Songwriting for me started as an experimental thing. The way you wanna try everything as a kid, whether its dancing, sport, drawing or whatever. Kids have this incredible idea that they are capable of anything and as a kid I was full of ideas and ambitions. I was sure, if I put my mind to it, I could do absolutely anything.
So, when I was about 9 or 10, I would read through the sleeves of every CD in the house like they were stories. I loved singing and I knew I was going to be a singer but when I found out that my favourite singers wrote their own music I became curious about that side of things. I read the sleeve of Shakira - Laundry Service of all things that she started writing songs when she was 8 or something ridiculous. I remember thinking “well then! I better get cracking on writing some music then!”. I was terrible and all my songs were cheesy as hell. I had nothing to write about so I made up a lot of far-fetched scenarios. I had no life experience so I made it all up.
It wasn’t till I hit high school and became an angsty teen with a mind over flowing with questions and uncertainties, that I realized writing songs had become my therapy. It was a huge part of the way my mind developed. I had become an over analyzing, self aware, deep person through writing about every single thought and feeling I had.
Writing music is not a hobby for me anymore, its as important as eating or sleeping. I need it to function as a human being and get the most out of life. I don’t think I actively seek inspiration anymore. It has become so deeply rooted into my brain to think as a song writer. It is the only way I can stay in touch with myself and the world around me. It’s a necessity to my survival these days. When I’m not exercising my brain creatively I lose my mind a little. Maybe because since I was a kid my whole mind has been built around that way of thinking. I often think what would’ve happened if I didn’t have the opportunity to make a career out of writing music; if I was sitting at a desk all day collecting stats (I did do that for a short time straight out of high school haha). I think I’d be rather lost. I often think how I possibly would have come away from certain life changes completely unscathed if it wasn’t for writing music.
I don’t live to write music; I write music to live.
