A few years ago, I had restarted making music. Back then I thought: I know how to sing; I know how to write music and record it and can brush up on some production skills with YouTube videos. I’ll create a few songs, put them out on YouTube and SoundCloud, and there’ll be a lot of great resonance. Boy – was I wrong.
It was quite painful to read some of the comments from independent reviewers. Many people probably would have given up. Giving up was not an option though; I need music as a medium to express my view of the world. So I dug in and started putting time and effort into building up the skills I needed, taking singing classes, learning to play the guitar, working with a production coach. Recorded and re-recorded the same tracks, obsessing over details that months before I probably woudln’t have noticed. Now, when I listen back to early versions of some songs and compare them to the finished masters, I can’t help but notice the vast differences. It was good to step back – good and necessary.
After many years of silence, I’m getting ready to release my first song in a while, and do my first “real” release (to Spotify, Apple Music etc.). I’ve taken my craft as far as I’m able to, between a full-time job, family, and Covid-19. I hope my music and the message I’m sending will be received gracefully.
Here’s an excerpt of “purpose”: