The first month of the new year is in the books! Time flies!
I wanted to reach out to all you dear people reading my blog and following my socials and say thank you for your incredible support!
I want you to know that I appreciate you so much! It isn´t a given to receive that kind of encouragement and acknowlegement.
Last year, I have released my debut album „Root to Rise“. It came with flaws as I am an artist with little experience still. And yet, I have poured my heart and soul into these songs.
So, everyone who shared my music and kept listening really made my life better! And I am stressing this, because there weren´t a lot of people that did! It´s not like your friends and family or people you connected with automatically like or share your music. And they don´t have to! You should only share what you love! As an artist I wouldn´t want friends to pretend they like my music, I´d rather find “fans” who truly love what I do. But, being only human, it does shatter my artist soul of course, to see only few people enjoying what I have created! I guess this is part of the journey and a great lesson in keeping humble and committed and constantly evolving! And that´s what I am all about right now!
I´ll be honest! I´m worried that all the songs I´ve presented so far, were mere ideas…displaying no artistry. I have always wondered why songwriters are not being referred to as artists. Only the performing artists that might not have written the songs they sing are being called artists within the music industry.
But now I get it!
Yes, songwriting in itself is an art, that needs to be done with precision and devotion and a dedication to detail. But it is only one part of the artmaking!
On any master recording, the performers are in charge of turning the actual record (the actual song version) from a demo to a piece of art. The have to bring it home! We owe it to the songs, to execute them as art, and not as concepts! Because the songs can´t walk for themselves! They can´t make themselves be heard by themselves! It is the performers job to convey the songs message in a unique and original way. So yes, on a master recording, the performer is in charge of the artistry, not the writer. The writer´s job is done! It is hence solely the performer´s job to bring the song alive or beat it dead.
And I have failed.
I have failed in properly arranging, I have failed in delivering decent vocal performances and I have failed on so many other levels. I have presented songs, but I haven´t let them speak.
And yet, some of you saw through these flaws! Some of you saw my songs, their core, the seeds of my art! I bow my head before you! It touches my heart!
Keep the engine rolling or changing direction?
Luckily, I have a „keep moving forward“ kind of mentality. I analyzed all the mistakes I made and am now preparing for the making of my second EP/album project, which will hopefully be recorded in April and May of this year.
I have a lot of cool new songs coming to you soon and I am confident that you, the person reading this who has connected with my music and core messages before, will enjoy these songs a lot!
But as I said, I have reflected and learned a lot from this first attempt on Root to Rise. Here´s the thing! I am working super hard to own my craft! To be in control of my vocals…I´m not saying I want to eliminate all my flaws. They are part of it all! I will keep being me, but I will work on delivering the songs more precisely and true to their core.
However, if I notice along the process that I am not a good enough singer to execute that task, I will hand these songs over to another vocalist. Because that´s what the songs deserve!
That´s what a good mother would do! Help her kids be their own best and happiest version and not let her own ego run them over and making them something she would personally favor.
Singing these songs makes me happy! But my songs are not meant to make me happy! My songs are meant to touch people – like you my dear – and change their life!
Can I still sing them? Sure! I can sing on youtube or on stage! But shall I be the one singing on the master recordings? The one I´ll put the money in to promote? Not necessarily! And here´s why:
I just thought of Dolly Parton´s song „I will always love you“. Hands down, do you prefer Dolly´s or Whitney´s version of the song? I´d say both versions are really nice! but Whitney´s interpretation put a soul to the song! She revealed the true meaning! Dolly gave it her heart! She was the one who wrote the song! She´s a great artist both as a writer and singer. But the song needed more to be fully understood.
Can we still prefer Dolly´s version? Yes, sure! Why not! But I´m pretty convinced that Whitney´s recording of the song made us listen properly and helped us perceive Dolly´s version from a new perspective!
Whitney helped us see the beauty of the song and now we can see this beauty also in Dolly´s version! Basically, Dolly´s version was sweet, Whitney´s was deep!
Now we can enjoy both ends to this song! But without Whitney, Dollys´ version would have been underestimated! I´m pretty sure of that!
Chosing the right artist to put the song out there is crucial!
Another way to look at it
To end this long reflection, I´d like to think of it in a spiritual way, as well! Not everyone grew up with a Christian faith, but let´s look at the messages we might find in this anyways. Basically, there is a creating and a delivering force in all things we bring forward.
Just like God (the creator) asked Mary (the executer) if she would deliver His child. He didn´t force the child upon her. He took His ego out. He knew he needed the right person to help fulfill the task and with the right approach to it. Mary was necessary to deliver the baby Jesus. And the way she delivered made people see the wonder!
This sounds very esoteric and it is just a metaphor, but I´m trying to bring across a point and acknowlege that as a songwriter we need the right artist (may it be ourselves or someone else) so much in order to fulfill our mission. A lot of times the artists that wrote the songs are also the ones that best deliver them! They usually know the magic of their song´s message like no other. But there´s exceptions to everything! Sometimes art calls for joint ventures;) Ultimately we want to bring a song to life that will cut through the noise and resonate with peoples´ souls!
I believe „Fighter“ was the only song on my album that did the job!
Anyhow, this was a long post! If you are still with me, I know we have a connection! I hope you will keep enjoying my songs whoever may or may not sing them! 😉 Let´s hope I´ll get to do a few;)
Also, let me clarify that my team of musicians and producers were fab and I´ll keep working with them!
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Once again, I appreciate you so much and I hope my music will keep hitting your heart! I´m glad you get me and I look forward to keeping creating for you!
Best,
Katie
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