It’s Friday. I have spent the week writing about music, intensively.
One of the aspects that I most enjoy, and also the most cathartic and intriguing, is getting to know the circumstances behind a record. People don’t just make music casually: there’s always a strong reason behind it.
Often it is a reaction to what they are experiencing - perhaps a heartbreak that needs to be processed emotionally - other times it’s the complete opposite, with music representing a tool to combat the numbness of everyday living, to add some colour and texture to a personal experience that might feel grey and boring.
Usually, it’s one or the other. A lot of people are going through relationship issues, using songwriting to affirm their independence and to remind themselves they are still worthy of space and attention. Not a surprise, a fair amount of events on this planet revolve around Love.
It’s special to be able to have an insight into such a variety of generations, life journeys, cultures. It makes you appreciate the beauty and the importance of making art.
Then there’s the slice of music makers that seek to shuffle their normality. Something we have seen a lot with the pandemic: a cascade of ex-musicians and retired songwriters that suddenly had enough time on their hands to write and perform again. Talk about a silver lining, eh?
This week in particular, all of these thoughts resonated with me more than ever. I came across a two-time Speedway champion taking on a Dj course and entering the tech-house scene. The ex-CEO of Calvin Klein now dabbling in soothing folk tunes (unconfirmed). The retiree trying to reconnect to his teenage artistic goals. The mother-daughter acoustic duo writing exceptional material.
It’s special to be able to have an insight into such a variety of generations, life journeys, cultures. It makes you appreciate the beauty and the importance of making art. The importance of “intellectual wandering” - conceptualising ideas, making them come true.
A lot of this music - sad truth - won’t be enjoyed by a large number of listeners, seeing the current saturation of the industry. Nonetheless, it still holds an essential role: enriching and brightening the day-to-day struggles of all these makers. So keep going, write music you’d like to hear, perform pieces you’d pay to witness live. Be proud of the results. Do it for yourself, and maybe - just maybe - someone else will connect to it.
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