How does 'Flown' reflect your musical journey and growth as an artist?

My first full-length album, ‘Flown,’ is the most meaningful project I’ve worked on so far. It’s funny because I never actually intended to make a full-length album — I was just going into the studio to record a cute little pop song I had written called “Better” at the beginning of 2020. Through a series of unpredictable events (starting with the COVID-19 pandemic), I fell into a new landscape of musical possibility. The entire experience of creating this album resembles falling down the rabbit hole and landing in Wonderland. Just as Alice has pre-determined ideas of who she is and then encounters new facets of herself through her journey, I somehow fell down the rabbit hole at the beginning of my project and emerged as a better version of myself.

Previously, I had only seen myself as a pianist and singer/songwriter and believed I needed to work with “officially trained” engineers and producers to correctly record my music. However, due to the COVID lockdown and the temporary closure of all music recording facilities after my initial recording session, I suddenly had to learn to record and edit my songs to continue the project.

Putting aside my ideas about who I was as “just an artist” and expanding into full-blown music production and editing was a challenge. I was incredibly insecure about learning editing techniques in ProTools and Logic (two industry standards in music production software). I began by watching how-to videos on Coursera and YouTube and started editing on my MacBook Pro from the couch of my studio apartment. I then took a leap from basic editing and downloaded new keyboard instruments from Spitfire Audio to experiment with unorthodox keyboard sounds. I even began writing more songs as I became more and more inspired and getting more musicians to contribute to the project by sending their home studio recordings for me to add to the mix.

The contrast from where I started in 2020 to where I ended up in 2023 was astonishing. I began my project traditionally — doing everything at the recording studio, playing only acoustic instruments: acoustic piano, organ, and Fender Rhodes. By the end, my studio apartment had turned into a full-blown production suite, and I was using my Nord Stage 2 keyboard to record distorted sounds like “Magnetic Tape Reader” and “Jangle Box Piano” (the iconic Beatles piano sampled directly from Abbey Road Studios) directly into my MacBook Pro. I even recorded my own vocals and most of the percussion on the album from the living room of my boyfriend’s apartment using a Halo Vocal Shield and Neumann TLM102. As a result, the songs grew deeper in both sonic depth and personal meaning, and strangely, the songs’ lyrics ultimately came to life by learning to record and produce them.

The result is 7 original songs that range in style from pop to jazz to “I don’t know what genre this is, but I like it.” All the songs feature keyboards as the main engine — but the keyboards vary from song to song (even the beloved old harpsichord has a moment to shine). In addition to the originals, I was inspired to create a new, spacy pop cover of “California Dreamin’,” which I will release as a single.

As I look back and reflect on this 3-year adventure, I realize that I didn’t know I could write music that surprises, challenges, and redefines me while I am in the process of creating it. Still, from this side of the rabbit hole, I will forever be grateful for the journey that ultimately introduced me to the most authentic version of myself.

Which song(s) from 'Flown' do you think best represents your artistic vision?

Honestly, all of the songs represent my artistic vision! The album as a whole demonstrates a progression of self-discovery, and each track represents a different point on that journey. The first track on the album, “Flown,” and the last track “Wings,” bookend the journey of all the other songs in between. They were written at two very different points in my life, so this creates a sort of full-circle experience musically and within the work as a whole. The first track, “Flown” was written in 2020 and in this track, listeners can experience the journey of being lost in the creative “desert” and then finding their way back to freedom. The last track, “Wings” was written in 2014, and hopefully in this song (and by the end of this album) listeners can find permission to remember their essence and let themselves take flight.

What was your favorite moment in making the music video?

I have so many favorite moments from filming the music video in the desert at “The End of the World,” but probably the most memorable was when we were filming me playing my keyboard in the dark wearing LED lights on my fingers and an astronaut helmet! I had to re-learn my improvised piano solo from the album in order to perform it for the video, and then I had to practice the solo wearing lights attached to each of my fingers. It was so fun to capture that moment!

What role do you feel emotions play in your music, and how do you channel them into your performances?

I think people listen to music to feel certain emotions - (happy, pumped up, inspired, etc.), and I think we as musicians can create moments to experience those emotions for both the audience and ourselves. One of the reasons I love to play/perform music is because it is a way to channel my emotions. I especially love writing my own material and songs that then enable me to surrender into whatever emotional concept I wrote. In live shows, I like to think about a journey for the audience and build an emotional
experience from the first song to the last that will ultimately leave the listener with a lasting emotional experience.

Are there any particular skills or techniques that you have been working on?

Well, I have obviously been training myself to play the piano wearing LED finger lights — and you can see that in the “Flown” music video, lol! But other skills and techniques include focused practice with metronome and recording myself when I practice so I can hear what I am doing. As a singer/pianist, I need to be doing two things at once — being a vocalist and a pianist — and I record myself so I can see where I need to adjust. It’s a challenge to be playing some of these very dynamic piano/keyboard parts and also singing at the same time, so I am always practicing to make sure I can perform the song in the clearest and most impactful way possible!

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