Artist Statement
As a songwriter, I write to develop a better understanding of life experiences that happened in the past or are happening in the present. Each song is written as a reflection of a particular experience, or reoccurring experience that provokes my emotion or wonder. An example of writing a song from my experience or wonder is: trying to make sense of how fast human relationships begin and end while living in the Information Age, when I write, “The romance, the romance died / before it even started/ before the mind comparts it/ And it can all change, it can all change/ within a short time frame, a short time frame/ entitled blinking.”(from my song, Modern Romance). Through my work, I would like to invite the audience along with me to reflect on finding a deeper connection within ourselves, creating more space for love and self acceptance.
It is my goal to be as honest and genuine as possible in my work, both lyrically and musically. Each time I write, I want to make sure to find the right words and melodies that paint a true picture of what I experience. When writing songs, I have found that if I am trying to plan out what notes to play, that is when I get stuck, or have a “writer’s block.” However, if I improvise until I find the notes that I feel match my emotions, that is when I begin to take off in creating a song; improvising is where I find my honesty. When it comes to lyrics, I have two different ways of writing. Sometimes I write lyrics simultaneously with the music, and other times I will take what I have written down separately, then write the music to match the lyrics. When I am creating music now, or have created music in the past, I use my memories to elicit that process. For example, a memory (from when I was four or five years old), of sitting at a piano and attempting to write my first song, stands out as the foundation of my creative DNA. I vividly remember the image of my tiny hands playing the keys on our family's second hand piano. I can still feel the joyful emotions I felt as I "wrote" lyrics about "angels in heaven." As childlike as this may seem, when I am writing music now, I still (and will always) rely on this memory to keep me motivated in times of feeling stuck in my creative process.
Currently, as I am in the process of writing new songs and polishing up old ones, I find myself drawn to the rhythms set in music by classical artists from the Baroque period. Since I have spent a lot of time playing, studying, and listening to this music, I can’t help but to move my fingers on the keyboard similar to those clear, concise patterns. I am exploring the process of taking the inspiration I have from classical music, and turning that inspiration into songs which listeners can relate to today.