Caz9 is back after a year of writing and recording new material since the release of her single ‘Ok’ in January 2021. Initially written as a way of processing a professional relationship that went sour, Caz9’s new single ‘Waiting On You’ is now being released just as Caz9 is about to have her first baby, giving the song’s title and themes extra poignancy and meaning.
“The song was written after a disagreement with a promoter who had really let me down but was twisting the situation to make it seem otherwise. It turned into the kind of confrontation in which I may have previously wilted, but I found myself standing my ground. I was so surprised by myself that in the aftermath I wrote ‘Waiting on You’ as a song to myself, as I really felt that this was the version of myself that I had been waiting for.”
“I developed a new body of work during covid which will be released throughout 2022, much of which has been recorded in The Clinic Recording Studios in Malahide with David Anthony Curley as engineer and producer. ‘Waiting on You’ also has additional production by CIDOT as well as live drums by my good friend Danni Nolan (Pixie Cut Rhythm Orchestra), which, combined in studio with analog synths and a tonne of vocals, has brought the song to life.”
The result is a slow-build, beats driven pop soundscape of melodic keys & synths with Caz9’s trademark vocal harmony layers, and honest, confessional lyrics.
Caz9 says about the song:
“‘Waiting on You’ is about accepting who you are, about growing up, about realizing how far you’ve come and the work you’ve put in to get there. Life is a journey and we encounter different versions of ourselves along the way, and with reflection we realize it’s ok not to be perfect.
Not only is Caz9 releasing a load of new work this year, but she is also about to have a baby. The initial meaning of ‘Waiting on You’ has taken on a whole other layer, and consideration also had to be given as to whether to show the expectant mother and her bump in the official music video and promotional photography.
“Pregnancy is rarely represented on screen or stage in the music industry and as an expectant mother I must confess that I feared whether I would have to hide the fact that I was pregnant. I had an irrational worry that it might turn people off my music, or make me less relevant or something. Realizing how messed up that is, I decided I wanted to include this very real and incredible journey into my musical persona so that other female creatives can see that you can do both. It doesn’t have to be one or the other and life does not stop when you are pregnant, nor will it end when I’m a new mum, it will just be a whole different level of chaos! This next batch of songs has soundtracked a huge amount of personal growth for me, so in a way it’s a full circle moment that I’m about to bring new life into the world. I also found out that I was pregnant the first day I started recording in The Clinic, so these songs will mark this extremely precious time in a whole other way.”
This single is the first of a series of tracks Caz9 will be releasing over the course of 2022, all recorded and finished at The Clinic Recording Studios Malahide. Caz says about this project:
“After spending a few years of doing everything myself I realized that it was time to open up the creative process and collaborate more. David has been a dream to work with, and this project has definitely taken Caz9 in a new musical direction. I can’t wait to share it.”
The visuals for the track were filmed in December in Caz9’s home studio with her hubby and collaborator, photographer and videographer Nicholas Whelan behind the camera.
“Given the song is about saying to yourself ‘I’ve been waiting on you’, we developed the idea of ‘mirror-talk’ for the video, those moments where you give your own reflection a good talking to. We dressed a minimalist set and spent the shoot exploring that concept, using hyper-speed and slow-mo to emphasise the passing of time. In the end I think we created a really beautiful little art piece that captures the emotions of the song. I’m thrilled with how it turned out, and especially because you can clearly see my little bump throughout!”
Waiting on You is available on all platforms for streaming and download from Thursday 27th of January.
