It had been almost 10 years since I last played any music or had even picked up a guitar. However, about 2 years ago, I wrote on a piece of paper that I would record and produce the songs I had written a lot earlier in my life. I wrote that within 3 years I would share my music with the world.

A little background about myself: I used to play in a band and during that time, I wrote a good number of songs, both music and lyrics. Moving forward to two years ago, I had no idea how to make this happen. I never took a sound engineering course or knew anything about music production. The idea of returning to studios for practice sessions and finding the right people for the project was daunting, especially considering how limited my time was. I am married with a 10 year old son and also caring for my aging parents. It seemed like an impossible dream, but I wrote it down anyway and let it go.

I unexpectedly found out that I could record music at home instead of going to a professional studio and still achieve the sound I desired. After doing some research, I started working on the project in January 2013. It was a challenging year with lots of trial and error, limited time, and a lack of support from family. Managing finances and getting the band together were some of the tough parts, but I persevered and convinced two members to return. In June 2013, I encountered software issues, leading me to switch to a new software twice before finding the right fit in August. Despite the setbacks, I remained passionate and dedicated to completing the project by the end of 2014, and my efforts paid off as I started recording track after track.

After learning about local funding for aspiring bands, I decided to apply with my band. Unfortunately, we didn’t get selected, and we never received an explanation for why we were passed over. This setback was disheartening, but I decided to push forward. By January 2014, we were almost finished recording in my bedroom studio. As we moved into the next phase of mixing and mastering the songs, I found myself facing tasks I had never tackled before. I turned to the internet and books to learn about the production work. Meanwhile, my band members were discussing marketing, an area where I felt the least confident. In February 2014, I enrolled in a music marketing course while simultaneously teaching myself how to mix and master our recordings. It was a challenging time, especially with limited finances. In mid-April 2014, just a week before our release, I found myself struggling with depression. It wasn’t because I couldn’t complete the project, but the realization of having to handle weekly live performances, distribute flyers, and manage offline promotions overwhelmed me. Balancing these tasks seemed impossible, and it took a toll on my well-being. My sleep, focus, and eating habits were all adversely affected by this depression. Seeing my condition, my friends attempted to persuade me to step away from the project.

It took me a while, but one day I decided to walk about 6 km alone to release all the negative energy that had been building up inside me the whole week. It worked, and three days before the release of our single, I was back to feeling as positive as ever.

I decided to take a day off from work to create graphic promos and YouTube videos for the band’s promotion. Finally, on Easter day, April 18, 2014, my band released the single “Friends” on the internet. Even though the marketing part was still in progress, I had finally achieved what the movie “The Secret” had told me: “If you believe, you can achieve.” Thank you, thank you, thank you!

From day one, I believed that I could record the songs I had written, and in less than 3 years, I was able to release them to the public. The song we released is called “Friends,” and the message behind it is that regardless of race, religion, skin color, or any differences, we are all friends to one another in this multi-racial community.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!