Songwriting & All Things Music

Hi! If you read my introductory blog, I mentioned I love songwriting and music. Today, I'd love to talk about this more since it's such a big passion of mine. I'd like to tell my story of my experience with songwriting as well.

The year was 2011. I was 6 years old, and the Disney Channel show Austin and Ally had just come out. If you haven't seen the show, basically there is this duo, Austin and Ally. Ally writes songs for Austin, and he performs them, and then later on she performed with him. Ally had a little journal she kept all of her songs in, but she wouldn't let anyone touch it. When I was gifted my first diary, I would write little songs in it for fun, but would not let anyone touch it, just like Ally. I don't remember a whole lot about this time, but I do remember this. I don't know the exact reason why I stopped writing songs then, but I think it had something to do with the fact I was told it wasn't "cool" by other kids. No one else around me was writing songs, so why should I?

An actual photo I took inside the Bluebird Cafe on that trip!

Fast forward to middle school, I started hearing random melodies or lyrics in my head, but I didn't think much about it. I would write silly little songs here and there, but nothing too serious. The melodies in my head were starting to become a lot more frequent towards the end of middle school. Then, 8th grade me saw Nashville, TN for the first time. That changed my life. I will never forget it. We were fortunate enough to get tickets to the famous, iconic Bluebird Cafe. If you don't know what that is, it is a little cafe that songwriters frequently sing at. Many artists have been discovered here, and celebrities are known to do surprise appearances here as well. It is very difficult just to get in, so it was a miracle we got tickets. I will never forget the feelings I felt watching these small artists sing their original songs in this setting. It brought tears to my eyes. I had never really seen anything like it. And part of me felt at home.

Another picture from my first visit to Nashville!

When I got home that night, something in me had changed. At this point in my life, I didn't really have many things I was super passionate about. I felt like I was searching. I remember crying to God, asking Him what I was supposed to do with my life. I felt Him nudging me to read old letters people had written me. Yes, I am the type of person who will keep every card and letter people write me. I went through letter after letter and found nothing. I was about to give up, when I came across a letter my dad had written me when I was much younger when he was away on a mission trip. In the letter, I found the sentence, "I see you as a writer of songs and plays." (Fun fact, I used to write plays for me and my cousins to perform at family gatherings). In that moment, my heart dropped. Tears sprung to my eyes. It all made sense. The random melodies that would pop into my head out of nowhere. The closeness and feeling of home I felt in the Bluebird Cafe. I was meant to write songs. That day I became an actual songwriter. I remember writing 3 different songs that night. It was a life-changing moment I will remember forever.

So where does that leave me now, 6ish years later? Well, I still write songs. I still get random little melodies or lyrics that pop into my head at different times. Songwriting has been such a great gift from God. It really helps me process my feelings and things I go through. It's quite therapeutic. I know that I am fortunate to have this gift. I'm currently working on my first EP and am hoping to release it end of this year/early next year. It's going to be calling "Growing Pains" and will be composed of songs I've written these past few years during times of change. I'm super excited about it, and it's so cool to see the songs come together in the production phase. More on that is to come!

I am so thankful we all get to experience music on this Earth. And there's so many styles, genres, messages, and so on to choose from. Music is what helps me get through hard times (well that and Jesus, that is). If I find a song I can relate to, it makes me feel a little less alone. And I hope that my songs one day can make someone else feel the same way too. When I'm happy, I listen to music. When I'm sad, I (especially) listen to music. Music is such a huge part of my life, and it's been that way my entire life.

Thank you for taking the time to read through this blog! This one was a little different than my past ones, but what can I say? I like to shake things up a little bit from time to time. I love that I can truly write whatever I want on this blog. It's pretty great. I hope you enjoyed my story, and hope that maybe it inspired you in some capacity as well! Again, I am so incredibly thankful God gave me this incredible gift. Thanks for reading & I'll see ya next time!!