Many things! Potentially good, potentially bad, scarily. The stakes seems larger than ever now I’ve finally released something.
More on that in a second; first off, I am thrilled with the reception Dreams has had in its first month. I have various nerdy stats available to me through my distributor (I have one listener in Lithuania. Labas!), the general projection being that listens are going up, and new listeners are going up too. Woo! Thank you all.
So then, the title. One song is only going to get me so far. I’m pleased to say that there is some progress on that front, as last week I popped back over to The Living Room Studios (from my last blog, remember?). I had a lovely time recording with Dan again, it was like slipping into old shoes. Fruitful shoes – I have the acoustic guitar and most of the vocals completed for TWO new songs. I’m also writing some new songs I’m planning to record from home.
All going swimmingly then right? Sort of. There’s a weight I’ve been feeling the last few weeks. Before I’d released Dreams there was no precedent, nothing to be compared to. More than that, there was a goal: release one song. That was finite, achievable, and has been achieved. So now what? A successful career making original music ideally. I think only now do I fully appreciate the enormity of that task.
Alas, there is no objective way of doing that. Write ‘good’ songs, arrange them, record them, submit them to radio stations, perform live, post on social media, create videos, write blogs… I often think about what’s the most effective strategy, which things to prioritise. Truthfully I always end up just going with my gut, and doing the things that make me want to get out of bed in the morning; self-motivation/discipline being a great challenge in its own right.
And then there’s money. Cover gigs are good, originals – not so much. Spending all this time trying to make a career out of your songs while you have bills to pay really makes you feel the crunch. Again, what to prioritise? Time is of the essence. And I’m 26. Not old by any stretch, but old enough that I feel something has to happen soon. Something more concrete than aspirations.
All this fretting about the future has not left me much space in my mind to appreciate the good things. Writing certainly helps with that though. For example, I’m reminded that I’ve successfully moved to Bristol, which has already proven to be a wonderful hub of music in a short time I’ve been here. I’ve met loads of great people already at open mics and gigs, and made connections with local venues and studios. I feel that if anything’s going to happen it’s going to start here. And I have a song. Again, thank you for listening to Dreams. I actually haven’t listened to it since the release. Maybe I will later.
So yeah, progress is slow, but steady. Two new songs coming at least, and potentially a last-minute Christmassy thing as well. I hope you like them. After that there’ll be more original music, come rain or shine.
P.s. and a blog post or two. Or a hundred. They’re much easier to write.