Natalie Holmes – To Be A Woman (2025)
Beginning with grainy videos on YouTube, singer-songwriter Natalie Holmes has expressed her love for life since 2010 – or rather shared her celebration of life with all of us. Described as Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole, Holmes is the Cheshire Cat grinning above with each moment of existence illustriously captured in the madness of the Mad Hatter’s tea party, the psychedelic confusion of the Caterpillar, the oddity of Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and the forcefulness of the Queen of Hearts. Her latest sauntering into Wonderland comes in the form of ‘To Be A Woman’.
Following her well-received singles ‘Bird Song’ and ‘Cacophony’, ‘To Be A Woman’ retains the softness of ‘Bird Song’ but steps further away from the folk-pop tinge to a stronger alternative pop vibe. Produced with William J Stokes, with mixing by Rob Pemberton, ‘To Be A Woman’ is a simplistic tune in one way, but its arrangement is intricate, capturing the complexity of the theme within a shimmering realm of vulnerability, hopefulness, empowerment, and sincerity.
A piano-driven ballad, listening to ‘To Be A Woman’ has charming elegance, matching the structure of a classical piano with Holmes’ twinkling vocals. Interestingly, Holmes’ light voice flits above with a sense of naïve youthfulness, but a structure remains, keeping you anchored in the harmonic symphony. Joined by boci on the violin and Alex Heane on the bass, the classical component breathes in ‘To Be A Woman’ showcasing the artists’ diversity, innovation, and originality.
Melodically, the tune is elegant and enchanting, but it is the concept and lyricism that make ‘To Be A Woman’ profound. Holmes explains:
“This is not a song about being feminine; it is a song about having to navigate the word ‘woman’ and everything it holds. The truth is, it’s laughable, how much of our experience of the world and ourselves can change from one day to the next, whether because of fluctuating hormonal seasons, and/or because of the constantly shifting demands from society on what it is to be a woman. I wanted to highlight, bring awareness to, and honour this frustrating and also sometimes wonderful complexity…”
In addition to the single, Natalie Holmes released an official music video for ‘To Be A Woman’. You can view the video below and/or on her YouTube channel.
Find out more about Natalie Holmes on her official website, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, TikTok and Spotify.
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