Originally from the East Coast of Maine, Heatherlyn made her home in the Midwest USA (Minneapolis, Minnesota) and regularly contributes music in communities seeking to be peace and compassion in the world.
With a diverse international audience, she is recognised as an artist connecting the things we hold in common and celebrating our beautiful differences. Her sophomore recording project, entitled Storydwelling, was created with diverse roots including the sonic influences of reggae, americana, rock, blues and soul.
She is inspired by the life of Martin Luther King Jr. and Mohatma Gandhi and by the music of artists like Bob Marley, Eva Cassidy and Michael Franti and Spearhead, and projects such as Robert Plant’s Band of Joy and Mavis Staples’ You’re Not Alone. With lyrical themes of social action, considering how we each are conduits of peace and hope in our world, Heatherlyn has presented with Youth Frontiers and Youthrive: LIVE (Midwest affiliate of Peace Jam International), as well as schools, civic groups, faith communities and legislative summits.
She tours and presents with award-winning photographer and author John Noltner with A Peace of my Mind, has collaborated with Restoration Village presenting on behalf of the 1000 Days Movement, and in 2015 travelled 35,000 miles across North America by van with author Doug Paggit in support of his book tour, Flipped, before closing the year by travelling to the New South Wales region of Australia, supporting author and philosopher Peter Rollins.
Developing a unique sustainable model for her work, Heatherlyn spent the summer of 2016 in the Rocky Mountains, participating in a three-month artistic residency, writing music and contributing her artistry and expertise to community life.
She has shared the stage with Nobel Peace Prize laureates Rigoberta Menchu Tum, President Oscar Arias Sanchez and Dr. Shirin Ebadi; environmental activist Will Steger; child safety advocate Patty Wetterling; and Peter L. Benson, former president and CEO of Search Institute, one of the world’s leading authorities on positive human development.
————————————————- The 9 Beats Collective has come together to make a soundscape of songs, instrumentals and spoken word that explores the ancient wisdom known as the Beatitudes. These words speak about another world being possible, another way of being human: in these turbulent times, could they actually offer us steps to a new reality? The 9 Beats Collective explores these powerful notions – and presents them back to the culture around us through music and art.
“The arts and theology and spiritual formation are really great conversation partners because…we’re invited to question the assumptions of the systems that we are part of…They point out that the emperor has no clothes on and then invoke the possibility of newness to come…There’s a longing inside of us for another world, something better than what’s here right now…The Beatitudes invite us into that possibility and say there is a new way to be human, another world is possible.” [Mark Scandrette, author and speaker]