On March 2, Glasgow-based musician Chiara Berardelli releases her brand-new studio album, Seamonster – her most personal project to date.
Recorded in the inspiring artists’ community of the Hidden Lane in Glasgow’s West End, the album follows her 2014 EP, My Big Mouth and 2010 debut LP, Don’t Be So Lovely. This time around she’s taken more control in every part of the recording process, allowing her to impart her ideas at a deeper level than ever before. Listen to the album’s lead single, Deep Space Hibernation (available for free for one month via Bandcamp), a song that came about when Chiara heard the term used to describe the two-year hibernation process of the probe Rosetta on its Space mission.
On Seamonster Chiara confronts one of her most painful inner heartaches – the sadness of not having children. “I had a deep longing to be a mother but it just didn’t happen”, she explains. “I’ve never written an album around one theme before, but the idea started forming as I wrote more songs and it felt fitting, a way of honouring the strength of feeling.”
“When I was at my lowest ebb, the idea of going to sleep for a long time and waking up when the pain was over seemed very attractive. Although it depicts sadness, I think it’s an uplifting song, perhaps reflected by the analogy of space, something way bigger than ourselves.”
‘Seamonster’ is a record that provides optimism, positivity and solace. The songs depict a journey, from the crashing realisation that something so longed for is permanently out of reach in the title track to the tentative beginnings of finding joy again in ‘Somewhere New’.
“I hope that anyone in my situation may gain comfort from the words expressed and know that others feel the same. The more involuntary childlessness is given a voice, the more those experiencing it can tell their story without shame.”
Chiara Berardelli grew up in the Highlands of Scotland, learning classical piano but counting down the days until Sunday 5 pm when Radio 1’s Top 40 was broadcast across the Glencoe mountains and she could get her pop fix. She left her job as a doctor to return to her true passion for music, studying in London and Bath, where she achieved a Masters in Songwriting.
Seamonster will be available at Bandcamp, iTunes, Spotify and Amazon on 02 March 2018
Download Deep Space Hibernation via Bandcamp (free for one month): https://chiaraberardelli.bandcamp.com/track/deep-space-hibernation