’ are lines in the song where dreams become alive for the future and hope leads us all towards a better day.”
My Darling: Orchestra Remix is the result of a collaboration between Sandra, Wings Media Group and producer Matt Cossey and guitarist John Connearn from The Nexus Institute of Creative Arts in Coventry.
With four successful albums and a clutch of awards to her name, Sandra’s proudest musical career highlights include singing in The House of Commons as well as creating and performing The Big Love Song as a wedding gift for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, joined by a choir of mental health ambassadors on BBC’s The One Show, in 2018.
And this is another project that’s particularly close to her heart.
She added: “With this version, I wanted to bring something different to the table, combining many of the genres I love into one sonic twist of emotions. There’s a little pop, gospel, RnB and orchestral, all in the mix.
“I’m incredibly excited about this release. The first time I heard it, I cried. Matt Cossey has done a fantastic job! The song has grown and this time it takes you on a more extensive and sensitive journey of lament and hope. There’s intensity in this orchestral remix which releases something in your soul to smile, mourn, cry, whilst still retaining the overall sound pallet of the song. I love it!”
My Darling marks a departure from Sandra’s usual soul and gospel style, instead following more contemporary musical influences to appeal to a wider audience impacted by Covid or otherwise-related loss.
The single’s producer Matt Cossey said: “Coming off the back of a global pandemic, this track has been really meaningful to work on, but also a real privilege. Trying to simultaneously capture the sound of grief and hope was a particularly interesting and poignant challenge, but I think we have managed it!”
My Darling is available to download for 79p all digital platforms from December 3rd.
Pre save and be the first to hear it here
