I always thought it was weird to tell people I write songs when I never was genuinely proud of the songs I made. I always envisioned myself as more of a sports guy—someone who played football and volleyball and did that music stuff on the side. When I was little, I would make up these songs and melodies in my head and write them all down well before I ever took up an instrument. It was always important to me and was a way to express myself.
It wasn’t until junior high that I started to teach myself how to play the piano, and the songs I made were terrible. Like garbage. I had no idea what I was doing, but I tried my best. I got made fun of for the songs I made and sang in junior high. When I released the music video for my song “Park View,” I immediately got tons of dislikes and could not catch a break. It deflated me, and I lost some passion. Going into high school, I still wanted to make songs, but I didn’t spend much time on it because I had bigger dreams and ambitions in volleyball.
During sophomore year, I had the ambition to produce and release a song on streaming platforms. That winter, I released “The Beginning of Happier,” which I was incredibly proud of. I took that experience in stride and released an album, Complications. I was proud of myself for making this album and releasing it Junior year, but I knew I could do better.
Over the summer, I took producing more seriously and made a giant stride when I wrote and released my song “Hurt.” That single helped inspire me to make an album for my senior year that was actually good. I had started writing and producing a few songs when I had a long relationship of mine ended. Instead of crying, I wrote many songs over the next few months, and before I knew it, I had more songs I wanted to release than I could fit in just one album. So, I decided to make it a two-part album.
In five months, I finished ten songs for Moving On, But Not Really Vol. 1. I had a lot to be proud about with the album. Just about all of the songs were about dealing with the breakup and trying to move on, even though it is a much more complicated and more challenging thing to do. A lot of those feelings arose in the summer, and keeping my focus on the effects made the songs very emotional, perfect for a winter release. I released the album at a hard time in my life, and it meant a lot to me to see people enjoy it. However, I had much bigger expectations for volume two.
I started writing Moving On, But Not Really Vol. 2 simultaneously with volume one but have added and written many more songs during 2022. This has led me to write the album focusing on my senior year and the events that happened throughout the school year. I wanted to touch on new relationship experiences, feeling lonely, dealing with fake people, and preparing for my future which I’m scared of. I tried something new with the album that has paid off in a big way.
The first single I released for the album was “Yo Girl It’s Your Birthday,” which received one of the most positive responses I have ever received for my music. I kept writing and writing, started playing the guitar, and wrote and produced more songs. Every song I have released for this album has gotten very positive praise, inspiring me to keep writing. I’m about to release 14 songs for this album, and I genuinely couldn’t be more proud and excited about what I did. I’ve been ashamed to share my music for the longest time because I thought it wasn’t good enough—I don’t feel that anymore. Now I just get excited to share my music and hear the feedback I get.
I know I will keep writing even as I transition into college, and I genuinely believe that the best is yet to come. Moving On, But Not Really Vol. 2 comes out this week, and I hope people can take something away if they listen to it. I poured my heart and soul into this. Seeing how far my music has come, I’m excited for others to listen to this project and my future music to come.
You can find all of my songs currently out and can stream my album when it's released on Apple Music, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms.
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