I have a tendency to think about things pretty deeply. That’s probably why I write songs. I love finding ways to express a complex idea or feeling in a way that makes it accessible and relatable. And for me, music has always been the most effective and elegant way to do that. My favourite thing is to listen to a new song and to hear a moment, or a lyric, or something in it that I instinctively recognise – that moment where you go, ‘oh, me too!’
For me, music is about connection. It’s a way of trying to find or to describe what we all have in common with one another as human beings. Being a songwriter can be a quite a difficult job because a lot of the time creating work that does that means examining the parts of ourselves, our histories and our own behaviours that we’re less than proud of or that have caused us pain – and then holding those up for everyone else to see! But it can also be extraordinarily rewarding. When done well, it means creating something that shows the listener a glimpse of themselves and, at the very least, lets them know that they are not alone.
However, any of you who have been to one of my gigs will know that I also like to talk. And some of my ideas and reflections are probably better expressed non-musically. So I thought it was time I started a blog on here so I have a place to put them all.
To begin with, I thought I’d rework a piece that I put together as I was working on my first release – what I was calling, at the time, my ‘pre-EP’. I’m revisiting it in light of everything that has happened since, and I have to say it’s nice to take a moment to actually reflect on what I’ve achieved over the past year. It’s been a big one!
You’ll see that post in the next week or so, so be sure to keep an eye out for it!