In honor of Black History Month, Atwood Magazine has invited artists to participate in a series of essays reflecting on identity, music, culture, inclusion, and more.
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Today, Berlin-based vocalist/emcee/pianist Sean Haefeli shares his essay, ‘Reverence, Resonance, Amplified Future,’ about his new single, “Battle Cry,” for Atwood Magazine’s Black History Month series!
Sean Haefeli is an innovative pianist-vocalist, lyricist-composer, distinctively modern and yet, traditionally skilled. He represents a new breed, schooled in jazz, soul and hip-hop, able to execute with an emcee’s sense of flow, a singer’s melodic sensibilities, and a jazz pianist’s deft improvisations.
Born in Indianapolis, Sean studied piano from a young age, later branching out as a vocalist. As a university student, his musical training led him to Chicago, where he delved into the city’s expansive artistic landscape, performing on the spoken-word, hip-hop and jazz scenes. He went on to produce and release three albums while based in Chicago, each taking the listener on an eclectic and personal journey, eliciting references from Gil Scott-Heron, to Bobby McFerrin and Myka 9.
An adventurous spirit, after visiting Berlin, Sean became captivated by the city and spontaneously decided to move. Since, he has performed across Europe, been recognized by international tastemakers, such as Gilles Peterson and Lefto, and distinguished himself through a diverse range of collaborations, notably Jazzanova and The Polish Ambassador.
Sean’s new single, “Battle Cry,” represents the expansive scope of his forthcoming album, ‘Flying Broken Form.’ Read his essay below and listen to “Battle Cry” wherever you stream music!
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REVERENCE, RESONANCE, AMPLIFIED FUTURE
by Sean Haefeli
Harkening back to my earliest musical experiences, “Battle Cry” opens with a deep gospel feeling.
The organ, replaced by an analog synth, accompanies a stripped down beat and plaintive lyrics, “lead me to the water, lead me to your battle cry, no one knows how this will end.”
This opening section takes me back to New Bethel Baptist Church, in Indianapolis, where generations of my family were raised. As a child, I remember being transported by music and the electric power that took hold when members of the church suddenly found themselves filled with the spirit.
The track transitions into a denser sonic texture, reflective and probing, “amplified future, disembodied past, a handful of sutras, hope I’m up to task to last and go the distance…”
It once appeared that each generation took some small step forward. I think many of us assumed this trajectory, because that was all we had known. When I played for an inaugural concert celebrating President Obama’s election in Paris, I vividly remember the audience’s euphoria. America had seemingly reached a milestone, and it made sense. We should be advancing the struggle towards racial equality and justice. However, in hindsight, many of us were naively optimistic. For it’s now painfully obvious that regression can occur, historical narratives rewritten or deleted, and in fact, the future’s up for grabs.
The chorus arrives, “fighting, praying, swearing, debating, can you tell me we’re going to find a way?”
Conflict defines so much of our lives, from interpersonal, political to psychological. How any of this will be resolved remains opaque, the path ahead unclear.
The meditative opening returns, “lead me to the water…”
When I look at America, the economic disparity, violence, incarceration, racism, addiction and depression, I feel a sense of moral decay. These ailments cannot be solved technologically. On some level, there must be a humanistic, spiritual reckoning.
The next verse is one I have been trying to write for many years. From form to content, it carries a necessary emotional weight, honesty and artistic balance. Listening back, more than once I’ve teared up.
“Bodies wash up on the shoreline, seagulls sing soliloquies
The heart‘s found a tactic, insulate myself from entropy
But it’s no way to live if I can’t feel the synergy
Open up my heart and fall back on tendencies
When you see the pattern but still go on pretending
Deeper in depression but can’t control what’s happening
Allow yourself imagination still ascending
Release the fear, new beginnings…”
I fluctuate between the outward and internal, searching for the ability to navigate and make sense of it all. The healing that is necessary, the hope, imagination in the face of tragedy and truly malevolent forces, “can you tell me we’re going to find a way?”
A prayerful close, “lead me to the water, lead me to your battle cry, no one knows how this will end.” The historical arc is undefined. Moving beyond our current disposition requires tremendous capacity to push forward with audacious creativity and courage. A time to raise our battle cries, fight for a future that redeems, celebrates and affirms our existence. But the struggle will not be easy and most certainly, won’t be a straight line. – Sean Haefeli
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