I read about the gilets jaunes in France who have been in the news for a few months now. It seems that the protests and the government’s response to them have become more violent lately.
Is the world really becoming more violent? Or has violence always been an inseparable part of human existence, and we’re just hearing more of it due to the fact that information from all corners of the world is now accessible from the tap or swipe of your fingers?
I’m thinking that both could be true. Disagreement is a logical consequence of the diversity of the human condition. It will always be with us.
But as technology allows us to be more connected to each other, it also exposes us to the different ways that people do and think about things. There lies the increased potential for disagreement and conflict.
So, since technology always advances and diversity is part and parcel of our worldly existence, does this mean that violence will always continue to escalate until humanity destroys itself?
I’d like to think that’s not the case.
An important part of the equation is the human ability to empathize. Humanity has evolved this powerful trait to help the survival of our species. The homo species thrives because we are able to cooperate and have the capacity to coordinate our cooperation. You can’t cooperate when there aren’t anyone else you can cooperate with. As a result, ensuring the survival of others is in fact ensuring your own survival. In other words, humanity needs empathy to survive.
This is the thinking that underlies my new release, “A Perfect Universe,†a contemplative pop/jazz tune with a hopeful message. The song has a few parts with different moods to reflect changes from a somber, more serious tone, to an upbeat, more optimistic atmosphere.
And that is my hope for humanity. Things may seem bleak and gloomy when one follows the news around the globe. But there is always reason to feel hopeful and optimistic.
Please go ahead and enjoy this release through the below. As always, you can also buy a digital copy on Bandcamp.
I had my birthday on January 21. So I think it’s fitting to release another
single which is actually a birthday song. It is an upbeat pop/rock tune with a
touch of jazz/funk.
According to a review on The Bandcamp Diaries, “…this song has just what it
takes to brighten up your day and improve your mood.” And that is exactly what I
want the song to do.
So please head on over to your favorite music platform to enjoy this tune through the following link: https://song.link/i/1449492385. You can also buy a digital copy on Bandcamp here.
Some of you who know me personally are aware that I’ve always been somewhat musical. But probably not too many know that I am actually some kind of a musician too.
My parents bought me a Casio mini keyboard when I was in first grade; I don’t remember what the occasion was. It was one which had a library of popular old 60s-70s songs in the form of electronic sheet music with some predefined arrangements. Not too long after learning how to play the keyboard on my own, I was able to play the melodies and chord fingering of a few numbers like The Beatles’s Yesterday, Sinatra’s My Way and Yesterday Once More by The Carpenters.
I knew then that I had some musical inclinations. I have two older brothers who are quite a bit older than me; the youngest one being eight years my senior and the oldest one is ten years older than me. They were both playing in bands and I sort of tagged along every once in a while.
I also played in bands in high school and in college. My high school band actually had some local TV gigs, but none had any real serious impact even though we had our own songs and some demo mixtapes.
After college, I dabbled in self publishing, both as a solo musician and as a part of a band. But in hindsight I realize I did not put enough effort into it or was just too lazy to try that it never made any meaningful result.
So afterward I found more gainful employment in the linguistic arena by becoming a translator, interpreter and copywriter, first as a freelancer, then in corporate settings and then finally now as an owner of a firm that employs linguists.
Now that I am able to put food on my family’s table, the music itch on my back is starting to come back. And now I’ve decided to scratch that itch.
I’ve been trying to update myself with the workings of digital music distribution. After considering my options with the help of this very helpful review by indie artist Ari Herstand, I’ve signed up with the digital distributor DistroKid, which allows me to upload unlimited number of songs for an annual fee.
So this is the story behind the release of my first single On Cloud Nine, which is a bluesy rock/pop tune that I’ve actually had since high school, but now updated with English lyrics. It is now available everywhere that DistroKid distributes music to. Here are some of them.
