Life can cause adversity and be a bumpy ride. But despite this, we must believe in the best in people and learn to lift each other up. The opportunity to change ourselves and each other is always at our fingertips: When we extend our hand to others.
(Scroll for dansk)
The chorus to “We Can Change” came almost verbatim from the conversation Lul Omar and Martin Høybye had when they co-wrote the song. Among other things, they talked about Omar’s experience of going through lockdowns during the Corona pandemic. She hadn’t experienced racism before in Denmark, but at one point, her community in Aarhus inadvertently became a spreader of the virus. During that time, she did experience comments that were directed at her solely because of her background as a second-generation Somali immigrant.
Can we not respect each other / I don’t like the acting game /
Let’s not hide, let’s uplift each other / I still believe that we can change.
But the problems that Lul Omar experienced in daily life were centered more around negative social control in her immediate community. She experienced a shadow society where everyone was watching everyone, and where youths and young adults exerted a form of control over each other. She was very reflective of this situation, as she had previously founded the Najima Association, which worked to support children and young people with dual cultural backgrounds in Denmark.
Omar’s own childhood was characterized by neglect, violence, abuse, and mental illness at home. Her mother left her father due to violence, and she grew up with two brothers and a sister in a social housing project in Aarhus. Until she was sent to be re-educated in a village in Somalia, which did not end well. She eventually returned to Denmark, but since then often had trouble coping with everyday life.
Her experiences made her feel like she no longer belonged in any culture, when she wrote “We Can Change” with Martin Høybye. But despite this, she believed and believes in the best in people. She is against dishonesty and “acting,” and believes that: “We need to lift each other up. I believe we can change,” as we hear in the chorus to “We Can Change.”
Shortly after the songwriting session, Lul Omar was the victim of a violent assault. She survived but was hospitalized and underwent surgery. She has now moved to another city but has chosen to be cited publicly as co-writer of her song “We Can Change”.
Listen to “We Can Change” here: https://martinhoybye.bandcamp.com/track/we-can-change
Music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI9sAQjIzwQ
——————– More info ——————–
Martin Høybye is a singer and songwriter with a PhD in songcrafting processes and seven full length albums under his belt, most recently “The Hourglass Sessions” from 2019. He has been writing songs collaboratively with people in South Africa, the DRC, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Ghana, England, Sweden and Denmark since 2018, gauging lived experiences of living with climate change, the biodiversity crisis, and other issues.
‘We Can Change´ is the 4th single from Martin Høybye’s upcoming album “Songs in the Key of Collaboration,” a The New Songrise production released May 3rd 2024 through Songcrafter Music.
“Songs in the Key of Collaboration” contains 10 songs written with people who accepted Martin’s open invitation to co-write – regardless of any musical experience. All songs were created based on the experiences of the collaborators. The album was produced by Dennis Ahlgren, and is the product part of Martin Høybye’s arts- and practice-based PhD thesis “Songs in the Key of Collaboration – Engaging with Anthropocene moments through personal and collaborative songwriting,” (Aarhus University, 2023).
See also:
The project “Co-write with Martin”: https://martinhøybye.dk/co-write-with-martin/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ArtistMartinHoybye/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martinhoybye/
He has written two music related books (‘Noget om sangskrivning’ 2010, ‘For alt I verden’ 2016).
Miscellaneous praise:
-‘Songwriter of the Year’ – SongIsland
-Honorary Songwriter Award – Danish Songwriters Guild
-Danish Music Award-nominee (Songwriter of the Year)
-Danish Music Award-nominee (Album of the Year)
-Winner of Unison Songwriter’s Competiton
Several finalist placements and honorable mentions, USA Songwriting Competition, International Songwriting Competiton, the Great American Song Contest. Most recently the single “End of the World” received an Honorable Mention Award in the Great American Song Contest, 2023.
// DANSK //
Singlen “We Can Change” – en opfordring til at række ud til andre og skabe forandring
Livet kan byde på ubærlige knubs og stor modstand, men på trods af det, må vi tro på det bedste i mennesker. Vi er nødt til at lære at løfte hinanden op. Og muligheden for at forandre os selv og hinanden har vi altid lige ved hånden, nemlig den udstrakte hånd. Ny single er en opfordring til at række ud for at skabe forandring.
