From words to music.

From words to music.

 

Okay. Not wanting to sound like a politician but, let’s be clear on something. First and foremost, I am an author. I write stuff, I get it published, I write some more and thus the cycle repeats. It’s addictive and cathartic and something I hope to continue doing for many years to come. So when people ask me if I have changed my “religion” from words to music, (because I have now produced an album of songs) the answer is a simple yet resounding … No Sir!

Now. If anyone is actually reading this post (and if they were paying attention to the opening paragraph) they will have noted that – yes – I have indeed produced an album of songs and, to be fair, it sounds pretty awesome. However, this doesn’t mean that I have shunned my joy for writing novels, it is merely another way for people to hear my words; a different form of media … like an audiobook with music, so to speak. But, let me explain my rationale for my temporary shift to music and give you a little bit of background as to how this album came about.

It all started a few weeks ago when I had just finished writing a poem and wondered about the best way to put it out there for people to read. Usually, I will simply cut & paste the poem onto a social media post or produce a little video and narrate the poem myself; again, posting the results on social media. That’s all well and good, but posts have a very short lifespan: plus, if your followers or friends don’t go onto their social media platforms until hours after you have uploaded something, that post will inevitably get lost in the ever-updating newsfeed.

So, I had an epiphany. Why not put the words of my poem to a tune of some sort. Make it more like a song that people can download and listen to at their leisure and convenience.

“But wait, you can’t play any instruments”, my mind told me. “And, even if you could, you don’t have any to begin with. Sooo …?”

Hmm, valid points I thought, but this is me we are talking about and once I get an idea into my head, I will explore every which way to make it work … or die trying.

And then – as though my phone was listening to me ramble on, AGAIN – up popped an advertisement for an Ai app that promised to turn my words into a song. Could this be possible, I mused, quietly excited. Could an actual app on my phone produce what I had been contemplating for the past couple of days? Maybe, but sceptical suddenly became my first name, especially as it involved my poem. Would the words be changed beyond all recognition? Would the produced song sound similar to an episode of “Play School” in the ‘70s, when some presenter picked up a guitar and sung a nursery rhyme to Big Ted? Yet as I considered this conundrum and wrestled with the idea of letting some app transform my poem, one simple thought offered me a solution: try it and if it’s crap, don’t post it.

Fu*k it, I thought. Let’s do this!

And the result of this leap of faith?

Let me tell you now, good people of Gotham, the result was so overwhelmingly good, I almost cried. The app had not only managed to put music and song to my poem but had done it with all the raw emotion and truth that my poem deserved. You see, the poem I had used was exceptionally personal to me, written from deep within my heart about the man I respected and cherished and loved unconditionally … my dad. A man that I lost many years ago but still – to this day – miss him as though he had passed away only yesterday. I’m sure that there are many people out there that share this feeling of loss – despite the time passed – which is why I couldn’t (and didn’t) wait to share the result with the rest of the world.

The title of the track is called Dear Dad and if you haven’t heard it yet (and want to) please use the link below to get a free downloadable MP3 copy of it. I’m sure that you won’t be disappointed with what you hear, but let me know your thoughts.

 Dear Dad

Did you do just the one poem then? – I imagine you ask. And to that question I will answer … Hell No!

Like a kid with a new toy, I became a little obsessed with this newfound love and actually went on to produce a full album … Yes, you read correctly; an album of nine poems intermingled with music, to produce a soulful collection of songs.

The album is called Lyrical – With love and is  available to download now on all the usual music platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music etc. 

Lyrical album on Spotify.

Lyrical on Apple Music

Lyrical on YouTube Music

And so, in conclusion of this blog, I want to reiterate this point. I have absolutely no intention of swapping my life as an author to that of a music producer. But, I believe that one should possess a few hats in life and – when the need arises – wear the hat most suitable for the job at hand. My desire was to find another way of letting the masses hear my poems in a different way; a way that was current yet without losing the essence of what the poems were about. Yes, I used Ai but let’s not see this as cheating or false, let’s see and treat this as just another tool of the trade. After all, have we not evolved from the quill to the word processor, from the physical novel to the digital e-book?

Whether we like it or not, the world is changing, quickly and I for one will try to embrace and adapt that change in a way that benefits me.

Remember: Change doesn’t – nor should it – define who you are.

Thank you for reading.

Best wishes.

Paul.