“The Robin” was written soon after a huge transition took place in my life.
It all began with a line from Hana’s personal journal entry that she sent me as a gesture to let me know she had been where I was in that moment.
‘I have lived and died so many times’ she writes….
Almost without thinking I opened my phone and began to write the line out as a lyric then adding on to it ‘it’s a wonder I remember….. the contours of my own body and the shape of my own name’
As I continued reading her journal entries — floored by the honesty and complete embodiment I felt in these lines — I heard a song in my mind unfold… through the echoes of her aching and held through the lens of my own lived experience.
I rarely go into this much depth about one of my songs but I wanted to share something really special with my community over here and when you watch the whole conversation, you will understand why it felt so important to tell this story. It is a truly humbling process and reveals so much about the power of trusting one moment to lead you where you need to go next. Brokenness leading to openness — small moments of wonder and curiousity entrusted into the hands of another with love, then being transformed beyond what could have been imagined alone.
I sat down with Hana to talk about the song from start to finish and how not only the lyric-writing was born of collaboration (starting with her journal entries) but also the artwork which was another non-linear arrival through seemingly unrelated pieces of our visual worlds that came together like a path of breadcrumbs for the little robin to follow and show us where to go next.
Nothing is wasted.
All these fragmented broken pieces found a home with each other when laid side by side. A single act of vulnerability sparked a whole world to unfold, and truly, I’m still in awe of how it all happened.
This is one of the most meaningful conversations I’ve had all year and it’s brought me to tears multiple times as I edited it together so it’s taken me ages to actually finish it for sharing! The words Hana shares in this video from her own life and insights are so powerful. This song has been a vessel of healing for us both and I’m so glad you now get to hear the whole story too.
Settle in and enjoy this conversation on the process of “The Robin” with my wonderful friend Hana Tajima-Simpson.
Till next time
Ps. Hana has a beautiful musical project called Juka Ren and her own Substack where she is using her voice to share resources on Palestine.
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