So. I released a new single today called If We Switched Sides. It's the first of eight songs coming out every two weeks through the summer. Eight songs. I'm not playing around. Well, I am playing around, that's kind of the whole point, but you know what I mean.
Here's where I'm at. Minneapolis had a brutal winter. The cold kind and the other kind. Let me just say it plainly: I hate Trump. He is a corrupt, cruel, evil human being and I genuinely do not understand how anyone looks at what he has done to this country and thinks "yeah, more of that." ICE showing up in my city and terrorizing people was not something I will ever get over or stay quiet about. That cruelty has a cost and we are all paying it.
And then! Just for fun! We also have AI taking over the creative world. I tried it for music. I really did. It felt like eating a beautiful looking meal that tasted like nothing. Like a stock photo of a sandwich. No thank you. Hard pass. I'm out. I don't want to let it steal my craft or my talent.
So yeah, it's been a lot. The world is chaotic and strange and I have been navigating my feelings about all of it while also trying to remember who I actually am as an artist. Spoiler: I spent a few too many years being a content creator when what I really am is a songwriter. Those are not the same thing and I got confused for a while.
The album I'm working on right now is my answer to all of it. I'm not ready to talk about it yet because I'm protective of it and also a little superstitious, but I will say it's rooted in the sounds I grew up on. The 70s, 80s, 90s. The era when music felt like something you discovered in a used record bin, not something an app decided you might like based on your listening history at 2am on a Tuesday.
Prince is a big inspiration for me right now. Not the sound, the mindset. The man made more music than most people have thoughts. He didn't ask permission, didn't chase trends, didn't explain himself. He was just fully, completely Prince. I want that. I'm working on that. It turns out being yourself is actually kind of hard when you've spent years optimizing for an audience.
Anyway. If you're a past student, a music fan, someone who accidentally clicked the wrong link, welcome. I hope something in here sounds familiar. I think a lot of us are just trying to find ourselves underneath all the noise right now. I don't have it figured out either. But I'm making music again, really making it, and honestly that's the best I've got.
If We Switched Sides is out now. More coming every two weeks. Come hang. You can download the song on this site, just provide your email address.