Go Pop CIC

In the autumn 2023 Go Pop CIC worked with women from migrant backgrounds to tell their stories through song. Winds Of Change is the final song in the collection but actually the one we wrote first. It is based on reality for many people, regardless of background. If they stay in a toxic relationship they are impacted mentally and physically, and their children are affected, yet still they are afraid to leave. This song is about drawing on new-found strength to finally leave an abusive partner and realising that they are not responsible for the situation.

This project, Our Voices Heard, funded by a Culture Grant from Wakefield Council tells the stories of real women's lived experiences through song. You can watch all the videos at the Go Pop CIC YouTube channel.

Many of the ‘Our Voices Heard’ participants originally came from Syria or Sudan, both wartorn countries, and many of the women still have family members living in their home countries.

One Wednesday morning at our songwriting session at Wakefield Cathedral, one of our ladies arrived having not slept for three nights due to worry for her family and friends back home where her hometown is being destroyed by war. Her phone was full of messages and videos; a man killed, a baby born, bullets firing, bombs dropping, all happening right next to her family home.

This song ‘Three Thousand Miles’ is about the distance between her and her family and the stress and anxiety that distance causes.

This project, Our Voices Heard, funded by a Culture Grant from Wakefield Council tells the stories of real women's lived experiences through song. You can watch all the videos at the Go Pop CIC YouTube channel.

Imagine feeling completely powerless to stop something you know to be wrong. This song explores the theme of harassment and how sometimes perpetrators get away with no consequences due to there being no physical evidence.

If this is something you need support with please have a look at the Wakefield District Domestic Abuse Service: https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/our-people-and-communities/protecting-our-communities/domestic-abuse/wakefield-district-domestic-abuse-service/

This project, Our Voices Heard, funded by a Culture Grant from Wakefield Council tells the stories of real women's lived experiences through song. You can watch all the videos at the Go Pop CIC YouTube channel.