Where do you get inspiration for your
songwriting and musical composition? You have said you prefer passion over
precision, can you elaborate on that?
“From life in general. A pretty boring answer, I
know [laughs], but as a songwriter, I talk about real
things that I’m thinking about or experiencing.
Even if I write a song about a completely made-up
story, it probably developed from something that
either I or someone I know has experienced. My
process is very loose and old fashioned. I have my
studio room where I do my writing and record
my demos, I sit down with my guitar and either
start with an idea or melody that I already have,
or I see if there’s something new looming around
inside me, and when I’m relaxed and patient
some really beautiful things happen in those
moments. I’ve learned not to force songwriting,
but I do make an effort to keep myself on the
ball. I often dream music, too; I have a lot of
late-night recordings of me mumbling some
melody that won’t make sense to anyone but me.
Dreaming music is possibly the most fascinating
thing about being a songwriter. It’s almost like
I’m capturing signals from a radio transmission
and the voices are rarely mine. Sometimes I feel
like there are songs I’m dreaming that are out
there for anyone to capture, but I’m just tuned
into that channel. The trick is to wake up and
record it as accurately as possible in my groggy,
half-asleep voice before it fades into the dream
ethers. I dream a lot of weird stuff, too, but I’ve
learned which stuff is worth getting up for and
which I can sleep through. I wonder if there is
some scientific study on this, because I know I’m
not the only one who experiences it.” “There are a lot of talented people who are very
precise about their craft but they’re heartless.
You can’t really feel anything from them because
it’s all technique or style. For me, music is about
getting lost in a feeling or escaping a feeling. I
don’t want to make it sound like passion is all
you need, but passion is so important because
people feel and connect to that.”
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How has this journey been for you, and
how is it now that you have a family?
“It’s been a good journey so far. I’m moving
at my pace, on my terms, and I feel like I’m
on my purpose. I’m patient about my career
and things are aligning for me in what feels
like the most beautifully orchestrated way. My
family is my fuel, so they make things easier for
me. I never understand when people use their
children as excuses to stop pressing toward their
goals. One of my jobs as a parent is to actualize
my goals so that my children can have a direct
example of someone accomplishing what they
set out to do. My children motivate me and
inspire me to excel.”