Sheffield musicians come together to raise awareness of global refugee crisis

Sailing on Tears features artists from a range of styles, ages and backgrounds, and is a blend of compassionate lyrics and orchestral music.

It was an idea started by songwriter Nadia Durrani-Jones, profits of which will be divided between Refugee Action and Sheffield’s City of Sanctuary, two charities supporting refugees and asylum seekers.

Nadia said: “Amid the chaos of having our lives abruptly halted, came the gift of time, in abundance.

"What we do with our time is usually within our control, but often stems from our subconscious activity. For me, this lockdown time provided energy to my passions in life, in particular to music and education.

“I was destined to be thousands of miles away, teaching in SE Asia at the start of April, but this opportunity was stalled indefinitely by the pandemic.

“Instead, I used some of my time to explore what was going on in other areas of the world and learn about the real issues faced by people.

"Many of us in the UK became frustrated by having our luxuries removed like foreign holidays, meals in fancy restaurants, meeting friends for fun nights out.

"Whilst I empathised with this bereavement of pleasure-evoking activities, it also occurred to me how fortunate most of us are, every day of our lives, for having the basics we take for granted: food, shelter, security, family, support networks etc.”

Nadia, who is also a secondary school teacher, told how she was ‘deeply disturbed’ by news stories of refugees drowning and decided she wanted to do something.

She added: “A few weeks later, it became clear what I could do with my song, to bring some change to peoples’ lives.

"Looking no further than the people within my home city of Sheffield, I soon had a collective of musical artists willing to donate their time and talent to bring Sailing On Tears to life.

"With the production skills of my friend, and former student, Aidan Thompson, from Steelworks Studios, the track was completed and ready to share with the world!”

The vocalists showcased in the track include Eliot Kennedy, Steve Edwards, Lindsay Dracass and KB.

Lynne Robertson, a live music promoter, said: "Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw and heard.

"From the first notes played so beautifully on the piano by Nadia, with the strings in the background to the individual performances from Sheffield's finest musicians; I had goosebumps and was moved to tears.

“I felt so proud that all of these wonderful people were from my hometown and that they'd pulled together and given their all to such a worthwhile project: the power of music.

“The words, the music, the story, the sadness, the video clips of the refugees and then seeing and hearing those wonderful and very different voices singing with such passion. Fantastic achievement. well done to all involved."

Sailing On Tears is available to download on all major sites, with CD’s available too.

For more information: https://sailingontears.com

To make a donation: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/nadia-durrani-jones

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