CHROMA have a single called Coalminer’s Granddaughter and it’s great!
The single was commissioned by Amgueddfa Cymru and was created with support from CELF.
The track was written as a reaction to a photo from Clémentine Schneidermann’s It’s Called Ffasiwn project in collaboration with Charlotte James. The song focuses on community and Welsh politics post de-industrialisation.
Vocalist KT Hall said: “The photo shows a group of young girls dressed in black. The image really resonated with me, as it reminded me of wearing a black dress that myself and my mam found in a charity shop, to go to my grandad’s funeral. He worked down the mines for most of his life.
“We learned about mortality at such an early age. You don’t often see kids in funerals and you don’t often see kids wearing all black either. The image was so poignant that the lyrics started flowing. It was a first for us, writing and reacting to a piece of artwork. ‘Coalminer’s Granddaughter’ is about deindustrialisation in South Wales; the period and place where we all grew up.”
Picture credit: Bethan Miller