The First one
2016 - the year I finally cracked my dream! I died my hair pink, recorded my first EP and filmed my first music video!
I had dreamt of this since my tweeny bop years. And through this music scholarship (Create NSW) I was able to jump start my music dream! But it wasn’t as simple as that. It took quite a few years to get from A to B. I had been writing songs (terrible ones) since I was 13. I studied music in Sydney, got better at writing songs. So by the time I was 21 I was desperate to record them properly.
But I was still unsure how to get my foot in the music door. I had already recorded and released demo’s of varying quality during 2011/2013 with no breakthrough. So… I kept busy. During the next three years I experimented in different genres, playing in different bands. In 2014/2015 I was the keyboardist for the Celtic heavy metal band ‘Trollgasm’. I then transitioned into the ‘Pop/Rock band ‘The Trill’ in 2015/2016, playing original music and cover songs. During this time I continued to play drums, keyboard and vocals at my church.
But just because I was busy playing music doesn’t mean I had peace in it. I remember feeling so anxious and impatient to record my own material. I look back now and see that the time I waited before recording ‘Arctic’ was such a blessing. I learnt so much about performing, writing music and touring before I recorded any of my own material. I was surrounded by extremely talented musicians who had so much experience, wisdom and vision in their genre. But THE MOST IMPORTANT thing I learnt after all those years was patience. Because there will ALWAYS be more songs to write, always more music to record, always another gig to play. But now I have peace as I continue to create. Peace from patience.
And the funny thing about having patience is that it actually pays off! Because I’d learnt so much from other musicians during those years, when I received the scholarship I knew exactly what I wanted to do for my own material. The guys from ‘The Trill’ even played on my ‘Arctic OK’ EP. They came all the way to The Grove Studios to record with me! I wouldn’t be anywhere without Luke and Nolan the bloody legends!
So patience and pink hair - that’s the Heidi wisdoms.
