Some memories seem to stick like molasses while others effortlessly float away. WYMN is an attempt to confront these memories and their trailing echoes. My name is Blaire and I am the artist and producer behind WYMN. The name itself is the combination of three words: whim, women, and hymn. I began making music on a whim during graduate school. Writing songs quickly became a form of therapy that allowed me to hold space for the whirlwind of emotions I was feeling everyday. Many of the songs on the EP explore my relationships with the women in my life including family, friends, and lovers. My struggles to reconcile my religious upbringing and my experiences are also woven into the songs, which led me to hymn. The title of the EP – Water, Water, Everywhere – nods to the classic line in “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “Water, water, everywhere, / Nor any drop to drink.” For the EP, I use the phrase to denote the feeling of having people, relationships, and resources around me, but not the things I am truly needing.

The symbolism of water finds its way into the songs, the artwork, and even the way I describe the process of creating this album - it felt like I was swimming down into the depths of a pool of water hoping there was air on the other side. It was hard to be so vulnerable, especially when the prevailing tendency is to associate it with weakness (luckily, that seems to be changing). A lot of these songs were born from moments of incredible emotional discomfort. I wrote them over a 5-year period and each one has become a sort of marker for where I was at in my healing journey at that point.

In this vein, the WYMN EP serves as a form of memoir with its songs the creative culmination of many years spent observing the fragments of my life in hopes of new discovery and a path to healing. I explore sensitive topics including addiction, codependence, and struggles with spirituality, with the hope of revealing the strength in emotional vulnerability. Our struggles, experiences, and questions should not be a source of shame - even though they were for me for many years. I want to show people  that owning and telling your story is incredibly brave and, in my experience, can help you heal. I hope my songs and essays will make listeners feel seen, understood, and comforted, and maybe even inspired to share their own stories.

As the producer, I wanted to build intense, cinematic soundscapes to drive the catharsis I was seeking while writing the lyrics. I wanted to work with some talented instrumentalists, so I built an incredibly gifted team including Linda Buratto, London-based guitarist and producer (who arranged and performed the guitar on the album and co-produced ‘The Unknown’), drummers Shawn Zorn of Memphis, Tennessee and Marco Briatore of London, and bassist Andy Hogle of Los Angeles. Audio engineer credits go to Matthew Qualls for mixing and Kate Tavini for mastering. It was really important to me that everyone who touched the album left their signature on it. The result is a sound I’ve decided to dub as ‘hazy, alternative dream rock’ and an EP that is truly greater than the sum of its parts.

I am writing a collection of personal essays that explore ideas around mental health, relationships and healing to accompany each track of her upcoming EP. I will be posting them here on Mirror. You can follow me on Twitter (@blairexyz) for updates on releases. Sending you love and gratitude.

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