Omkvædet til ”We Can Change” kom næsten ordret ud af den samtale, Lul Omar og Martin Høybye havde, da de skrev sangen. De talte bl.a. om Omars oplevelse af at gå gennem Corona-nedlukningerne. Hun havde ikke oplevet racisme i Danmark før, men på et tidspunkt blev hendes lokalsamfund i Aarhus utilsigtet en spreder af virussen. I løbet af den tid oplevede hun kommentarer på gaden, som var rettet mod hende udelukkende på grund af hendes baggrund som anden-generations somalisk indvandrer.
Can we not respect each other / I don’t like the acting game /
Let’s not hide, let’s uplift each other / I still believe that we can change.
Men de problemer, hun oplevede til daglig, handlede mere om negativ social kontrol. For hun oplevede også et skyggesamfund, hvor alle holdt øje med alle, og hvor det særligt var yngre mennesker, der udøvede en form for social kontrol over for hinanden. Hun kendte emnet godt, for Lul Omar grundlagde i sin tid Najima Association, som arbejdede for at støtte børn og unge med dobbelt kulturel baggrund i Danmark.
Omar havde selv en barndom, der var præget af omsorgssvigt, vold, misbrug og psykisk sygdom i hjemmet. Moren forlod faren på grund af vold, og hun voksede op med to brødre og en søster i et socialt boligbyggeri i Aarhus. Indtil hun blev sendt på genopdragelse i en landsby i Somalia, hvilket ikke endte godt. Hun kom til sidst tilbage til Danmark, men har siden da ofte haft problemer med at klare hverdagen.
Hun følte ikke længere følte, at hun helt hørte til i nogen bestemt kultur, da hun skrev ”We Can Change” med Martin Høybye. Men på trods af det, troede og tror hun på det bedste i mennesker. Hun er imod uærlighed og “skuespil” og mener, at: “vi er nødt til at løfte hinanden op. Jeg tror på vi kan forandre os.” Ligesom det lyder i ”We Can Change.”
Kort efter sangskrivningsmødet blev Lul Omar udsat for et voldeligt overfald. Hun overlevede men blev indlagt og gennemgik operation. Hun er nu flyttet til en anden by, men har valgt at stå frem med sit rigtige navn som medforfatter til sin sang “We Can Change”.
Lyt til “We Can Change” her: https://martinhoybye.bandcamp.com/track/we-can-change
Musikvideo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI9sAQjIzwQ
——————– Mere info ——————–
Mere om projektet “Co-write with Martin” her: https://martinhøybye.dk/co-write-with-martin/
Martin Høybyes Facebook-side: https://www.facebook.com/ArtistMartinHoybye/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martinhoybye/
Baggrund
Martin Høybye er en sanger og sangskriver med en ph.d. i sangskrivningsprocesser (2023) og syv albumudgivelser bag sig, senest ’The Hourglass Sessions’ fra 2019. Siden 2018 har han lavet kunstnerisk forskning og skrevet sange i samarbejde med folk fra ind- og udland med udgangspunkt i oplevelser af bl.a. at gå igennem klima- og biodiversitetskriserne.
‘We Can Change’ er fjerde single fra Martin Høybyes kommende album ‘Songs in the Key of Collaboration,’ der udkommer 3. maj 2024 på Songcrafter Music. Pladen indeholder ti sange, der bl.a. er skrevet med folk fra Sydafrika, Den Republikanske republik Congo, Zimbabwe, Somalien, Ghana, England, Sverige og Danmark, som har taget imod Høybyes åbne invitation til at samarbejde med ham – uanset om de havde foregående musikalsk erfaring eller ej.
Alle sange er skabt på baggrund af samarbejdspartnernes oplevelser og erfaringer.
Albummet er produceret af Dennis Ahlgren, og det indgår som et produkt i Martin Høybyes ph.d.- afhandling ’Songs in the Key of Collaboration – Engaging with Anthropocene moments through personal and collaborative songwriting,’ (Aarhus Universitet, 2023).
Martin Høybye har skrevet to musikrelaterede bøger:
’Noget om sangskrivning’ (2010) og ’For alt i verden’ (2016)).
Han har løbende modtaget priser og anerkendelse for sin sangskrivning i ind- og udland:
‘Songwriter of the Year’ – SongIsland
Æreslegat – Danske Populær Autorer
Danish Music Award-nomineret (Årets sangskriver)
Danish Music Award-nomineret (Årets album)
Vinder af Unison Songwriter’s Competiton
Flere gange finalist i: The USA Songwriting Competition, International Songwriting Competiton, the Great American Song Contest, samt We are Listening. Senest Honorable Mention i the Great American Song Contest, 2023.
