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Friend of Marmalade Trust, Jack Watkins, is a British singer-songwriter-producer. His first EP, Light in the Dark, reaching the top 10 in the iTunes charts. His follow up EP, Infinity Inside, is released on June 16th 2023 featuring his new song: Solo, which explores the theme of loneliness.
Jack told us about his experiences with loneliness, and how he wrote 'Solo':
Last year I found myself at a low point, struggling with feelings of loneliness and isolation. I wasn’t alone - I have family and friends and a busy life - but I am single and live on my own, and I had this strong sense that real life was going on somewhere without me.
At first, I didn’t want to make a fuss, so I just tried to carry on. But bottling it up just made me feel more detached from the real world and the people around me. One day I was on a call with a colleague, and I just broke down, telling her how exhausted I felt with pretending to be OK.
Talking really helped, and some of the shame I had been feeling instantly lifted. Music has always been the best way for me to work through my feelings, so once the lid was off, I sat at my piano and started to write a song. This gave me the chance to get out of my own head and start a conversation about how even though you might be surrounded by people you can still be feeling disconnected.
Through my song I would like other people to see that loneliness is a normal, human experience, and nothing to feel ashamed about. If I can put my experience in a song and put it out into the world, I hope that might inspire others to talk about how they are feeling – just one conversation can unlock so much.
By saying it out loud – I feel lonely - I was able to diminish the hold it had over me and take practical steps to plug back into my daily life and the people around me.
Listen to Jack's music
Solo is released on Monday 12th June 2023. All royalties from the streaming of this song during Loneliness Awareness Week will be donated to Marmalade Trust. We are so grateful for support like this, which allows us to continue our important work, raising awareness of loneliness and empowering people to make meaningful connections.