Be Alright is my most recent composition on this EP. It is by far my favorite, not just because I’ve gotten better with my DAWs (digital audio workspaces), but because it means so much to me lyrically. Continue reading

This song has been quite the process. For this post, I’ll put it in a timeline for you:

Fall of 2008 – Eight-year-old Katherine writes her seventh song, called “Mess Up, Get Up”. This one is by far her favorite and her proudest work. Of course, it’s only 30 seconds long or so at the time. Give her a break, she’s eight. Regardless, she thinks it’s a hit. Continue reading

No Goodbyes is actually the oldest song featured on this EP. I wrote this song around last spring/summer when some of my best friends were graduating and leaving for college. The year before, I was a freshman, so the seniors leaving didn’t really affect me. Sophomore year, however, I had two amazing friends that I was not ready to say goodbye to. Hence the name “No Goodbyes”.

This entire song focuses on the idea of remembering the good times and cherishing them, rather than focusing on the fact that you won’t be making nearly as many memories together in the future. This is an outlook that can obviously be applied to many situations, and it’s that kind of attitude that has helped me through a lot of difficult times. Continue reading

This second track on the EP, “Wait and See”, is also a more recent composition. Its instrumentation starts with a simple bass line that’s very stripped down, an idea I got from listening to various songs on the radio. Following this, the marimba comes in, an instrument I had been dying to use in one of my compositions. The usual pop instruments follow as the song progresses, but I’m hoping that the catchy tune and deep lyrical content set it apart from the mainstream songs you hear today.

I came up with the idea for the lyrics after remembering all the people in my life that told me this was just a hobby. Being successful in any creative field is difficult, and I’ve had firsthand experience with people who discourage you from pursuing your dreams because “it’s not going to happen”. They look at the probability and see that the odds aren’t in your favor, and suggest you try something more practical. And truthfully, I get it; in general, I’m a very practical and logical person. But I’m also a person who is determined, stubborn, and not willing to let my passion for music go to waste. I acknowledge it’s difficult to make it, but why let that stop me from trying? Continue reading

As the EP release date gets closer, I thought I’d give you all a sneak peek of each song. The first song on the album is one of my more recent compositions, Tiptoe.

For this song, I did a slightly different instrumentation than I’m used to. When you listen to my music, you’ll notice I often use piano; that was my first instrument and will always be my first love. However, I knew I wanted a staccato sound in the chords, and pizzicato strings were just the way to achieve that. Of course, I have the usual bass and drum tracks, along with synth pads in the chorus. In the post-chorus, the hook is played by another unusual instrument; it’s actually a mix between a flute and pan pipe! Originally, this was written for a saxophone, but it never quite fit with the sound I imagined. The end result is an electronic pop tune that you all hopefully find interesting enough to play on repeat!

As for the lyrical content, this took a lot longer to finish. An interesting fun fact about my songwriting process is I almost always start with the chords, or at the very least, a simple melody. I’m much more music oriented, so writing lyrics is a big challenge. For this song, I knew I wanted to use the word “tiptoe” right away. With the pizzicato strings in the mix, I always imagined a little cat sneaking around, or a person tiptoeing around a corner to scare their friend. However, both of those images are more lighthearted, which didn’t quite fit with the minor chord progression I already had. I racked my brain for ideas on how to twist “tiptoe” into a darker subject, and after many hours lying awake, it hit me. Continue reading