How I got here

Music has always been part of my life. Growing up, it was just there, especially singing - something I loved, something I leaned on and something I infuse into my every day life. But songwriting? That felt like someone else's thing.

For years it stayed that way. A quiet thought in the background. What if I tried? And then nothing because I don’t even know where to start. Life moves fast, and it's easy to talk yourself out of the things that feel slightly out of reach. Plus, I have many other things going on for me, so picking up on something I wasn’t particularly skilled at wasn’t an immediate priority.

Then I met Ricardo. He's my close friend and my trusted musician. Having music as a common interest, we started playing music and jammed and one day we said, “Let’s just write something”. And we worked on at least four songs at the time, but If You Care For Me and Where You Found Me were the ones that stuck.

The process stopped feeling intimidating and started feeling like a conversation. You throw something out, he catches it, you both follow it somewhere. It turns out songwriting isn't the solitary, genius-in-a-room thing that I thought it would be. Sometimes it's two people with instruments and having too much to say.

So why now?

Some may ask. I think the honest answer is: I finally feel ready to explore this side of myself. And I find telling my truth in music comes most natural to me. There's something about reaching a certain point in life where you stop waiting for permission — from other people, from yourself — and just begin.

This is me beginning.

The music I'm writing now feels more honest than anything I've made before, because it's the first time I'm making it entirely on my own terms.

I don't know exactly where this goes. But I'm glad I finally opened the door.