{"id":427149,"date":"2026-05-01T15:20:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T15:20:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/427149\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T15:20:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T15:20:16","slug":"its-a-song-to-encourage-some-sort-of-activism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/427149\/","title":{"rendered":"“It’s a song to encourage some sort of activism\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Peter Gabriel<\/a> has shared an uplifting, politically charged new single, \u2018Won\u2019t Stand Down\u2019, which he says hopes to \u201cencourage some sort of activism\u201d.<\/p>\n

The track is the latest to be shared from English singer, songwriter, musician, and human rights activist as part of his new album \u2018O\\I\u2019. Set to be his 11th studio album, the record is the follow-up to 2023\u2019s \u2018I\/O\u2019<\/a> and the two records were written around the same time.<\/p>\n

Each song on the forthcoming album will receive both \u201cBright-Side\u201d and \u201cDark-Side\u201d mixes and will be released to align with this month\u2019s full moon and new moon. Singles so far have dropped steadily each month, and included January\u2019s \u2018Been Undone<\/a>\u2019, February\u2019s \u2018Put the Bucket Down\u2019, March\u2019s \u2018What Lies Ahead\u2019 and April\u2019s \u2018Till Your Mind Is Shining\u2019.<\/p>\n

With the latest song, the \u201cBright-Side\u201d version is the first to be released, and it comes as an uplifting, empowering song that offers both hope and inspiration to pursue change in the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cA million mothers looking forward\/ They\u2019re all looking out ahead\/ In the haze they can make out a planet\/ Alive, or was it dead?,\u201d Gabriel sings in the ethereal, invigorating first verse. \u201cMoving out in so many directions\/ This is not the way we want to live\/ It\u2019s not the way it has to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

It gradually builds towards the euphoric-yet-tranquil chorus: \u201cBut we won\u2019t stand down\/ Until there\u2019s something better showing on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really a song to encourage some sort of activism,\u201d the singer shared, adding that he originally wanted to create music for The Elders.org<\/a> \u2013 the organisation founded by Nelson Mandela that sees independent global leaders fight for justice, human rights and a more sustainable planet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s something which I wanted to talk about, write about and encourage, because it\u2019s pretty dark out there in lots of places and I think we need people who can just nudge both us and our leaders and keep alive some basic values of justice, compassion and democracy \u2013 a hope that can help us start envisioning a just, peaceful and fairer world,\u201d Gabriel added.<\/p>\n

He also recalled how he believes people \u201cgenerally respond much better\u201d towards messages of hope and positivity, rather than being \u201cbombarded and scared by negative ones\u201d, and therefore wanted to bring that lighter feeling to his new music.<\/p>\n

For the \u201cBright Side\u201d version of \u2018Won\u2019t Stand Down\u2019, he was inspired by Marvin Gaye<\/a> and the \u201cCuban element to his song \u201cSexual Healing\u2019\u201d, which brought energy and movement to the song.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tried to bring an element of that to this song, while allowing it to evolve into something different,\u201d he shared. \u201cI think it\u2019s a good band performance in the sense that it\u2019s not built up over a lot of time with many different layers, so it feels more alive and, with this song more than any others on the record, I wanted to have real, live emotion in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

‘Till Your Mind is Shining’ is out now. Listen here: https:\/\/t.co\/n4ly9zL8b6<\/a><\/p>\n

“The song began around a chord sequence which I liked and which felt quite poppy and playful, so I just kept on playing around with it till I had something. Of all the songs that I\u2019ve written for i\/o\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/ocw5k0hSwd<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Peter Gabriel (@itspetergabriel) April 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The artwork for the song comes from Shirin Neshat and her work \u2018Faith\u2019, after Gabriel discovered her \u201cbeautiful, powerful and political\u201d work back in the \u201890s.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy using Shirin\u2019s work here people may ask whether this song is connected to what is happening now in Iran and although it wasn\u2019t written in reference to the bombing,\u201d Gabriel said. \u201cIt was written before that attack \u2013 I think it is a real condemnation of humanity that we have not found a way to settle disputes without bombing, destroying and murdering each other. We should be well beyond that by now.\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u201cDark-Side Mix\u201d of the song will be released later in the month, on the new moon. Further details on the release plans for the full album will be arriving soon.<\/p>\n

In other Peter Gabriel news, the iconic artist has recently shared his personal thanks to director Josh Safdie<\/a> for including his song \u2018I Have The Touch\u2019 in the hit film Marty Supreme<\/a>, starring Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet<\/a>.<\/p>\n