When I was little, I dreamed of being a rock star, of recording songs and singing to massive crowds and dating other famous rock stars. To be honest, this dream never totally went away (and yes, I still love guitar players).
At the age of fourteen, I decided to enter a songwriting competition. My dad volunteered to put music to my lyrics and vocals and record it for me (he still has a wealth of equipment from his rock star days!). Although my mom still gushes about how good the song was, I cringe when I hear it. Needless to say it didn’t win any Grammys. But hey, it was a fun experience and one I’ll always remember.
And last Friday, I had the opportunity to revisit this dream. A friend of mine, a talented hip hop artist, asked me a while back if I sang. “Well, my shower head thinks I’m excellent. So does my cat. And I sure do love it. But I don’t think I’m very good.”
Despite my protestations, a few months later I found myself in front of a mic in a recording booth, singing a chorus in between rapped verses. The exhilaration! The nerves! Oh the nerves. I was totally unprepared, but hey, I thought, what an opportunity to practice what you preach and get out of your comfort zone.
By the end of the two-hour session, I had a whole new appreciation for producers and artists. Seeing the production process firsthand was nothing short of inspiring, and it opened Pandora’s Box. I want to get back to my childhood dream and write and record some original material. I no longer aspire to sing in front of huge, adoring crowds, but I do feel a hunger to feed my musical muse. I’m so grateful for the experience.
Is there a childhood dream that you’ve dismissed? What would it take to revisit it?
Songs of the week:
“Rock & Roll Queen” – The Subways
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLZvJ_rtZO8
“Sweet Sour” – Band of Skulls’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyjYkfxLfug
Namaste 🙂
Rachel
Freelancing to Freedom 
I really enjoyed this and | have some trouble getting that “shower head” out of my imagination. I think a lot of us have got one of those. I’ve dabbled on the edge of music a lot of my life, so I can empathise with you entirely
By: countingducks on April 15, 2013
at 4:00 pm
Thanks Peter 🙂 Nothing like a shower head song to start the day haha.
By: faultlessfinish on April 17, 2013
at 2:16 pm
YAY! So glad you are embracing another one of your passions. Sign me up for a copy of your first album 🙂
By: Carrie Mumford on April 15, 2013
at 5:42 pm
You will be the first, Carrie! 😉
By: faultlessfinish on April 17, 2013
at 2:17 pm
Well my childhood passion is same as yours! 😉
I can play guitar pretty good and have composed a dozen songs. I play them whenever I get a chance at any event at my office or anywhere. Also there’s a small budget movie coming up in my country in which I’m supposedly playing/singing a song. Just sharing. 🙂
And yes, please share with us the song which you’ve recorded, once it is finalized, your future fans are dying to hear it! 🙂
By: chesinebycos on April 16, 2013
at 3:36 am
That’s awesome, Chetan! Very exciting news. I would love to hear your music.
By: faultlessfinish on April 17, 2013
at 2:17 pm
I LOVED singing. Okay, past tense would be full of inaccuracies. For quite a while I thought I did a decent job, until I recorded it and played it back for my own ears. After hearing the results, I felt the world wasn’t ready for such sounds to tantalize their ears! 😉
I’m pretty sure I heard you sing before, just a little bit, but enough to know that it would enjoyable to hear more. Now, you just let everyone know when you are putting yourself up onto a stage, and I am certain a bunch of friendly faces will be in the crowd to make it easier. 🙂
By: Ivan on April 16, 2013
at 4:53 am
Will do, Ivan! 🙂
By: faultlessfinish on April 17, 2013
at 2:18 pm
I wanted to go into space, still do. But I want to climb a big mountain, 4000m plus, and that is on the agenda, still a plan but Im working towards it. Mont Blanc is top of the list. Getting a poem published would be good, but that’s less a need and more a pleasant thought if it happened.
Jim
By: redjim99 on April 16, 2013
at 8:59 pm
Well I certainly would not be surprised to see your poetry in print, and I would be the first to buy a copy of that book, Jim!
By: faultlessfinish on April 17, 2013
at 2:19 pm