Verity's Blog

I AM FREE
copyright © 2001Verity

In these emotions I am new born
You take my soul it has escaped and flown
Beyond the confines of my fears born of hurt
You have healed and I am whole

This love consumes and feeds all at once
I am full, I am complete
Who would have believed the stony ground of who I was
Could bear such ripe fruits of love

Chorus:  I am free, I am free,
            I am free – when you're with me

In these emotions I am fully fledged
You join your heart to mine and I pledge.
We are as never before,
For the first time – we are sure...

Chorus:  I am free, I am free,
             I am free – when you're with me

 

This song is destined for our next album 'From Africa With Love'. You can help it get recorded by becoming a Future Owner today and see 10% of your purchase go to charity.

Musical Progression...

I received an email the other day from a fan asking why we are moving in an afro-pop direction and possibly leaving behind our more heartfelt ballards. I realise that a lot of our fans to date may have resonated with my more serious songs and that the change in direction that I am now taking with Hello-Africa might be a confronting one. But, this change is not by accident – it is the natural progression that any musician and band might make. I have changed so much in the last few years, that songs I wrote back then no longer reflect who I am and are now like a journal showing where I've come from.

The journey I have been on personally has resulted in a huge change of writing style for me and more and more my new songs are a celebration of that change. I am not a 20 year old girl figuring out life and love anymore and as a result our new songs reflect lessons learned and life embraced. I certainly hope that lyrically our songs will always have relevance and meaning to people and that we will never lose the soul aspect to our music. We still look at love and at loss - just from a wiser and more joyful perspective that has 5 people all bringing their personal & musical experience to each song.

What Hello-Africa is creating is a musical celebration of this continent and what it means to be a part of her. I sincerely hope that our songs will continue to touch and inspire people about their own potential and ability to be the change they want to see in the world. I hope that old fans will step onto this new road with us and let our new sound and songs touch them just like our old ones did. After all, this is a natural progression and a very exciting & necessary one for us!

 

Homeless songs need shelter...

ADOPT A SONG TODAY!

www.hello-africa.co.za

R100 ENSURES THESE SONGS FIND A LOVING HOME IN OUR NEXT ALBUM & YOU GET CELEBRATED AS ONE OF THE PEOPLE HELPING TO GET THEM OFF THE STREET AND INTO THE WORLD!

I believe...

I believe that love is patient and kind and not jealous and boastful, and that while passages from the bible may seem overdone, the truth is if we remembered them we might not lose our way and think that unkind words, disrespectful actions and selfishness are also love. We might not stay in relationships built on hard words, unthoughtful actions and judgement – all the while fooling ourselves that 'this is love'. We might not get caught in the hell of wishing something would change but lacking the courage to change it and somehow believing that is the best we deserve. If we truly understood the essence of love we would start being patient and kind to ourselves first and trust that the world will return the favour. The more we learn to love ourselves the more we are capable of loving and being loved. Enjoy the ride!

ONE OF THESE DAYS
copyright © 1999 Verity

From my room, the world’s an endless stretching space
A challenge to be faced – upright and welcoming
From where I sit, I’m only just out of it,
Nibbling candy floss as I watch it spinning.

Flashing lights, big top shelter – Ferris music belting forth
Background in fast forward – I’m stuck on pause
I’ve got the tickets in my hands, but I’m not one for queuing
So here I stand and watch the rest of it moving...

One of these days I’m gonna jump on the ride
Use my ticket - just get on with it
One of these days, I’m gonna make up my mind
To be as happy as I decide... and TODAY is that day!

I’m gonna take my chances, be the one who dances naked in the rain.
I’m gonna take each moment, let life open - around the token in my hand

One of these days I’m gonna jump on the ride
Use my ticket - just get on with it
One of these days, I’m gonna make up my mind
To be as happy as I decide...and TODAY is that day!

This song is destined for 'From Africa With Love' - you can give it a home by becoming a Future Owner of the album today...

We need YOU...

www.hello-africa.co.za

I believe...

I believe that love is an ocean – deep, calm, wild and untamed. I believe that if you sail its vastness you will be exhulted and you will be shamed. And while there is no predicting the course of its passion, if you commit to the journey then you will live by its fashion. I believe that love is what is – a wild, gentle, turbulent, calm, blossoming experience. I believe that when we see love for what is – a journey, a path to grow on, an adventure of letting go of expectations and learning acceptance in the true sense of the word - we open ourselves to the rollercoaster and jump on the ride with wild abandon.

HELLO-AFRICA!

www.hello-africa.co.za

Waxing lyrical...

My boyfriend commented the other day to me about how few people actually listen to the lyrics of song & it really got me thinking, as I love hearing songs that really connect with me through the story they tell. Which got me thinking even more... that while people might not always listen to lyrics, chances are they will READ them.

So... for the next little while I am going to post a song a week here and would love feedback from one and all on whether they resonate with you : )

I may well dig up old long forgotten songs as well as brand spanking new ones that are destined for 'From Africa With Love'. But one and all I hope they have a story to tell, a thread to weave and a connection to make with whoever reads them. Enjoy...

 

Introducing... HELLO-AFRICA

There has been a change a-coming for a while now in the band. Our songs have been growing and changing the more we work together and it has become increasingly clear that what we are doing now is very different to what 'Verity & The Shades' was all about. It is no longer just 'Verity' arriving with a bunch of songs she has written and getting the guys to play them. It is now 5 people working together to grow songs that vibrantly reflect who we are, where we come from and where we are going.

Our shows have evolved into a celebration of each of our diverse personal and musical backgrounds which has resulted in a strong afro-pop flavour running through our shows. We have bid farewell to many of my old songs and welcomed in a whole host of new ones that are a true reflection of the band we are becoming.

Therefore it is time to leave behind the era of 'Verity & The Shades' and welcome in a whole new journey together. It is time to step up as a band united with a common goal to bring people together through music, word, rhythm and dance. It is time to welcome South Africa and the whole African continent to join us as we embark on a new adventure with songs that will provide an uplifting soundtrack to the road ahead.

It is time to introduce HELLO-AFRICA!

www.hello-africa.co.za