The Melody of Real Life
I’ll never forget that first time that I walked into the studio. I met with the producers and I could feel butterflies in my stomach. I knew that my years of practice, hard work and passion for singing had just opened a new door where I could grow as an artist. I settled in as I chatted with the producer and musicians about writing my first song. For years, I have sang other people’s words and melodies. I sang to other’s lyrics which touched my heart and flowed through my soul. This was the first time I had to put my own thoughts and feelings into a melody.
The hardest part of writing a song is getting started. Finding the right story and chapter of your life to explore at a deeper level. It’s almost therapeutic to dig so deep to find that perfect moment to sing about. As we chatted about drama at school and my experiences as a military child, I realized how many directions I could go. At some point though, I was inspired. We were all inspired. I spoke about always setting the bar high for myself. I felt as though I had to live up to an expectation that I convinced myself was necessary, yet was unrealistic. I realized how many times this school year alone, I felt like I had to please every teacher and every friend group in every aspect of my life. Then, just like a waterfall, the ideas, inspiration and melody flowed out for Sideways. The melody came and matched my emotions and rhythm. The words came to us as I told each of my experiences and collaborated in the process of making music.
It was perfect. It was real. It was me. As I learned about myself, my story became a song. The best songs come straight from your heart. As I grew up, I went to so many musical theater productions where I felt an array of emotions through each performance. Each moment that the actors felt something so strong, they could no longer speak about it, they had to sing. I realized that is even true in real life. Each experience has its own melody and its own song. The song of life is the one that others can feel. It was on this day, that I began to sing my story and I hope it inspires others to sing through life as well. Through all of the good times and hard times, singing the Melody of Real Life is a beautiful thing.