Western Daily Press

Student’s music finds its place among the stars

- ALISTAIR MASON news@westerndai­lypress.co.uk

AWEST-BASED musician said she “can’t quite believe” it after her music was beamed to the Internatio­nal Space Station.

Moonlit Skies by Sally Robinson, a student at Bath Spa University, was sent to the ISS after she made contact with one of its former residents as part of an ongoing musical project.

He said he could really relate to Moonlit Skies, which I think is really cool SALLY ROBINSON

Ms Robinson, 22, said: “Scott Kelly, the astronaut, heard it and was like, ‘ Yeah, that’s really cool, I’m gonna send it up to the ISS’, which I still can’t quite believe.”

The track, released on Sunday, is part of a suite of eight songs produced by Ms Robinson themed around the four elements: air, earth, fire and water.

For each the Cardiff-born student, who described her music as “on the indie side of folk”, is attempting to have them played in a relevant unique environmen­t.

“The next pair represents earth, and that is going to go to scientific research facilities for the rainforest and the deserts,” she said.

“The pair after that is representi­ng fire, so that’s going to go to volcanoes, all the way around the world I think, hopefully that’ll be really cool.

“And then the last pair is representi­ng the water so that’s going to go to boats.”

Moonlit Skies, and its sister air track Leaves In The Light, have been played in polar research facilities at both poles, as well as being sent into space.

She made contact with Mr Kelly, the American astronaut who commanded three missions to the ISS, through his representa­tives and was delighted to get positive feedback.

“He just said ‘yeah, Sally, these are great’,” Ms Robinson said.

“He said he could really relate to Moonlit Skies, which I think is really cool.”

The project brings together Ms Robinson’s interests in art and science, in particular astronomy, a fascinatio­n which goes back to her childhood. It’s just something that I’ve always just found absolutely amazing,” she said.

“Whenever you look up to the sky at night and you see the moon and then you feel so tiny, I find it so calming – which is what Moonlit Skies is about, that feeling.

“I think the first song I ever wrote was about missing the moon because I couldn’t see it from my bedroom window.”

In the long term Ms Robinson, who is originally from Cornwall, hopes to make music profession­ally, but she is intending to study for a masters degree in psychology to become a therapist if that does not work out.

She enjoys bringing art and science together, something that is reflected in her elements project.

“I kind of feel like there should be much more of a crossover than there actually is at the minute, that’s kind of part of the idea,” she said.

 ?? Sally Robinson/PA wire ?? Sally Robinson, who has had a piece of music beamed up
to the ISS, below
Sally Robinson/PA wire Sally Robinson, who has had a piece of music beamed up to the ISS, below
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