On the day after the video premiere for my song COPE, I’m feeling a lot of things:
First and foremost, I’m so proud of the song and the video we created. This song speaks to who I am as an artist more than anything else I’ve done and that marks a breakthrough for me. It’s also a personal statement of what I often feel when life comes crashing in around me.
For most of my musical life (starting at age 7!) I’ve been the ultimate side-person; singing and bringing the fire on a multitude of great projects with a lot of great musicians. That’s been very satisfying and, to be honest, fairly safe. What I mean by that is showing up to sing and perform comes easily to me. Having someone else handling all the many responsibilities that go with managing and booking a band makes life much easier. As they say, “line check, sound check, pick up your pay check”. 😉
Along the way, many people; fans, friends, colleagues, have suggested that I release my own music and perform in my own name, Debo Ray. When I thought about it, and all the hard work and risk involved, I wasn’t sure if that was something I could handle. But after getting some encouragement from people very close to me, (and taking a very deep breath!) I decided to go for it. It’s been a dream of mine for a long time. When I see my contemporaries achieving great success, I always think that I could do that.
Well folks, I’m doing it! Or, at least starting to do it. COPE is the second single I’ve released as Debo Ray. The first one FILLY is one I’m also very proud of. But this COPE video in particular portrays a style and aesthetic that I’ve also dreamed about – vibrant, funky and uniquely me.
I’m in the process of writing and recording more new music which I’ll be releasing every couple of months for the foreseeable future. I’m performing regularly and putting together a great band to do my music full justice. Yes, it’s daunting and it’s A LOT sometimes (ok, most times!). Putting yourself out there for all to see on a daily basis involves some risk and much uncertainty. As someone who has mostly played the safe bet and tends to get anxious, this is new and, frankly, sometimes a little scary.
But, I’m gaining more and more confidence with each passing week and month. It’s starting to feel like this is where I belong. You might say I’m doing a little more than coping!
Comments are always appreciated!