How far does someone need to travel, over how many years, to find what they’re looking for in the faces, names and sounds of the home they left so long ago? What answers are there to be found on the long road back to oneself? These are the questions that Wicklow born songwriter Bjorn Baillie, AKA The Jonah Medal, asks himself, his collaborators – friends he gets in to help him make his music – and his audience, with his debut single “Septembering”, the video for which PopWrapped are delighted to premiere.

About the story to and inspiration behind the track, Baillie says: “The song is about being in the middle of the mid-life storm. You’re pulled every which way by the younger who need and rely on you, and the older who need you for a whole other set of reasons. I like the word September as a metaphor for middle-age. You’re no longer in your Spring-youth :). So being in your 40’s is ‘Septembering’. The things that have come along in your life, the people who have become part of your family, and define who you are now. The responsibility and weight of those relationships is reflected in this song. The melody is one of the simplest but most instant of anything I’ve written. It feels like it has been around forever, but it just landed in my lap. Areal gem.”

Regarding the video, he goes on to add: “Septembering’ reflects the movement in life, the straight roads and the winding turns. The video was created by Brian Lazzaro, an American director who has his roots in country music videos and storytelling. Using old footage of long weeks on the road touring, personal moments with friends and family, and the passing of time on camera – I think the warmth of where we’ve been, where we are and where we’re going is played out.” 

Having signed a previous record deal with his hometown band La Rocca while in his 20’s which saw them tour with the likes of Jet and Silversun Pickups, the single marks a new chapter in Baillie’s life, as he explains: “Having written for many years for a band who needed singles and album tracks, The Jonah Medal is my finally feeling comfortable addressing the issues in my own life, in my friends’ lives, and the lives of my peers.”

So what lyrically or instrumentally makes up The Jonah Medal? Well, blend the bare honesty and humanity of Carole King and Joni Mitchell, the soulful lyricism of Crosby, Stills and Nash and the humour of Randy Newman – these are the themes that Baillie knew he needed to express in this new body of work, with the new-found perspective and experience of a well traveled artist and a father – and you’re on the right track. “I’m asking my own generation if they’re okay,” says Baillie. “Mid-life is here for so many of us. With older parents and young children… we’re the generation squeezed in the middle trying to hold it all together. THATS what I’m addressing, all following my lead to serve the song, with sincerity and warmth.” 

The Jonah Medal reflects the musical and lyrical themes explored by Baillie throughout his career, injected with the clarity and heart of a man living a truly full life. Weathered optimism, clear-eyed understanding, the highs and lows of relationships, and adulthood, all represented in the lyrics, the sounds and the fabric of this music.

Check out the video for “Septembering” below and for more information on The Jonah Medal, give his page a like on Facebook or follow him on Instagram and TikTok. Header photo credit: William Andrews.

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