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Producer and singer-songwriter Seb Waters shares his reflections on his track Woman which was featured at our Grove session in collaboration with Saffron:

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"'Woman' is one of the first tracks I wrote surrounding my transness. It first came about as a set of lyrics describing the experience of having unbearable period pain. I was in bed for a solid few days sweating like never before, intermittently throwing my guts up. Super sexy, verging on trippy.

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When I eventually had my trans awakening a few months later - I listened to the demo again and it somehow portrayed what I was going through more accurately than anything I was making at the time. Sometimes old stuff resurfaces, and that’s when I know there’s potential there, even if it needs a bit of reconstructing. I overlaid some ambient field recordings - cafes, train stations, public spaces. All in an attempt to create a warm and cozy feeling - like sitting still, safe inside while it’s dark, stormy and constantly bustling outside. That’s the general vibe, creating a safe space for yourself among the fast paced chaos. 

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I recorded the demo on a midi keyboard going into a basic Rhodes instrument in Logic, with a few minor adjustments to get the keys to sound as luscious and juicy as possible, since they are the ones carrying the song along with the vocals. I’m forever trying to replicate the Rhodes sound, I’m a sucker for it! Then it was just a case of doubling up vocals in a smooth way, and adding garnishes like the vocoder harmonies, to prong and impact at times when it needed to, an 808 bass, more regular harmonies at the end, some trem guitar and that’s pretty much it. I wanted it to remain raw and tender without too much distraction."

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You can find Seb Waters on Instagram.

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