SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — A singer’s original songs about the darker moments of life are striking a chord with many.
"Free (I Remember)" is the new single from an album titled "Subtle Motions" by Summerside resident Nikkie Gallant, which has just been released.
“I’ve been working on this album with famed songwriter and producer Nathan Wiley. We are just releasing one song at a time until spring, but it’s exciting to have new music out there,” said Gallant, who has earned three Music P.E.I. nominations, including songwriter of the year.
The song sheds light on how the past is often glorified, when the reality is a lot grittier.
“I was inspired by a P.E.I. history course I was taking, and I work in the field of history and heritage. The course was highlighting how we often think about the ‘good old days’ through rose-coloured glasses. The truth is, the past was full of disruptions, disparities, catastrophic epidemics, mass-mobilization warfare,” she said.
There’s more to this single than just a history lesson, as Gallant digs into her own past.
“Underlying the lyrics is a history of domestic violence that I lived through. In this specific circumstance, a line talks about being free from something that needed to end. In this case, it was a relationship that really needed to end but I wanted it to work out,” she said.
“I hoped the person would change, but he wasn’t interested. There was one point in our three-year relationship where I had finally left. He tried to lure me back by buying me an engagement ring and promising change, but by then I knew the real him and I deserved a whole lot more.”
"Free" comes at an appropriate time as we move into the new year.
Lyrics can be connected to leaving a toxic work environment, a romantic relationship or a friendship that isn’t working, depending on the listener, while being open to new experiences.
“I would never have chosen to be in that bad relationship, but from the experience, I make this music and it helps others dealing with similar situations. To them I say, ‘you are not alone and there is always hope.”
Award-winning and critically-acclaimed folk acoustic P.E.I. singer-songwriter Catherine MacLellan, as well as Charlottetown singer-songwriter Drea MacDonald, are the backup vocals for "Free."
More information can be found at, nikkiegallant.com.
Watch Nikkie Gallant perform "Dark Places" in the video below:
