Summary
I've been writing songs for a number of years and sharing them with people. Many have told me how encouraged they were and have affirmed my gifting in this area. After releasing a single on Spotify and going through the process of recording, I felt that the time was right to take on my very first album.
As I sat down to compile the songs for the album, a clear theme emerged from Psalm 90:12
"So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom."
We live in a very broken, confused world. Everyone is working hard to be happy and it's not working. People are stressed out, disappointed and numb themselves to the reality that they will have to face death one day. The Bible speaks to the tension of the broken world we live in and provides a clear answer of how we can have hope beyond the grave. My goal in producing these songs is to spark curiosity in forgotten scripture passages that speak to this tension. I also hope to encourage weary Christians with the hope of heaven. Lastly, I hope to see curious skeptics perhaps become interested in the Bible and the person of Jesus as they listen to these songs.
The Story
This past year I went to funerals for three close family members. It was an unexpected, sad season to go through. But also, to my surprise, I felt very encouraged, attending each of those funerals, because each of them was a committed follower of Christ. They all had clear purpose in their life and they knew they would enter the joy of heaven whenever God took them from this earth. It made me think of Ecclesiastes 7:2:
"It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart."
As I celebrated their lives, I was really inspired to persevere in my own Christian journey. I want to live a life on purpose with an eternal perspective and inspire others to do the same. I love making music and believe God uses me to speak to others with it. In sharing these songs with close friends I have already seen God use them to encourage and inspire others and I am confident that this project will bless many more.
The Project
Many of you have listened to my single "New Man" which I released last year on Spotify. I worked with Simon Ng from Signals and Noises and honestly just felt like he pushed me to be a better musician and refine my songs to the point where my vision could be actualized.
To do this project justice, I hired Simon as my producer again and have been working away on completing each of the songs, and it has been tons of fun and very rewarding! In total, there will be 6 new songs on this album, as well as a re-release of my single "New Man".
The process of making the songs has been an absolute joy and I've been able to pull in many dear friends and fellow musicians to make these songs come alive. I particularly have loved working collaboratively, being able to weigh in on all creative aspects of the production. Rather than outsourcing to studio musicians, working with close friends and fellow musicians has allowed my personality and unique vision to shine through on all the songs.
Costs
With this fundraiser, I am raising money to cover a portion of the production costs for the album. Each song was $1,200 CAD to produce, mix and master, therefore my total production costs for the 6 new songs came out to $7,200 CAD. I have made a significant investment in this project and am looking to cover half of these costs through crowd funding.
Important Note
In order to maximize the reach of these songs, I will be releasing the songs on the album one at a time spaced by approximately one month apart. As a result the full content of the album as well as some perks will not be available until the middle of next year.
