On 17th March, two pop sensations collaborated on a song to create a beautiful vision for the world; the two singers were Ingrid Michaelson and Zayn Malik on ‘To Begin Again‘.
Throughout most of the song, a slow, sweet piano sound flows through as Zayn and Ingrid reflect on life and how difficult it can be. Focusing on the past and how it can feel as we live each day, Ingrid sings about how she remembers; “When the world was ending / I’d hold you in my arms / And we talked about the places we’d never been.”
As soon as the tempo increases, the song switches from focusing on the past to looking forward to the future, bringing hope to lives as we enter a new beginning, slowly making our way out of lockdown. “But then the sun came right back / And the birds sang as if nothing had happened / And it’s alright, it’s okay / We will get another day / To begin again, to begin again, to begin again.”
“I wrote ‘To Begin Again’ the night that Biden won. There was so much joy in my neighborhood. Pots and pans being banged out of windows. Horns and whistles. Clapping. Singing! The collective sigh of relief resonated with me in such a way that I had to get it out musically. I sat at the piano and wrote most of the song right there in 15 minutes. Sarah Aarons helped me finish it, most notably writing the second verse, and when she sang it on the demo, I knew the song had to be a duet. I love ZAYN’s voice, especially when he goes high and sweet and sad. It was the perfect fit. The song is a song of hope and of release. Of beginning again…”
Ingrid Michaelson
It is another single that we have collected and appreciated through lockdown, as rising artists and mainstream artists start singing about the past, and combining it with hope for the future, its the songs that bring us joy to help live each day.
Why not listen to ‘To Begin Again‘ now?