Beth Orton on grief, her folktronica past and new album The Ground Above
British singer-songwriter Beth Orton discusses her new album, The Ground Above, and the themes of grief and aging that shaped her music. She reflects on the importance of living in the present and finding beauty in human imperfection.
Why it matters
The article provides cultural insight into the creative process of a prominent artist and explores universal human experiences like mortality.
Beth Orton navigates aging and the complexities of being human on her lush new album, The Ground Above. ( Supplied: Kasia Wozniak )
Link copied Share Share article British singer-songwriter Beth Orton had a friend whose best clothes always seemed to remain in the closet.
"She was always waiting for this better time to come. And then she went and died," she explains.
"I thought, 'Jesus. I hope she put on her best dressed before she died. Got them all out of the cupboard, out of their plastic and found reasons to just wear them even if it wasn't really the occasion."
Orton couches this tragic, universally relatable sentiment — savouring the present before it's too late — in her elegant, lounge-y song Waiting.
"Even if you're not getting it quite right, go and tell the person you love them.
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