Words by Kenzie Trikouros.
“You know, my songs are kind of like pictures,” Naomi told me, “Because when I wrote them, I was feeling a certain way so deeply. But I’ve moved on from that feeling usually… when I go back and perform it, I am looking back at the picture of who I was at that time.”
Folk singer-songwriter Naomi Westwater and I had the wonderful opportunity to chat about their upcoming album Cycle & Change due May 9th.
Cycle & Change draws inspiration from the wheel of the year, with songs that trace the natural progression from spring to winter, reflecting on the perpetual cycles and changes we experience.
Naomi and I spoke about the importance of doing such, looking back at the picture of who you were at that time. I mentioned how I like to look back in my journals and reread the entries to remember those emotions.
“The year I turned 31, I was looking at my journal from when I was 21,” they said, “I was writing about how I was seeing crows everywhere and about how I was just so unsure of what my life was going to become.”
This made me want to journal more.
Naomi initially took the crows as bad omens, before learning that crows actually represent change, transporting us from one era of life to another. They then wrote “Crows”, as a song to her 21-year-old self.
Naomi sings,
That winter I was in limbo
Unafraid and full of fear
I was heartache, love, and sorrow
And the crows were my protectors
Messengers for change
“Crows” blends folk and indie rock into a deeply introspective experience, evoking love, sadness, and the strength to embrace change with its moving essence and comforting sound.
The tracks on this album flow seamlessly from song to song.
Cycle & Change reflects on the harmony between the predictable and the unpredictable. Just as we can always expect spring to arrive after winter, nature also surprises us with the variations each cycle brings.
Naomi said, “Every year we know that spring is going to come, but we also know that spring is different every year, and we don’t have control over what’s going to be different.”
The constancy of change offers us both comfort and mystery, highlighting how life evolves within repeating patterns while never fully conforming to expectation.
“It’s become almost like a philosophy for me, especially since the pandemic… “ they said, “I’m constantly just kind of coming back to myself and saying, ‘Okay, everything is cycle and change,’ Like, this is just how it is. And nature is such a beautiful metaphor for that.”
Naomi has always been musical. Taking dance and music lessons from an early age.
They told me a pivotal moment was in second grade, when their music teacher told their parents that while she might not become a ballerina, she had a talent for singing. At eight years old, she started taking voice lessons.
“Music was a part of my upbringing,” Naomi told me,” It became something I wanted to spend hours and hours doing.”
Naomi describes songwriting as a balance between inspired bursts of creativity and disciplined practice. On inspired days, they capture ideas quickly, but on others, they focus on refining their craft through prompts and experimentation.
“I’m pretty proud of the lyrics from ‘Crows’ because it’s a poem first. And this is so nerdy, but I got really into the rhyme scheme,” Naomi said, “There’s a specific internal rhyme happening there that I just love.”
“Crows” is a tender, poetic reflection on change and self-discovery, anchoring Cycle & Change, the album that moves like the seasons, tracing the beauty in life’s constant evolution.
Naomi Westwater creates music that invites listeners into a world where vulnerability meets strength, and nature’s rhythms echo our own.
Check out their album Cycle & Change out May 9th!
Thank you to Naomi for chatting with me. Another thank you to Anna and Arielle! Love working with you. – Kenz