Small Fish
I can’t believe it’s taken this long to finish recording my album. As some of you know a mid-year vocal hemorrhage set me back a good 6 months but here we are. (Almost) ready to launch. Thank you so much for waiting!
Making a record independently has been an eye-opening experience and trust me…I’ve been getting a humbling education. See, although I have ample “following” on social media I’ve been advised that I have absolutely NO presence on listening platforms (Spotify, APPLE, etc), which makes sense because I’ve been busy writing songs for other people all these years. This will be my first solo record. So actually I’m a very Small Fish in a Very Big Pond.
See? 😩
Branding and Marketing Goddess & Guru Kristin Juel, with whom I’ve partnered for my project, recommends I pre-release content (what a word) in order to establish a presence before I dive into the deep end with my first official single. Sheesh. DIY-ing after a certain age is not for the faint of heart.
It’s a whole new world out there with algorithms, analytics, gamification and secret weapons like Spotify Release Radar! I’m as novice as any H.S. sophomore uploading her first precious song to Soundcloud. Like I said Small Fish. In fact all the youngsters who I’ve mentored are in a position to mentor me for a change. I’m all ears.
And so…“Just Wanna Be Your Girl” will be the under-the-radar preview song before my official first single drops in February. That said, it’s anything but a sacrificial lamb. I wrote the song a number of years ago with Wally-Gagel on a day we were supposed to be collaborating with an artist (who shall remain unnamed). She burst through the studio door an hour late in a bluster of drama and announced she didn’t feel well. And she parked illegally. And she had to call her manager. (Writing with signed artists is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get — I’m sure they feel the same about me.)
Anyway, Artist-Who-Shall-Remain-Unnamed took her cell into the hallway and was on it for quite some time. Wally and I got itchy. So he started strumming his guitar. I started singing. Wally kept strumming. I kept singing. We just kept going. And by the time Artist-Who-Shall-Remain-Unnamed came back into the room we were finished. Song complete.
But Artist-Who-Shall-Remain-Unnamed was ready to rock. Except…she was coughing a lot. (Not that I’m a germaphobe but if you spend 5 hours in a studio with someone who’s sick you’re probably gonna get sick too.) Oh and also? She had to move her car.
Wally and I politely suggested we reconvene on another day when life was less complicated. (And maybe next time she should uber. )
And so it was.
She left. I got behind the mic. And we recorded our uncomfortably honest song about wanting to stay chill in an imperfect but cherished relationship — listing all the roles I wanted (wish for myself) to play.
Wally and I tried updating our demo for this “preview release” but we simply couldn’t beat the vibe — I think it’s called Demo Love — so we wound up leaving it exactly as we recorded it that day.
Songs happen when we least expect them to. They don’t always materialize when we summon them. They fall from skies. They fly in windows. They unfold poetically when we’re waiting for someone to get off the phone. Or move their car. Or stop coughing. I have learned to cherish these unpredictable arrivals.
And now the part of this story I that makes me squirm…but Kristin insists I have to ask.
I NEED YOUR HELP! In the spirit of the independent artist (which I am) and in support of small fish everywhere please help me establish my listening presence 😳and Pre-Save “Just Wanna Be Your Girl” on your favorite platform before its Jan 17th release. Apparently this makes Spotify and APPLE think I’m desirable and more likely to add me to a playlist. Oy.
Ok. There. I did it. Are you happy Kristin?
Oh and…forgive me…there might be more of these…I think they’re called “Call-To-Actions”. I’m learning.
Small Fish? You Bet! All good.
And away we go.
Don’t forget to Pre-Save!
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