Maeshine fuses celtic, folk, world and new age genres into a unique sound of their own.
Their pure voices, ethereal instruments and songs of gratitude, joy, mindfulness and love take audiences on a heart-warming journey.
"Relaxing, soothing, beautiful, therapeutic, restorative " say their listeners.
With lyrics that inspire well-being, stunning vocals, chimes, singing bowls, gypsy guitar, tambura chord, Rav Vast and lullaby drums this duo is refreshingly original and spellbinding.
Biographies:
Singer/ Songwriter INGE PERSYN was born in Bruges and has embraced Bangor, Co.Down as her hometown since 2007. Inge’s mindful songs are the source of Maeshine’s Gentle Peace album, card deck and inspirations book. Her voice has an ethereal quality that touches her listeners hearts.
From early on in her life Inge enjoyed singing and was deeply influenced by her mothers beautiful singing voice. Her aunt, a professional singer in Belgium, left a lasting impression with a strong appreciation of good vocals and meaningful lyrics. Other members of her family are professional classical musicians and her childhood was always full of attending concerts of all genres. At age thirteen, after a brief course in folk guitar, she started penning her songs down.
Her musical education has been sparse with some vocal and guitar training. Her songwriting has always been somewhat intuitive arising out of a deep still space. Inge has performed alongside many musicians from duets to Celtic bands, not forgetting a 52 night solo artist support slot on the David Essex's tour of UK. Inge feels very deeply that family life is her greatest joy. Her husband, daughter, son and his girlfriend are all involved with Maeshine’s Gentle Peace project as a way of putting something peaceful out into the world. Inge loves finding a balance between meaningful, joyful time with people and tranquil time in nature. Her daily practice of mindfulness meditation, Yoga, Tai Chi and Chi Kung is a constant source of stillness to her which shines through in her life and music.
Accompanist ANNA SMITH grew up in Belfast, lived in Belgium for a while and now enjoys living in Bangor. As a part of their gentle lifestyle her parents infused her childhood with mindfulness, meditation, sound healing and music. Peaceful by nature Anna used to sing in a choir and also always felt drawn to work with instruments that instill feelings of tranquility and harmony. She brings texture to the songs with endearing backing vocals and gentle instruments like the tambura chord, Rav Vast, lullaby drum, singing bowls, chimes, tingshas etc.... Spending time with friends, family and her greyhound Django make Anna truly happy.
Artist ROSIE HAGHIGHI was born in England and spent 6 years of her childhood in Spain. She has made Northern Ireland her home since 2007. She has a degree in illustration and is a multifaceted artist who has exhibited her work at various venues in Northern Ireland including Seacourt Print Workshop, QSS Gallery and the Black Box in Belfast. Her work has been described as visionary and uplifting. Recently one of her illustrations was on the cover of City Belfast magazine. She is currently renovating a space in Bangor, Co.Down to start her own art/craft based gift shop and studio. Her beautiful artwork is on the cover of the Gentle Peace album. Her 30 illustrations inspired by the songs on the album form the key element of the Maeshine Gentle Peace cards and inspirations book.
Producer TOMMY HAGHIGHI was born in Basingstoke and is now at home in Bangor, Co.Down.
He has a degree in composition for film. Tapping into his sensitive nature, he has produced Maeshine's album adding lyrical orchestral sounds, layered vocals, touches of percussion, keyboard and nature sounds. The result of his creativity is an album with an ethereal quality that exudes beauty and grace. Tommy likes a wide range of music and writes, sings and plays guitar for his own punk rock band, Salad Boyz. He shares Anna’s love of animals and time with friends. Loves walking with Django on the beach!
Photographer/Website Developer NAD HAGHIGHI was born in Iran and has lived in UK since 1975. Nad has a keen eye for beauty and design. His photos and web designs have been delighting people for many years. As well as adding these creative touches, he is also managing Maeshine and giving support to the Gentle Peace project in numerous ways. His passion is cars and he will always be in his element on the track or at various car related events. A great family man who is kind and caring and always there for those who need it. He also loves walking in nature, Tai Chi and meditation.