I’m writing this a few days after the release of my EP, It Takes Time. I named it after lyrics in my song, Broken: “It takes time, isn’t that right, that’s what they’ll say, you’ll be OK. But how dare you make my mother cry.”
I wrote that song three years ago, almost to the day. It was not long after I went through quite a big life change, a difficult breakup after a difficult relationship. All breakups are unique and hard in their own ways, but this one in particular came with extra levels of trauma (which you might get a sense of in the EP!). I remember a friend told me one day while I was in the midst of confusion and a loss of self, “it takes time.” It’s a simple fact that is simply easy to forget. When we’re at the centre of a storm, we feel an urgency, a desperation, to get out of it. But things do take time, and we have to allow ourselves to wait out the storm.
It took time to heal and to trust. It took time to write and to record. It took time to release. And that’s OK. But it was never easy – I remember throughout this whole process I was desperate to move on, both personally and with the music. I wanted it to be over, to be out there. Sometimes I felt I couldn’t write with this record still hanging over me. I put pressure on myself and others, and I’m so grateful for their dedication and support. It wasn’t easy, and I should never have thought it would be – there is no right or wrong way to write about difficult, personal subjects, and there’s certainly no quick fix.
It takes time is the result of three years – even more – of writing, recording, mixing and producing. It’s the result of pain and anxiety, but also complete joy and fulfilment. The difficulties came with the subject matter of course, and my own challenges and self-judgements, always questioning: does this music do justice to what I experienced, to what others have experienced? I was so scared that I would fail myself, in some way. But I believe it does do it justice, and this is thanks to the skills and talents of my friends who were involved in the making of the record. They understood what I wanted to say and what I wanted to portray. They listened and were always supportive.
It takes time to create art and music. It takes time to build a profile. It takes time to build a community. I’m still in that process, and I know there are no quick answers and there’s no fast-forwarding this little creative journey I’m on. I am so proud that I have build a strong foundation and a strong community. This record means so, so much to me. I feel like we (Robert, Ian, Luis, Laura and Marco) created something unique and powerful that bends genres and challenges expectations, while also being able to move people and hopefully even help and support some who feel aligned with it. That’s just what I believe, and I hope that comes across for you too.
You can buy It takes time on Bandcamp now.
Thanks for the support!
Blue notes
I’ll go into this in another newsletter but I’m unbelievably excited and still can’t really believe it… I’m heading to Mexico City in June to perform a show in the beautiful Teatro de la Ciudad Esperanza Iris.
Upcoming London shows: 17th May at the Old Blue Last, 13th June at the Betsey Trotwood, and 22nd June at Biddle Bros. Follow me on Instagram for updates.