"THE BLUE ALBUM," an origin story

It's been so long.

The last time I released an album was in 2017. I was mixing and mastering "The Moments Captured" album in my apartment in Houston, Texas. Yes, that was when Hurricane Harvey was right on top of me. Shortly after I moved there, the hurricane hit, and I found myself literally locked in my apartment for weeks. Very bad timing, right? But you know what?  That was not the worst part of the story. No, that was what happened right before the hurricane hit.  Long story short, I put myself in a messy business relationship, and that one stupid move threw me into a very dark place. It didn't take long to reach the bottom of the cliff. Hey, it takes only one stupid decision., and I learned it the hard way.  Maybe the only silver lining was that my family didn't come with me right away. 

I ditched the project.  I just couldn't work with somebody like that... sound familiar?  

Maybe to some degree, most people would tolerate this kind of thing and live with it, right? Sure... me, too.  But I tell you what: I am a very patient guy, but oh, no. Not this. Not this time. I have very strict rules when it comes to this kind of BS, especially in business. This guy was a liar and a total psycho. 

Thanks to that mess, I was exhausted for weeks both physically and mentally.  I don't know if that was fortunate, but since the hurricane hit right after I had no choice but to stay inside. I could finally just rest without making excuses.  Nobody could go outside for weeks. That was a particularly bad hurricane, if you remember. 

All I had was time.

While I was mixing and finishing up on "The Moments Captured" album, I was writing tracks like crazy. It was as if I was on autopilot.  I guess I wasn't really writing... more like those tracks just came down through me. As soon as I hit a note, I heard the rest of the track. Just like that.  So I just kept going...  I was like, Oh my god, I can't catch up with this.

All the mixed emotions were exploding forth like a gushing oil well in the middle east. It was just way too much; I couldn't hold it in. So all the material was pretty much completed in several weeks. Wow, that was easy.  It cost me so much though.  

I started feeling so much better towards the end of this music writing journey.  I felt as if I were resurrected. Music saved me again. This is where I belong.  That was how I felt. Honestly. 

I already ditched the business project, and the hurricane was finally over. There was no reason for me to stay in Houston, but I had to find a way to get back home. Yeah, damage control first.

It took me about six months to recover.  I guess I had some fun while I was there (not including messy stuff in the beginning, of course). Actually, the people were nice and friendly. When I think back, I always felt that it was a strange journey. I knew that joining that project was a stupid mistake, but it almost felt like I was pulled into it by some strange force. Sometimes, I asked myself, Did that really need to happen? Wasn't there a better way to get to where I am now?  Maybe the answer is no. Everything is connected and has its own meaning. Who knows, maybe some day I'll find out. We'll see. But I can tell you one thing though... I am a much happier person than before.  Maybe I shed something while I was there, so in that sense, I guess it was necessary or I made the choice subconsciously.  

 

"The Blue Album," as you might have guessed, is all about feeling blue. But this album is not depressing or dark. I don't mean to spoil the ending, but this is actually a story of a recovery. So don't worry, you'll see the light and the feel the energy towards the end of the album. It just starts out with the "knocked out" scene. That's all.

So yes, this album was already complete in 2017. I was writing material for movie soundtrack (not published yet) and a VR project for the Cannes Movie Festival, so I was preoccupied.  I wanted to devote more time to the album's release, so I postponed it for a year or so. And then COVID hit U.S. at the beginning of 2020, totally messing up my intended schedule. I mean, there was nothing I could do about it.  I knew I could release the album, but personally I didn't feel like releasing something when the world was as chaotic as it was. I don't know about other artists, but I get distracted so I decided to wait till it settled down. But the chaos didn't stop there. First there was January 6th in the U.S., and then the war in Ukraine. I mean the list goes on and on, never ending, so I finally decided to release the album this year. I gave in, otherwise it's never gonna be my turn. I didn't like the idea, but I settled for it. After all, five years is way too long to let your music age in a bottle, if you know what I mean. 

Anyway, it's been so long and I'm glad to communicate like this again.  Thank you for reading till the end, and I hope you like the album. 

The Blue Album is available at major download stores and streaming services worldwide, including Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, Bandcamp.