Artist's Statement

Central Question 

My central question is: how can I capture the feeling of nostalgia for both the past and the future in a way that is particular to song format? In order to answer this question, I learned how to use a DAW, wrote and produced a song relating to this topic, and created a cover for my single. 

Literature

Influence - There are a great deal of artists who inspire me musically. Some but certainly not all of the albums I have been listening to for inspiration are Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers, Jaguar by Victoria Monét, Be the Cowboy by Mitski, Honey by Robyn, and All Mirrors by Angel Olsen. One artist who lyrically inspires me is Phoebe Bridgers. An example of this lies in “I Know the End” released in 2020 on Punisher. The lyrics are so rich with meaning it would be difficult to go through them without writing an entire essay. At the end of the song, Bridgers just screams her lungs out and it is beautiful and feels so liberating and cathartic. I aspire to have that ability to craft words in such a way that captures emotion so well, if only a small fraction as much as Bridgers does. In terms of sound, I think my song has similarities to that of the Many Beautiful Things movie soundtrack, in hindsight, which makes sense because I listened to that soundtrack all the time a few years ago.

Subject - My song was initially going to be about longing and distance, whether that be physical or emotional distance. My song still does touch on these themes but it evolved into a different story than the one I had planned to tell, capturing the feeling of nostalgia in a friendship across time, for both the past and future (cue Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa). One song that addresses the theme of longing more generally is "Dancing On My Own" released by Robyn on her dance-pop electro-pop album Body Talk Pt. 1. I find this song to be really exceptional because of the contrast between the lyrics and the genre/tone of the song. The electronic sound is like that you would hear in a club, like the one Robyn dances in the song, so you can really imagine her singing, standing in the corner watching the person she loves with someone else. This use of genre to establish a setting and convey a complicated emotion inspires me in my own songwriting. However, though this is one of my favorite songs and I listened to it for inspiration when first approaching my theme, my song did not in the end have much resemblance to it, though it is likely that future songs I write will more. 

Methods

The research I have done has largely involved watching videos on music theory and how to use Ableton, though this is on the more logistical side of things. Regarding the themes of my song, I have looked into articles about nostalgia and how it is oriented in both the past and the future. One article I looked at "Is Nostalgia a Past or Future-Oriented Experience?" proposes that "nostalgia is ultimately a future-oriented emotional experience.” Authors Taylor A FioRito and Clay Routledge claim that two primary reasons as to why we draw on the past for the future because it connects us and motivates us. Nostalgia has the capability of “enhanc[ing] well-being, feelings of social connectedness, and perceptions of meaning in life." An interesting statistic from this article was that "up to 75 percent of conversations may include nostalgic content.” I found it interesting to write about in my song someone feeling nostalgia in the present about having thought about the future in the past.

Audience & Impact

My audience is people who like slow songs that have virtual instrumentals and a nostalgic narrative. I want my song to resonate with someone, for them to feel as though it has captured an emotion they are experiencing. And hopefully, for them to want to listen again. My project has allowed me to express how I feel using a new medium I have always wanted to try. I believe that the most important thing when writing a song is that you would want to listen to the story yourself. My song has a lot of room for improvement and I anticipate working on it further, but I am happy with what I came up with and how much I learned about music-making in the process.

​

Acknowledgements

​

I want to thank my loved ones for being so supportive, especially my dad for helping me with technology stuff and my mom for taking pictures for the cover art!!

​

References

Robyn. (2010, April). Dancing On My Own. 

Bridgers, P. (2020, June). I Know the End. 

FioRito, Taylor A., and Clay Routledge. “Is Nostalgia a Past or Future-Oriented Experience? Affective, Behavioral, Social Cognitive, and Neuroscientific Evidence.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 11, 2020, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01133.