Album Vision – For my debut album I had always wanted to incorporate and explore all the different musical influences and genres that have inspired me in my life. Getting back to my roots, re-listening to old albums I loved growing up that have inspired my own Yazmindi flavour was really special and nostalgic when coming up with my album vision. Some people warned me suggesting I should keep it all the same theme and choose one genre, but I love diversity when listening to an album. I want to go on the artist’s journey, so I have purposefully curated it that way for my listeners too. Each track has a unique sound, but a common theme with the intention to keep it real and empower people, especially young women.
Songs were written from ages 15 to 23 – I share my songwriting journey from dreaming teen to ambitious young woman, my experiences of love, loss, tongue in cheek earnest situations, questioning the pressures of society and the adventures of being a human in an ever-evolving world that we can all relate to. ‘Dream On’ embodies an endearing resilience and determination, full of love and optimism for a fresh future, an album that I wish I had when I was a young teenage girl. I have been writing songs and music since I started performing at festivals and shows when I was 13, this body of work is an eye opening journey of self reflection and you can hear the maturity of my songwriting blossom over the 11 tracks which is refreshing. An album for all to enjoy and relate too, no matter what age.
Good things take time – Being my very first official album I had no clue how long this entire project was going to take to complete, once it’s done it’s done and is recorded forever so rushing is never the answer. The final mixing stages of finalising the songs and sending the songs back and forth to get signed off was a pretty grueling process. Some days aren’t as smooth and we worked on the same song for hours because some just didn’t flow or we couldn’t work out which direction to go in. These songs were ‘Talk,’ ‘Give It Up Jane’ and ‘Man.’ Recording takes over and over again on even the smallest thing of how I sang one word can be the silliest but most important thing. I remember taking 10 mins to record myself singing the word ‘phone’ in my track ‘Insomnia’ because I had to get it right and because we were obsessing over it I totally forgot how to sing it normally! However, these little things are so important as I want to be happy with the final product.
Trusting myself in the studio – After huge 10hr days in the studio for 3 weeks straight, listening to my songs over and over again, I got to the point where I had no idea what sounded good or not anymore and I turned into a crazy perfectionist overthinking the smallest things. So what did I do? I sent the rough mix of the album out to heaps of my friends and family to ask them what they personally thought. That saying “ask 10 people a question, get 10 answers back” was exactly what happened! It made me so much more confused to the point where Mark suggested I have a week off from listening to the tracks and then come back and reset with a fresh mind. Luckily I had him to help with professional producer opinions. It was too much brain stimulation. In the end I really just had to trust myself and go with what I personally loved the most as I am the only one singing and promoting them. It was both a very empowering and nerve racking feeling wondering if I made the right decision and hoping that others will like my song as much as I do. So far so good? I have no regrets!
I LOVE producing – What FUN I had co-producing this album with Mark Myers alongside collaborating with other talented studio musicians and professional creatives! Performing live is an amazing neuphoric feeling but there is something so rewarding about starting with one simple idea in the studio then it turns into something better than you hoped. Everyone gets excited, we get totally engrossed in the music, lose track of time and geek out. From the violin parts, to the drum parts to the Vibraphone to the guitar solos, I already had a clear vision and game plan for most of the songs so I did majority of the producing and Mark helped with adding the cherry on top and gave the songs extra body while taking the rein with a couple songs I was unsure about. Even though I can’t play all the instruments, I made bizarre noises with my vocals to explain what sounds I wanted which the studio musos really appreciated while having a giggle. It was an awesome feeling, getting taken seriously, being respected and being a young woman in a room with these lovely men telling them exactly how I wanted my songs to sound while they brought it to life. Some ideas I had, they weren’t sure it would work, I would tell them to trust me and give it a go, next thing they totally loved my concept!
