When I Was a Mother & Other Songs is a collection of songs spanning the last handful of years of my life. I think of this period of time as the inhale before the exhale of my daughter’s arrival. It was a time of limbo, of searching and wandering toward something I wanted deeply. I began releasing these songs one by one in 2023, originally considering them individual messages and moments. But as I looked back I began to feel their connectedness and how each one represents some aspect of this chapter of my life. The writing of these songs spanned from the early days of the pandemic (A Woman Needs The Words) through my Grandmama’s passing and remembering her life, through the longing, hope, heartbreak, and vulnerability of infertility and miscarriage, to claiming the joy of sitting on my friend Joe Pisapia’s couch in his studio, many months pregnant with my daughter, and writing the jubilant Mortal Heaven.
I am humbled and in awe of the incredible musicians who brought these songs to life. Thank you all from my whole heart for your brilliant contributions.
A huge thank you to Joe for giving so much attention, care and time to these songs. And I will spend the rest of my days on this earth thanking Jamie Dick for his generous dedication to making each of these songs the best version of themselves. Thank you for your patience, all the many hours, listening on every possible speaker, and encouraging me endlessly.
“If you’re ready to believe in true musical artistry again, Ali Sperry is here for you.”
