Singer/Songwriter with a sound all my own, reminiscent of Lana Del Rey and Fiona Apple with a hint of D'Angelo. Music feeds my soul.
It’s the end of the week, and a lot of my projects are starting to come to a close. I also found some closure this week, and was at peace today after a long time.
This weekend will be as fun as the new normal can be, with virtual and socially distanced gatherings with loved ones. I’m excited for it, and finally found some energy again.
A few minutes ago my mood was not quite at its best, but it only took a second to remember how grateful I am for all the love I have in my life, and for all the opportunities I’ve had. I’m back on track to start another sunny day, though I’m not excited about driving to work through the crazy traffic and construction in the city. Can’t have everything. 🙂
I’ve spent some time working on a new song idea over the past couple of days. It’s been a while, as I’ve been heavily focused on producing my second album, so it felt great to work on a new song. Looking forward to working on more new material over the next few months.
Today’s been a great day. I made it through a tough workout class in the morning that I was not looking forward to (I usually feel really good after the class is over and I can cross it off my list of things to do). I felt energized instead of enervated at the end of it, despite being physically tired. Then I met with my voice teacher to continue working on Cycles, one of the songs he and I co-wrote that we’re looking to finish and release early next year. I was dancing to the beat most of the time in the studio; I liked it so much. The song sounds very cool and interesting right now, like a call to action.
Despite some difficult events earlier this week, I’ve had a good week and today’s been a happy and peaceful day with warm sunshine spilling into my place. I’m sipping on peppermint tea, perfect for the weather and the season. This song added another calm layer to how good I’m already feeling. 🙂
Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Hope your weekend is lovely.
Cheers,
S.
It’s been a great weekend, and life is going well. I’m happy. One of the most intriguing moments from this weekend was randomly meeting a former musician from Teatro ZinZanni. He said he spent almost a decade working at an incredibly rewarding job as a musician there with people who became part of his family. He made a very comfortable living working a few hours every night (enough to compete with salaries in the tech industry today), and still had tons of time to spare for an additional job or time with his family. Sadly, the San Francisco branch shut down not too long ago, but he said those years were some of the best of his life. I was so happy for him, and so glad to have met someone with a story like his. He actually managed to become a professional musician who found a high level of satisfaction with the work he was doing, while easily being able to support himself financially.
Had a fun two hour conversation this evening with a physicist on the ability of art to make people happy and whether or not I should drop everything and run off to some remote part of the world to become a jungle or cave dweller for a while. I think the conclusion I came to was not…yet. <wink>
I went to see Woodkid live today. Great show, amazing music, but the coolest part was what happened after. I decided to stay after the concert (which I never do) to get autographs and chat with the musicians briefly if I could get the chance. I was one of the first people there, and started chatting with the pianist in the group, who happened to be the first musician to step outside. That conversation led to more with the other members of the band, and before I knew it I allowed myself to be led away to a 9 story mansion for an after party for the crew. Met super cool people, hung out with awesome musicians, and had the chance to give out my cards and CDs. Wow, I have no idea how that all happened. All I did was wait around at the right place at the right time.
It’s nearly 2 am…hello and a big kiss to one of the most beautiful days I have ever known.
The film crew redid my parts in the music video for Nighttime Story. Check out the new version of the song for the video: https://soundcloud.com/samayaformusic/nighttime-story-video-edit.
Every time I get into the production for the video, or am in the studio recording or composing I escape to these incredible realms. Tuesday night’s shoot felt magical, and I was so happy and energized after.
I felt the same rush today, when I was working on the chord charts for Porcelain Doll before my voice lesson so I could go over the theory with my teacher. In one part of the song, I hit an A flat major chord, then a D flat major, and that progression is triumphant in what it declares. I felt like life was perfect, and I could repeat that moment over and over again; I never wanted it to stop. I felt powerful in what I was trying to express, and felt confident that I was capable of unconditional love and forgiveness. I felt at peace, even as I was feeling a rush of energy.
These are the moments that I live for.
So, the world’s dealt a few more cards and I wonder how these will affect the turn of events over the next few months and years. Sometimes I wonder how much scope there is for free will in life, and whether we even have a choice or any influence over what happens in our lives.
A lot of biologists stop believing in free will after they start working in the life sciences, as choices could merely be interpreted as your genetic make up interacting with your environment, and the rest is up to stochasticity. A few religions, such as Hinduism, eliminate the concept of choice as well by invoking ideas like Fate, or God. Is choice merely an illusory concept that we humans came up with in order to prevent ourselves from having a collective nervous breakdown?
Or does choice really exist, and if it does, what is its basis? How do we choose what we choose? How do you settle on the best decision, or is that simply something we look back on after a series of resulting events have passed and rationalize? What is regret?
With modern lives that throw opportunities and changes our way constantly, the concept of straightforward and obvious choices may have been eliminated completely. What is the most important thing for a person? Does it vary from person to person? Or do we have one common priority in life as a species?
If I had to pick my strongest drivers, I think I would settle on the following three in no particular order: happiness, music, and the people that I love. And I think I can narrow it down further–with music and the people that I love around me, I think I could be happy. Is happiness a choice that we make in our heads?