Watch Jo Beth Young's spellbinding video for Adversity

By Natasha Scharf
( Prog )
published

Jo Beth Young showcases a more electronic sound on the latest single from her upcoming album Broken Spells

Jo Beth Young
(Image credit: Press)

RISE and Talitha Rise vocalist Jo Beth Young has released a spellbinding video for her new electro-folk single, Adversity. It's the second track to be taken from her upcoming album, Broken Spells, and includes a chant to the Buddhist goddess of compassion, Kuan Yin. It's available to stream on all major platforms.

The video, which was premiered on Saturday Night With Hayley Palmer, captures some of the most breathtaking scenery on Ireland's west coast. It was filmed on The Burren and shows Jo Beth and shamanic teacher Miska Chaska engaging in a ritual.  

 Says Jo Beth, "Adversity was written after I had spent some time revisiting Buddhist and Shaolin principles and practices in 2021. I love, and very much believe, the philosophy that we must be the change we wish to see in the world and that to end the violence outside, we must find a way to end it within. 

"The idea is that when we find that balance between dark and light, Yin and Yang then the light/presence within us becomes indestructible. I wanted to acknowledge the hardness of doing that when the world itself can seem so hard and difficult to manouver in. I chose to include a mantra to goddess of compassion and love Kuan Yin whose story is a moving and powerful example of overcoming persecution, violence and judgement."

The song features ex-Fields Of The Nephilim/Eden House guitarist Peter Yates, cellist Ben Roberts (Evi Vine), Matt Blackie and longtime collaborator Kev Bolus. A remix by Matt Blackie will also be released in April. 

Watch the video below.

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Jo Beth Young single cover for Adversity

(Image credit: Press)
Natasha Scharf
Natasha Scharf
Deputy Editor, Prog

Contributing to Prog since the very first issue, writer and broadcaster Natasha Scharf was the magazine’s News Editor before she took up her current role of Deputy Editor, and has interviewed some of the best-known acts in the progressive music world from ELP, Yes and Marillion to Nightwish, Dream Theater and TesseracT. Starting young, she set up her first music fanzine in the late 80s and became a regular contributor to local newspapers and magazines over the next decade. The 00s would see her running the dark music magazine, Meltdown, as well as contributing to Metal Hammer, Classic Rock, Terrorizer and Artrocker. Author of music subculture books The Art Of Gothic and Worldwide Gothic, she’s since written album sleeve notes for Cherry Red, and also co-wrote Tarja Turunen’s memoirs, Singing In My Blood. Beyond the written word, Natasha has spent several decades as a club DJ, spinning tunes at aftershow parties for Metallica, Motörhead and Nine Inch Nails. She’s currently the only member of the Prog team to have appeared on the magazine’s cover.