Dutch singer-songwriter Roos Meijer has released a deeply moving single, “Brother,” about the heart-wrenching experience of baby loss. The song is the first single from her forthcoming album, Stories Of Change, set to release on June 2. The album is a collaboration between Meijer and Residentie Orkest The Hague, the symphony orchestra of her hometown.
Originally planned as a live concert in November 2021, the event was canceled three days prior due to a newly announced lockdown. However, the Director of the orchestra proposed an alternative, transforming the setback into a positive outcome. Instead of performing for an audience, Roos and her band joined the orchestra on the initial concert date for a live recording of the material, which became Stories of Change.
“Brother” narrates the real-life story of a 12-year-old Syrian boy who experiences the loss of a stillborn sibling. The song poignantly captures his journey through grief and the unconditional love he feels for the little brother he never got the chance to meet.
In 2017, Roos traveled to Thessaloniki in Northern Greece to volunteer in refugee camps. After returning to the Netherlands, she remained haunted by the faces and stories of those she met in the camps.
As a result, she began translating their experiences into music, using this approach to inform her songwriting to this day. All of her music is inspired by societal topics and real-life individuals, such as Ahmed, the 12-year-old boy she met in one of the camps.
Roos recalls the tragic moment when she learned of Ahmed’s loss, saying, “This news broke my heart. It is still my saddest memory of the time that I spent in Greece, and it is very hard for me to play this song without tearing up.”
She hopes to bring awareness to the subject of baby loss and to honor those who have lost a loved one before being able to meet them with her touching song, “Brother.”
Listen to “Brother” below:
#Peace.Love.Brother
