Stijn Kuppens: ,,In 2022 I made the song GYM. It is a tribute to the faculty of medicine of Leuven and is part of my album Seven Miracles, in which I pay tribute to seven of my own chosen ‘miracles’ of Leuven. Singer Anu Junnonen contributed as a guest artist for this song.”
The song is inspired by the groundbreaking project GYM, which he learned about through professor Maurilio Sampaolesi from KU Leuven. The basic riff of the cello is based on the rhythm of the words ‘generate your muscle’ and symbolizes a ritual mantra that calls the muscle cells to regenerate. The lyrics are important:
Love: the driving force in this project is love; the love for the patients, but also the love of the patients for their parents, environment and loved ones
Together we’re strong: the strength of this project lies in the broad collaboration between research, industry, patients and families, in which everyone is/is strongly involved
Don’t give up: there is a determined pursuit, where the only thing that matters is that one does not give up and continues to pursue the goal despite everything
Generate your muscle
Believe: everyone must continue to believe in this project, even though the road is long and difficult
The voices in the song symbolize the many different groups working together in this project, including patients, families, healthcare providers, researchers, thinkers, leaders, industry people.
In the middle of the song the music freezes and things go wrong. The patient is asked from an emergency center to persevere, not to give up. The situation is critical, but courage is gradually being regained and the mantra ‘generate your muscle’ is being used again. All parties involved come in one by one, each has their voice, and contributes strength in their own way.
,,I personally believe very strongly in GYM because it is an effective, professional, international and overarching collaboration in which all parties are actively involved. This ensures that the work is truly future-oriented, but at the same time it has a healing and comforting function at the moment. That is why I am honored to be an ambassador for this special project.”
Listen the song on Spotify or on Apple Music.
Stijn Kuppens, september 2023
