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“Sometimes we all need to escape the everyday for a little bit.”

A lot of thought went into Chad Lawson’s choice of cover for this soothing Apple Music Home Session. “I've never been a fan of recreating one's work for the sake of just doing ‘a cover,’” the US composer, pianist, and mental health podcaster tells Apple Music. “It has to mean something not only lyrically but also musically. Does it connect with me and the season of my life when I first hear it? Is there an emotional element that’s heightened by the lyric but would still be a beautiful melody if it were instrumental?” The song he landed on was Harry Styles’ 2022 standout “Matilda,” given a reflective piano rework here. “It had me from the start,” says Lawson of the song. “As a musician/composer it pulls on the musical heartstrings, and as a mental/emotional health podcaster with Calm It Down, it captures all things empathetic lyrically. I can't help but be drawn to it every time I hear it.”

Here, Lawson also revisits “the sweetest sound” from his meditative 2022 album breathe. “I wanted to recreate a more subtle and intimate feeling with this remake,” he says, something he achieved, in part, by the more drawn-in circumstances in which these two tracks were made. “The last two albums, You Finally Knew and breathe, were both recorded at Abbey Road,” says Lawson. “And while the experience was incredible, it was nice to just sit and play at my own piano, with my own sun, my own cup of tea, taking yoga breaks between takes and of course having my dog, Derby, at my feet when recording. Though I did have to record some do-overs when he began to snore.” What you hear here is designed to provide a moment of pause. “I was very intentional in the setup of this recording and capturing something that felt like a dream more than a memory,” adds Lawson. “I wanted it to feel as though you were half-awake, not quite sure if what you were hearing was real. I hope this version takes you away to another place for a while, even if it's just in your head. Sometimes we all need to escape the everyday for a little bit.”

© Apple Music