By Stevie Connor.
Gionathan and Highland Sanctuary will never forget the chicken dinner at the profimusic songwriting camp, and not just because of the excellent preparation. While they feasted in the restaurant in Ticino and talked extensively about the newly written songs, a Highland Sanctuary song played in the background.
Gionathan looked at Highland Sanctuary and said: "Wow, I want to do that song in Italian!"
The following day was supposed to be a rest day, but the two of them were unstoppable. They spent the whole day working on the lyrics, singing them, revising them and going over them again.
The song takes us into an indefinable space between Nashville and Italy. Country music which combined with Italian pop music creates a melancholy and sincere ballad.
During the evening listening session, not only did plenty of limoncello and grappa flow, but also a tear or two while listening to the song "Al mio posto (Feels so hard to be alright)".
Gionathan relates the story, "If we're connected on various social platforms, you probably already know: a song with a special story has been released. It was born on a night when sleep eluded me, from an image that materialized in my mind while I was listening to the music of Highland Sanctuary... I wrote some words in the darkness of my room, and I cried, without a reason.
We were in Switzerland during those days in July, and the next morning we immediately recorded the piece. The video is a kind of documentary of that day, which was supposed to be a day off, but turned into what these images narrate.
In September, the label scheduled November 17 for the song's release and the 20th for the video. We took a photo that would reconstruct the image that "I had seen," which is the one below and has become the cover of the single.
On November 16, I experienced an unexpected family loss, and on November 20, we bid our final farewell to our dear one, "coincidences" that gave meaning to my tears that night in Ticino and everything else.
To say with certainty how certain things can happen, I don't feel capable, but I believe you have your own thoughts on the matter...
Certainly, none of this would have been possible if Highland Sanctuary hadn't allowed me to get my hands on this little gem that takes us to an undefined space between Nashville and Italy. It is an honour for me to have been able to collaborate with an international country artist of this caliber, and I am pleased to share this song and its story with you."
The versatile and multifaceted songwriter, producer and video-maker Gionathan is active and on the road in many countries. Besides his home country Italy, he is involved in projects in Spain and the United States. He has also been able to prove his various experiences on the stage of X-Factor Italy.
Behind the Swiss act Highland Sanctuary is the young, extremely talented musician, songwriter and music producer Simeon.
The artist from Bern, Switzerland grew up in a family of musicians. As a child he attended piano and percussion lessons and at high school he also had guitar lessons and acquired music theoretical knowledge. Afterwards, he deepened his knowledge and skills at the University of Music. As versatile as his father, who is a professional musician, Simeon taught himself other instruments such as electric bass, contrabass, banjo, alto saxophone, trumpet and tin-whistle.
It doesn’t really sound like it, but Highland Sanctuary is a one-man band. Simeon plays all the instruments himself, sings and has written all the songs himself. But not enough, he produced all songs in his own recording studio Famous Sound Productions. This concept is also consistently applied live: Highland Sanctuary presents a unique one-man-show!
In June 2019 Highland Sanctuary released his first song “Hold Me Tight”. Since then, he inspires at concerts and his music can be heard on major radio stations in Switzerland, the Arab region, South Africa and many other countries.
With other projects, Simeon is signed to Sony Music Publishing and has received several gold and platinum awards.
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