Welcome to HeartSongs, our regularly scheduled (probably) look at songs and the people who write them. We spoke to Gizmo Varillas about his new song ‘One People’.

“I wrote this song on a Spanish nylon guitar, which I then replaced with an organ Latin rhythm in the recording process. I also used a Brazilian Cuica to give it a pulsating groove throughout the track and the bass is what gives the song a really punch of energy. The verse melodies have a certain African element in them - a communal call and response. There are inherent Cuban influences and rhythms imbedded in these native African grooves as well. It's an example of how two cultures are not so far apart from one another.

History shows us that, as we migrated around the world, we also took the music with us and thus culture and people's expression of it became a shared experience. It still is today, as we continue to evolve our heritage and blend our influences together to create something new. That's what, in my opinion, really connects us. And I think we should celebrate that.

The lyrics of this song are about bringing people closer together. It saddens me to see how both far left and far right groups around the world are becoming popular and how they incite violence to no avail. The way I see it is that hate can only fuel more hate and there is no solution in violence. It's a never ending cycle. It is the innocent people and families stuck in the middle - who get hurt the most. I think it's important to acknowledge the past so we can learn from our mistakes and not let them happen again. This song is a plea to get together.”

Lyrics:

We go on and on

Get together

If not us who will

Who?

We're one people

One people

Get together now

We're moving on

Now or never

If not us who will

Who?

Who?

We're one people

One people

Get together now

Gotta give it

Give it a chance

Who?

We're one people

One people

Get together now

Daphne Guinness has released the new video for ‘But I’m Not’, lifted from her latest album, Daphne & The Golden Chord, produced by Tony Visconti and now available on CD & vinyl formats via Agent Anonyme/Absolute. Filmed in Paris, the black & white clip for ‘But I’m Not’ reflects the track’s ye-ye informed brush-off, alongside performance footage which captures Daphne with longtime David Bowie collaborator Visconti and her own band, which also features co-writer Malcolm Doherty and Terry Miles (both of Go-Kart Mozart), alongside Gary Liedeman (Thin Lizzy).

Speaking about ‘But I’m Not’ - across which her lyrics flit between French & English - Guinness says; “It turns out you can rhyme a French line with an English line, which I wanted to do because I love a lot of French music, although most English songs are based on iambic pentameter, so it isn’t easy. The track came out fully formed - it came from a place a deep pain for me. I wrote it when very angry with someone, and still am - but it sounds rather nice, like Françoise Hardy.”

Daphne & The Golden Chord was released digitally earlier this year, alongside the premiere at the London BFI IMAX of music videos created for the album by Nick Knight and The Fashtons (Aluna George, Maya Jane Coles, Django Django). Visconti also worked on Guinness’ debut album, 2016’s critically acclaimed, Optimist in Black, having been introduced by David Bowie. Bowie was so impressed with her music that he recommended her to his long-time producer, and another chapter of Daphne’s life began.

The new album captures Guinness’ songwriting brought to life by a new band including Doherty, Miles and Liedeman, alongside Generation X’s James Stevenson and Andy Mackay of Roxy Music. “I can’t sing a single word I don’t believe in,” says Guinness. “It’s the closest thing I can get to a memoir without making people I know very cross indeed. It’s all there: love, hate, nervous breakdowns.”