With core members Bettina and Philippa now living thousands of miles apart, it was perhaps to be expected that The New Victorians would pick the song Great Divide for their latest single. Produced by Howard Keith at Jagged House Studios, the single is lifted off the duo's critically-acclaimed Seeker Seeker debut album, which was officially launched by way of an amazing live concert the siblings gave at last year's edition of the Earth Garden Festival.
Inspired by Bettina’s trip to do voluntary work at an orphanage in Kenya, the song reflects various stories related to the turbulent backgrounds and current living conditions that the children there must face on a daily basis. “Too often we get caught up striving for professionalism that we lose sight of the very reason we set out to make music in the first place. We forget that essentially music is a tool and a language – one that can bring people together and inspire change", the sisters commented. "At it’s very core, Great Divide is a song that highlights our humanity; the fact that we are all intrinsically deserving of respect, love and dignity. It is definitely nostalgic but it’s also hopeful. It’s a song we’ve sung for comfort, when being separated from loved ones felt too difficult, but it is also a song that challenges society and the imbalance observed in the world – this great divide between the western world and less privileged countries”.
It was for this same reason that the sisters chose to produce this music video using basic footage they shot the University of Westminster with one camera and their own limited video editing skills. "We want this song to move others to gratitude but also to generosity, that we may be a generation that cultivates kindness.” Thanks to the involvement of the Drama Outreach Project, a charity NGO that uses drama, singing and dance to teach English to poverty-stricken children in Cambodia with the aim of empowering them to have a better future, they were able to weave in footage that brings viewers in touch with the NGO's work. "We wanted to help people see what is being done, for them to help out in whatever way possible – donate, sponsor a child or even simply attend a fund-raising event. These projects make a positive difference in children’s lives, but they need support and money to keep doing it.”
A household name thanks to the success of previous singles Dustpile, Keep me in love and Seeker Seeker, The New Victorians will be embarking on their very first school tour, hosting creative workshops at different schools around the island, taking the opportunity to raise awareness about poverty via their latest single.