Chch band release song to commemorate mosque attacks

Christchurch musician Monique Aiken wrote ‘Words’ in the days following the mosque shootings.

And now Aiken, Ryan Fisherman and Chris William – aka St Martins – have recorded the song and created its video in memory of those who were lost in the March 15 tragedy, and for those who are grieving.

“I was at home processing my grief about these people that I had never known,” Monique says.

“My heart felt so broken and then this beautiful song came to me. I have never found the process of songwriting easy, but this song just flowed through me.”

“When I sing ‘Words’ people are so moved,” Monique says. Audience members often share their experiences of the March 15 tragedy afterwards.

“I think it is a song for healing and processing our shared grief,” Monique says.

Over the past seven years Monique Aiken has been performing and releasing music as a solo artist, but playing alongside Ryan and Chris as St. Martins has given her a new passion and freedom in her songwriting and performance.

Saint Martins enjoy playing in intimate settings such as wine bars, folk clubs and peoples’ living rooms. 

The trio have a knack for finding humor in the mundane, and beauty in the heartbreaking moments of daily life. Their lyrics are deep, their stage banter is brutally honest and their performance style is relaxed.

After a year of performing and writing, the band have two EPs in the pipeline.

They have just booked in for a week in the studio for late April and are currently planning a South Island release tour for May.

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