I never felt the need to define my music, placing it in categories and boxes and genres. But I must confess, being free of boundaries has its restrictions. For one, I don't know how I want to sound. Do I want to be folky or cinematic? Or perhaps contemporary and pop-ish? Eventually, I end up in an eclectic mess. There are charms in that tangle of concepts, but I find myself dissatisfied with my music. I want to create something that I'm excited to put on my Ipod and go for long walks listening to it on repeat. If I fail to create something the world enjoys, at the very least I should create something I can enjoy.
This is why I've decided that no man is an indie record label, and humbly approached my brothers and sisters in arms for true collaboration. True collaboration is all about sharing power. I may have “collaborated” with musicians in the past, but all that entailed was them playing their instruments in my direction. They were given no power. Now, I believe in handing that power to the people around me, forcing them to own the songs I write.
This is a terrifying process. The first step to find musicians I can trust – musicians who won't carve my songs without understanding that they're a part of me. Only when change is made through the gifts and talents of sensitive artists will I know that my work isn't merely seen as a message, or a pretty little thing, or a money factory, or a fame generator, but as a gift to the people who take the time to get to know me as an artist. True collaboration is love.
