Hopeful Music From The Heart

Songwriting is not just something I do, it’s a part of who I am. I couldn’t quit it if I tried. The business side of music, however, and its made me want to quit many a time. When it comes to marketing and creating strategy, I've always felt like a fish out of water. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wished I could just write a song and release it and let it magically find the people who would feel encouraged by it. It doesn’t work that way and I have wrestled over the years with how to navigate the call to release the songs that I write in an industry that feels so uncomfortable to me.

Enter CGS Records, Nashville, more specifically Jill Riley. Jill and I met through a mutual friend years ago, and she quickly became a trusted mentor and friend who understood me as a songwriter and who also had wisdom from experience in the music industry that I lacked. I remember the day I sat outside my grandmother’s farmhouse, listening to her feedback on the songs I had been writing and feeling so known and understood. I never could’ve imagined then that just a few years later I would be working for the label she was building for artists like me who are trying to find their place with the heartfelt music they write. Without her these songs wouldn't be getting to you now and I'm forever grateful to her for that!

Back when I released my first solo project, I landed on the mission statement: “hopeful music from the heart “. I still stand by that to this day. With Jill‘s guidance, I’m finding ways (like this blog) to share about this journey I'm on in music beyond just releasing songs. Not only that, but she has helped me formulate a plan for releasing the songs that makes great sense and will hopefully be a blessing to those who listen. Stay tuned for more music coming soon thanks to CGS Records!