Sing to the Moon by Laura Mvula

"It wasn't until Mvula released 'Sing to the Moon' in March last year - originally written on her labtop when teaching, after graduating from the BIrmingham Convservatoire with a degree in composition - that we were reminded what we'd been missing: someone who sings their own tune."

                                                              Stephanie Rafanelli, The Telegraph

 

Sometimes the things we do simply and quietly can be some of the most beautiful things we share with the world. Not with grandeur, not with the need for huge gestures and applause, but softly and with heart. I mean, think of the writer who wakes up every morning to put something on paper and how those words can be life-changing for the rest of us. Ahh, the books that have pushed my thinking and have, I believe, made me a better person...so many!! 

The more I read about Laura Mvula, a British soul singer, the more I love her style, her presence and her lyrics. She is a classically trained musician with a gorgeous voice. She was a receptionist just a few years ago which also reminds me, where we are today doesn't need to be where we will be tomorrow. There is always another possibility. 

When I listen to 'Sing to the Moon,' there is just so much I feel and hear...the lyrics are like a prayer, a message to keep hoping, to keep believing.

"Hey there you, shattered in a thousand pieces

Weeping in the darkest nights

Hey there you, try to stand up on your own two feet

And stumble into the sky

When the lights go out and you're on your own

How you're gonna make it through till the morning sun

Sing to the moon and the stars will shine

Over you, lead you to the other side

Sing to the moon and the stars will shine

Over you, heaven's gonna turn the time"

There is always another possibility. There has to be. Even when we weep in the darkest nights. When we stumble into the sky, we can sing to the moon and those stars will shine.

I think of these lyrics and think back to watching Selma, the courageous people who made decisions despite consequences. I think about how we're still trying to figure what it means to live equally in the United States. I think about the lost lives in Nigeria. The victims in France. I think about the innocent children in Pakistan. I think about the illnesses and loss we each have to face personally. I think about the journeys in this life. These lyrics, the moving strings, her voice- they all create a sweeping feel of faith. 

That's the power of a woman from Birmingham who wrote a song on her laptop, quietly. Yet, she felt something deeply universal that spoke so loudly to this world. She is someone who sings her own tune and with that tune helps each of us to find solace in a world that can appear at the surface to be so superbly intolerant. Songs like these remind me how love and hope is our life force, our highest energy.

Sing to that moon tonight, y'all.