The last couple of weeks have been wild. I finally wrapped up the last song for my album project, Digital Masquerade. It feels good to have that part finished. It has been hanging over me for a long time. I also released “Might Be Trouble” just a week ago, and it is creeping toward 400 streams on Spotify already, which blows my mind. I dropped two lyric videos too, one on At-Home Songwriting and one on my Chad Shank Music channel, because apparently I don’t like sleep.
On top of that, I got to sit down with London-based singer-songwriter Joseph Bell for an At-Home Songwriting interview. That video is going live October 17th and I think you are going to love it. And speaking of video, my “Being You” piece has gone kind of semi-viral. It is my biggest video to date. That has been a huge shot of energy, just knowing more people are finding and connecting with the songwriting teaching.
I also recorded an interview with Crowfather, a local Hip-Hop artist here in Minneapolis. We met at a Bowdizz show a few weeks ago. Bowdizz has been a previous guest on At-Home Songwriting as well. Both Bow and Crowfather are really talented writers and performers. It has been fun to connect with artists in another genre and support their journey how I can. I do not know when the Crowfather interview will be posted, so stay tuned for that. Part of my mission lately is to really promote the power of music made by independent people. We have a hard time getting heard, and we need to help each other.
I also led two workshops for Andrea Stolpe’s EMC Institute recently. Great conversations, great writers, great energy. It is moments like that where I remember why I do this. Music really is a connector. I also released a new video for “Stick With Our Love,” and finished the video for my next single release, the title track of Digital Masquerade. Lots of late nights, but it is paying off creatively.
If I am being honest, though, it has been exhausting too. Not just the work, but watching what is happening in the world right now. I do not support this current regime in the slightest way. I worry about our freedoms, about free speech, about the space for art itself. All creative people should be scared shitless right now. This is the time to double down on making art without boundaries. Be you. Be real. Be brave.