Old Me by "The Poet"

This video makes me feel so much more than my usual releases. Maybe because it doesn’t involve just myself, but instead incredible people who share stories that overlap in some way.

It feels a fateful pairing of forms that were created separately, yet work better together as a whole. “Old Me” is a recording of the person I wrote my song “The Poet” about, performed live in 2019 before she lost her voice and mind at the mercy of a broken healthcare system.

If you’ve been following my last year of music, you may know of “The Poet” already. A song I dedicated to my mum after we lost her in January 2023. Though my friend had suffered greatly and was left unable to share poetry any longer, every lyric seemed to align with the fate my mother also suffered in the end. I felt both of these rare and beautiful souls weren’t treated as people, but more like numbers or beds to spare. Both powerful with their poetry and painting, it was there I thought maybe it’s our world that’s most unwell? Lacking in the very essence and compassion both of these women possessed.

When placing "Old Me" by Rebecca Riley (The Poet) over the instrumental track it felt powerful. Not to mention the pairing of Arianna Sansone dancing to “The Poet”, captured by Ed Hall in one take as she danced to a song she’d never heard before. It  feels important to mention that she’s never heard this poem, yet her performance weaves perfectly with Becky's words.

It all feels bound together by a force none of us can consciously control. Simply being conduits of a shared universal message of human suffering and finding salvation, peace and beauty within.

Finally I wanted to add that while finalising the video this week, Becky reached out to tell me she’s been writing poetry - she’s found her voice again. She hadn’t known I was getting ready to share this video yet. And as ever, I’m in awe with life’s mysteries and also - Becky’s new poems.

Enjoy and please share, for anyone suffering with depression, anxiety or addiction. I believe Becky’s words may have the power to help in some way.