néomí - 'Garden'
Folk-pop artist néomí releases touching new single, “garden,” inspired by her grandfather’s battle with Alzheimer's.
Neomi Speelman is a Dutch-Surinamese musician who has received praise from publications like Sunday Times and Gigwise, and even got support from BBC6 with her single “your girl.” She plans to play at the 2024 Eurosonic Festival and more locations across the Netherlands next May, and will be performing in Antwerp this December. And in June of 2022, Neomi released her debut EP before which got 3 million streams. Despite this amazing success, Neomi quit piano after playing for five years as a young girl, never wanting to play again. Four years later, her inspiration returned when she was captivated by a video of Ben Howard performing “Old Pine,” soon learning the guitar and later going to music school in Amsterdam. Her music features ethereal, dream-like soundscapes, undoubtedly inspired by folk musicians such as Bob Dylan and Bon Iver and, of course, the aforementioned Ben Howard. Neomi said of the three of them: “Their lyrics are outstanding and insanely beautiful. I don’t think they make songs, but they make art, poems. (Longevity, 2023)” This same creative beauty can certainly be heard in her new single; it will touch a soft spot in many.
“garden” wrote itself when Neomi’s keyboard player, Wannes, started playing the song’s opening chords, and she was transported to her grandparents’ lush garden, the song suddenly coming to life. Neomi’s divine voice sends out ripples of love as the moving strings, composed by instrumentalist Abby Gunderson, lift the song and complement the tender piano. The lyrics “I can tell you it’s Christmas Eve/And loving her is what you do” describe how Neomi saw her grandfather slowly forgetting his whole world with Alzheimer’s but still remembering the love for his wife, Neomi’s grandmother. She says, “I see him walking around the garden or at family parties just completely lost but as long as my grandmother is there he will be fine.” Neomi’s music video, shot by videographer Liz van den Akker, features assorted clips of her grandparents in their house and garden – at one point, Neomie sitting on the bench with them – surrounded by their beautiful flowers, filling the viewer with nostalgia and emotional contentment.
Have a listen to “garden,” a melody as pretty as Neomie’s grandparents’ flowers.
Words by Lana Williams
