Q: Can you talk about your background and how you got involved with music?
A: Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I started taking piano lessons at age six and was classically trained through high school. I’ve always enjoyed singing and was involved in choirs throughout my childhood. Starting around 14 years old, my absolute favorite thing to do was to get out my mom’s 80’s Casio keyboard and write songs. I’d put the keyboard on the ground since it didn’t have a stand, grab a notebook, and just start putting stuff together. Both of my parents are musical, and my earliest memories are of them listening to new albums on cassette at home. An album that was always on repeat was Vince Gill’s, When Love Finds You. My mom sings and plays guitar, and my dad is a drummer and saxophone player. My grandparents and great-grandparents on both sides of my family were also musically inclined, some played guitar or piano, others were music educators, many were singers. It’s safe to say it runs in my blood.
Q: What’s the story behind Jet Plane?
A: A lot of songs honestly start writing themselves, so this one started like any great songwriting session… with the opening line (which is rare!). The first line ended with “jet plane”, and I thought it might be cool to write it from the opposite perspective of John Denver’s classic “Leaving on a Jet Plane”. It’s a bit of a tribute because I grew up on Denver, who is one of my dad’s favorite artists.
Q: What are some of the themes and concepts you want to explore with your music?
A: Growing up, I got healthy doses of artists like Billy Joel, Norah Jones, Stevie Wonder and John Denver. I also grew up on country music which is still a big part of my life today. I want to incorporate blends of country, blues, and funk into my work, depending on what each song calls for. But the through line that all of my favorite artists have is their own version of soul. That’s an element I want to come through in every song I write.
A: Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I started taking piano lessons at age six and was classically trained through high school. I’ve always enjoyed singing and was involved in choirs throughout my childhood. Starting around 14 years old, my absolute favorite thing to do was to get out my mom’s 80’s Casio keyboard and write songs. I’d put the keyboard on the ground since it didn’t have a stand, grab a notebook, and just start putting stuff together. Both of my parents are musical, and my earliest memories are of them listening to new albums on cassette at home. An album that was always on repeat was Vince Gill’s, When Love Finds You. My mom sings and plays guitar, and my dad is a drummer and saxophone player. My grandparents and great-grandparents on both sides of my family were also musically inclined, some played guitar or piano, others were music educators, many were singers. It’s safe to say it runs in my blood.
Q: What’s the story behind Jet Plane?
A: A lot of songs honestly start writing themselves, so this one started like any great songwriting session… with the opening line (which is rare!). The first line ended with “jet plane”, and I thought it might be cool to write it from the opposite perspective of John Denver’s classic “Leaving on a Jet Plane”. It’s a bit of a tribute because I grew up on Denver, who is one of my dad’s favorite artists.
Q: What are some of the themes and concepts you want to explore with your music?
A: Growing up, I got healthy doses of artists like Billy Joel, Norah Jones, Stevie Wonder and John Denver. I also grew up on country music which is still a big part of my life today. I want to incorporate blends of country, blues, and funk into my work, depending on what each song calls for. But the through line that all of my favorite artists have is their own version of soul. That’s an element I want to come through in every song I write.
Q: What is your creative process like?
A: It depends. Sometimes, a melody line and lyrics will just hit me, and it will prompt me to sit down and find out where the song takes me. Other times, I’ll sit down without anything in mind and play chord progressions until I find some that speak to me. Often, I’ll sing along while I’m playing until I have some lines that I gravitate to, then I’ll build on that theme both with the lyrics and the music. Some of my favorite songs that I’ve written have taken 20-30 minutes to write since the chords and lyrics often come together simultaneously.
Q: How do you hope people connect with your music?
A: Music is one of life’s greatest wonders, it’s like magic. Some of my favorite artists have produced deep stuff that’s gotten me through some tough times. Those artists’ songs have also been the soundtrack to some of my favorite moments in life, and I hope my music does that for people. I hope the authenticity of my songs allows people to feel it for themselves and connect the songs to wherever they are in life and whatever they’re going through, whether it be an amazing moment or a tough one.
Q: What else should we know about your music? Any live date we should know about?
A: Be on the lookout for new music; I’m working on some new projects and excited to get them out there. I’m a songwriter first and always looking to collaborate with other writers.
A: It depends. Sometimes, a melody line and lyrics will just hit me, and it will prompt me to sit down and find out where the song takes me. Other times, I’ll sit down without anything in mind and play chord progressions until I find some that speak to me. Often, I’ll sing along while I’m playing until I have some lines that I gravitate to, then I’ll build on that theme both with the lyrics and the music. Some of my favorite songs that I’ve written have taken 20-30 minutes to write since the chords and lyrics often come together simultaneously.
Q: How do you hope people connect with your music?
A: Music is one of life’s greatest wonders, it’s like magic. Some of my favorite artists have produced deep stuff that’s gotten me through some tough times. Those artists’ songs have also been the soundtrack to some of my favorite moments in life, and I hope my music does that for people. I hope the authenticity of my songs allows people to feel it for themselves and connect the songs to wherever they are in life and whatever they’re going through, whether it be an amazing moment or a tough one.
Q: What else should we know about your music? Any live date we should know about?
A: Be on the lookout for new music; I’m working on some new projects and excited to get them out there. I’m a songwriter first and always looking to collaborate with other writers.