Twenty years after suffering two devastating strokes, legendary musician Edwyn Collins remains defiantly optimistic and creative with the release of his new album "Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation."
The former Orange Juice frontman, now 65, operates from his Clashnarrow Studio in the Scottish Highlands - a space filled with vintage recording equipment and instruments collected over decades. Despite aphasia affecting his speech and partial paralysis on his right side, Collins continues to write, record, and perform music with unwavering determination.
"I want to get better inside my own head," Collins says, reflecting on his journey. His wife and manager Grace Maxwell has been by his side throughout, helping him focus his creative vision while never compromising his artistic voice.
The album's title track addresses both personal and societal communication challenges. "If I can't talk to you and you can't talk to me/How shall nation speak unto nation?" Collins sings, embracing rather than hiding his post-stroke reality.
"You have this communication issue, but you keep saying: 'I need to communicate,'" Maxwell explains. "So you will communicate, regardless of how difficult it is, or how it comes across."
Collins responds with characteristic wit: "Awkwardly? So what."
His musical influence reaches unexpected places - Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer counts himself as a longtime fan, having chosen Orange Juice's "Falling and Laughing" for Desert Island Discs. In 2022, Coldplay invited Collins to perform "A Girl Like You" at Glasgow's Hampden Park.
Based in Helmsdale, Collins finds therapy in daily walks and the pure Highland air. The studio welcomes young artists to record for free, continuing his legacy of musical mentorship.
Two decades after his life-changing strokes, Collins refuses to mark their anniversary. Instead, he looks forward - to touring, creating, and championing both new and vintage music he loves. His resilience and creative spirit remain undiminished, even if expressed differently now.
"I want to get on with my music," Collins declares simply, embodying the direct communication style that defines both his recovery and his art.