Heart of Winter
by @sunnymae · @mikedebenham
Liner Notes
Noticing the heatwave they've been having down under I mailed @mikedebenham these icy laced lyrics hoping that composing the music for this piece would aid him in cooling off. Truth be told, if was the perfect excuse to be able to work with him again after 4 years! He is nothing short of an alchemist. Thank you Mike for gracing me with your unparalleled artistry. I'm honored. #collaboration #medieval #winter #ambient #magic #organic #orchestral #spacious #noai
Mike: You're too kind, Sonya! Thanks for the evocative lyrics. In the absence of adequate air conditioning, they were a godsend.
Lyrics
Heart of Winter (c)2025 Sonya Heller-Lyrics Mike Debenham-Music
VERSE
Heart of Winter
Longest Night
holds within
sparks of light
Heart of Winter, moonbeams dance casting spells on cold cracked ice CHORUS- sweet, sweet slumber, taking flight Spirits of the Longest Night VERSE- draped in stillness seeds are sown in a sleeping world and the promise of Sun CHORUS sweet, sweet slumber taking flight Spirits of the Longest Night BRIDGE Dance away dream deep endless gifts for all who seek to fly upon the crystal wings of Solstice CHORUS- sweet, sweet slumber, taking flight Spirits of the Longest Night
Comments
This sounds different. And that is very cool. It takes me to other places than I have ever been before. Very minimalistic and even though atmospheric. I like the chord changes. Great work! Great collab!
Thank you for your warm words about my Farewell collab! They made me very happy!
New age magic in action. Very oneiric opening, then the woodwind instrument comes in and it goes all medieval! This is a super collab!
Otherworldly masterpiece. The name is perfect as is the curious and magical depiction of a season that is as gorgeous as it is relentless (especially this year up in Canada.) Amazing collab, intriguingly Shakespearean feel expressed in song.
Oh, I love the transition to the bridge, the way it warms up, thickens up, then right back to the space of the harp/dulcimer sound. That simple arpeggio works so well as the cradle for your voice, and the thump of the lonely drum. Evocative and atmospheric.
This feels like a lyric written to the music, not the other way 'round as it actually happened. That's the mark of collab magic.
Magical stuff indeed. Mike's really captured the olde tone of Sonya's evocative lyrics! "Cold cracked ice" - awesome alliteration there, and I love the "crystal wings of Solstice" and those dancing moonbeams. The main riff behind the vocal is awesome, and the way you build the arrangement is masterful. Love all the different medieval-sounding textures you're throwing at it, I can imagine you having a lot of fun putting it together. Well done both!
Wow as I sit at my lovely Peak District cafe I am finding the perfect songs to accompany me , and blikwy this is not only a treat , it’s a masterpiece . The riffs complement each other so well and how that vocal is expressed truly hit my musical heart . Great collab guys 🙏
utterly entrancing. is that hammered dulcimer? zither? wherever it is, i could listen to it for hours. when i close my eyes, i’m in a castle made of sparkling icicles and glittering snow (though it’s late february here in tennessee, it’s gonna be in the mid-70s today and i’m MAD about it. take me to this icy wonderland 🥺
This has a lovely calming pace and there’s a measured sense of space in the arrangement.
May we all celebrate the Solstice before all others, and return to the arms of our sweet Mother. This is the doorway that opens to that wish.
I love how minimal this is, it really do suit the lyric. Gorgeous instrumentation, gorgeous vocal. Both the lyric and music don't sound of this time
Thanks for your kind comments on my songs. This is lovely, I love ancient music. Great arrangement the vocal delivery carries the song with authority. Spirits of the Longest Night----great line
Wow! This is absolutely gorgeous! The images in the lyrics are so beautiful and the chorus is magical and draws one in deep. The music is incredible! Truly transformative with the strings and sparse deep percussion. Meditative and lovely. Brilliant marriage of music and lyrics!
A beautiful, ethereal creation from you both, it occupies it's own space and time.
Such a hypnotic melody and the production does feel very medieval. Beautiful, controlled singing and descriptive write. I have plenty of snow here to appreciate this gorgeous collab!!
Oh man - those vocals. We received a good deal of snow overnight. Thankfully there are no issues with power at our house. I love the lyrical landscape painted here. A good deal to take in and enjoy. I like this line: Dance away dream deep endless gifts for all who seek. Very nice, everyone.
Beautiful collab, ethereal vocals and arrangements really capture the dreamy essence of this lyric. Wonderful
Transports me to the palace of Eleanor of Aquitaine in Poitiers, France in the 1100s. Very dreamy lyrics and an enchantingly "old" school sound for them. Enjoyed it!
Whoa, this is really beautiful. Haunting. Stunning. Bravo.
this was a collab I want going to.miss! I feel gently twirled around the room! 2 class musos join force!
Absolutely the the instrumentation. It sounded like a hammered dulcimer (as I play one, I should know) but seems different. Mike's melodic take on this is so dreamy and good. Right in your wheelhouse to adapt these wonderful lyrics.
the music is like a dance slowed down as if in a dream. sonya's poem is enchanting in their evocation of a cold winter night outside the warm sleep of a long time. hand in glove, a gorgeous collab, you guys.
Boy I love that intro chord! Nice chill arrangement, cool tune
I can visualize moonbeams dancing on cold cracked ice. The music is so chill and dreamy, with those gorgeous chord changes. Beautiful collab!