Icons and Influences

As musicians - as artists, really - we are always asked who our idols are. 

Who influenced us? 

Who do we look up to? 

Who encouraged us to create? 

There was never any one individual, band, or artist who I wanted to be like. I loved bits and pieces from so many different artists, composers, musicians, lyricists, and performers, that it was all a combination of all of these things. 

There were obviously iconic moments that helped guide me along the way. 

When I was young, the first concert I ever attended was with Jann Arden. I loved her music. It was emotional and raw and had cryptic lyrics. I think a lot of my personal taste in music comes from the way her music made me feel - it was authentic and had depth to it. 

I was in her 'fan club' - the only one I ever joined - and received newsletters, photos, signed pictures, etc... 

I was ridiculed for liking her. I don't know why, I think it was more because all of my peers were obsessed with The New Kids on the Block and boybands, so loving a very emotional female artist, whose music was not very 'pop'ish was maybe the reason. Who knows. Either way, after I had received some signed posters from her, someone broke the news to me that she likely did not physically sign every photo. Of course, I did not understand that it was still her signature, just digitized or stamped, and I was crushed. I wound up throwing out many of those photos because I took the news as though they were entirely fake. 

I regret that now.

Another pivotal moment was analyzing the lyrics of Our Lady Peace. In a Language Arts class, in the poetry portion, we were tasked to analyze song lyrics. We analyzed Thief, and went through the background story behind it and what each line may or may not mean. I was fascinated. 

That encouraged me to analyze all of their music. I loved the cryptic lyrics that could be taken from all angles - lyrics that were both specific and yet general enough to appeal to a wide range of people and situations. 

Music that made you feel something without knowing exactly why - this is what prompted me to really dig in and do some writing. 

Making music that evokes strong emotions has always been the cornerstone of most composers. Even taking a look at composers like Bach, Beethoven, Vivaldi, Brahms, and various other famous composers, there were even rules about how to evoke certain emotions. Quick trills or downward runs could mean raindrops or crying, falling, etc... staccato could be light-hearted, or even comedic. 

Music that makes us feel something, music that we can relate to, music that brings out depth of emotion - people that can do that are my icons.

That is what I love so much about music and that is why I want to create music. 

Why do you love to create what you create? Who influenced your joy of whichever artistic expression you enjoy? 

I certainly love My Musical Life!