STILL WE RISE

Album

 Folk/Rock

release:  approx. February 2026

STILL WE RISE

is a project very close to my heart and I’ve been thinking about it for quite some time. Now I’ve finally been able to bring it to life.

I have tried to preserve the original character of the songs while at the same time making them more accessible to today’s listeners.

Working on these songs has brought me great joy. At the same time, it saddens me that today it is once again - or perhaps still -  so important and necessary to sing these songs and to keep reminding ourselves how vital freedom, democracy, and human rights are, so that they are not forgotten.

The album brings together protest songs spanning nearly a century.

Musically, the songs move between rock and folk, with a touch of prog.

Four tracks are cover versions of well-known songs, one is an original composition by me, and one is a musical setting of a poem.

The songs are:

 

El Pueblo Unido
Written in 1973 by Sergio Ortega and Quilapayún, this song became an anthem of resistance in Chile and a worldwide symbol of solidarity and collective struggle against oppression.

 

Do You Hear the People Sing
From the musical Les Misérables (music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel), this song draws on the spirit of 19th-century revolutionary movements and has since been adopted globally as a modern protest anthem.

 

Chimes of Freedom
Written by Bob Dylan in 1964, this song reflects the civil rights movement of the 1960s and calls for freedom and justice for the marginalized and oppressed.

 

All You Fascists
Composed by Woody Guthrie in the early 1940s, this song is a direct and uncompromising protest against fascism, rooted in the political folk tradition of the United States.

 

Still I Rise
A musical setting of Maya Angelou’s iconic poem, first published in 1978. The poem is a powerful declaration of resilience and dignity in the face of racism, sexism, and historical injustice. The music is my own.
Unfortunately, I have to withdraw the musical setting of Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise” from the project. Despite my best efforts, I was unable to obtain a license to use the text from the responsible organization within a reasonably acceptable timeframe. This is very disappointing, as the song itself has essentially been completed.

 

Sister
An original song inspired by images of refugees at sea. Addressed directly to a female authority figure, Sister is a plea for compassion in the face of fear and power. The lyrics focus on a young man reaching out for safety, his hand extended from the water, while a weapon stands between him and rescue. The song questions who has the right to decide over life and death and calls for humanity, empathy, and the courage to put down violence in favor of protection and peace.