The pair met shortly before their residency at Sounds from a Safe Harbour Festival in Cork in 2023. “We instantly felt a very strong musical connection, and composed a few songs that ended up on the album,” Arnalds recalls. French later visited Arnalds’ studio in Reykjavík, where they realised they wanted to work on a full-length project. During his stay, French became ill and remained in Iceland while receiving treatment. “It brought us together like nothing else can,” Arnalds says.
The album includes contributions from Niamh Regan, Ye Vagabonds, Sandrayati, author Max Porter, and a choir of friends. Lead single “We Didn’t Know We Were Ready” begins with hushed, reverential piano notes before French starts to sing: “How did we doubt the evening sun? / We didn’t know we were ready.” Each vocal cascades over the other, growing louder then falling away again.
French and Arnalds continued working together in West Cork. “Slowly, the music became more and more serious — you knew the lyrics were poignant, and it started to feel like we were onto something really special.” Arnalds describes their friendship as a perfect match: “We could hang out for a whole evening and maybe say three words.” Towards the end, French had little time left. “We started going through the album in a more organised way, working out how to finish it and what was important to him.”
The album’s opening track “Shared Time” is built from recordings found on French’s phone and contains thoughts on the importance of family and community. Other tracks explore themes of home, belonging, and mortality, including “Bedrock”, written with Max Porter, and “west Cork, 12 Feb”, taken from the original recording Arnalds captured while they were together. “Borrowed Time” features a spoken-word contribution by Alexi Murdoch, and “for Steph” is French’s wordless declaration of love for his wife, written on Valentine’s Day.
The title track “A Dawning” was recorded with an orchestra just a week after French’s passing. “I wasn’t ready, but… I just had to,” Arnalds says. The session was emotionally charged, and Arnalds describes the orchestra locking in as never before. “Now let’s just ride on highs while the moment’s right,” French sings. “Now don’t you fold my wings for the fear of flight.” The strings swell, French’s voice rises, and then the music quietens, falling away to leave just his voice, then the silence.
“We made this album together,” Arnalds says. A Dawning is a lasting monument to French’s creativity, and to the friendship the two artists shared.
