Dear Friends,
You may (or may not?) have seen that I released two new singles this fall…so I wanted to hop on here and share a little behind-the-scenes for both of the songs/some random and fun facts for whoever finds themselves here reading (thanks for being here, and hello)!
AVALANCHE:
My newest original “Avalanche” released a couple of weeks ago. I originally started writing this song in 2016-2018, and had thought about making it a part of my album 'Valley in the Mirror' (which released this past January, 2020!). However, this one wasn't quite ready in time, so I finished it up this summer, which seemed to make the most sense after all. "Avalanche" is a song about grieving and healing - for times when the only way around is through.
The full backstory:
A few years ago, our family went through a challenging season where we lost five relatives in a short amount of time. Four were somewhat expected (although that certainly didn’t make it easy), and one was the loss of a dear cousin, who was my age, in a tragic accident. I started to experience that feeling when the world feels upended, but everything else keeps going on as “normal.” My immediate reaction to this was to force myself to write a song about it, because songwriting has always been one of my main ways of coping with and responding to life. I soon realized that it wasn’t that easy. I had the theme and the emotion for the song, but I couldn’t write it. I would write draft after draft and end up tossing it. I was trying to use writing as an immediate way to process and grieve, but the time hadn’t passed yet. Fast forward to this year. Honestly, I stopped trying to write a super profound or monumental song, and just told it like it was. The second verse is based on a real recurring dream that I kept having, and I finally wrote my first full draft of the song after waking up crying (don’t worry, I’m ok! God is good, and sometimes these emotions are actually a beautiful and realistic part of life, no matter how unwanted or awful they may be). I’ve realized that these are the things in life that we don’t ever really move on from or get over, but rather they become a part of us. I will never forget these family members – and I will certainly be telling my kids stories about them in the years to come. It’s good to be honest about how hard these things are, and how sometimes the process takes longer than expected (and that’s ok).
The Music Video:
For the music video, my husband and I filmed it all with an iPhone, and super close to our apartment during quarantine. I also went down to the river by myself with a step stool and a bag of flowers and filmed the floral overlays. It was actually kind of funny because there were a lot of people in the park and I was standing on a step stool holding a rose into the sun and then dropping a bouquet into the river. I got a lot of curious stares and realized how much I’ve grown not to care what people think if it’s for the sake of “the art.” (I used to get SO nervous when I filmed my first videos). Here’s a goofy selfie and some screenshots of what the roses looked like before they were added to the actual video:
Stream the song on Spotify/Apple Music/etc here: https://ffm.to/rorieavalanche
Watch the music video on YouTube in 4k:
BE THOU MY VISION:
In early September, I released my own rendition of the classic hymn "Be Thou My Vision." Though a little different in style from my other music, I've had ideas to create songs like this for years. Having played this song many times at church, I always pictured a version with just vocals, piano, and strings. I can still remember one of the first times that I sang this song, standing in a pew as a kid. I remember thinking that it was one of the most beautiful melodies I had ever heard, and being amazed at how timeless and worshipful it sounded hearing everyone sing together. There are many other stories about why this hymn means a lot to me, but it would take too long to write them all. I think it speaks for itself (and I can say that because I didn’t write it, haha). You can listen to it here: https://ffm.to/bethoumyvision
Or watch the lyric video here:
Fun fact about the lyric video…we filmed the outdoor footage at sunrise after hiking through the woods in the dark for about a mile to get to the little shore. We actually used a real lantern to make our way and avoid stepping on any snakes!
I also debated on whether or not to share this next part (because I’m going to use this concept again), but thought it might be fun since you’re actually taking the time to read my random stories :). I designed the song cover by drawing a little window and throwing some paint together. Super random looking, right? Then, my friend Camilla (who has done all of the design for my albums) helped me combine the two, and that’s how we ended up with the final version:
Both of these songs were produced and mixed by me during this crazy year, and I’m very excited to share that I’m working on creating two new EPs, one that each of these songs will eventually be a part of. They (the EPs) are still very much in process, and I don’t have a current timeline for the release or anything yet. My goal is that at least one of them will release next year, but I’ll keep you posted!
2020 has been a strange, and often-times tumultuous year for all of us. I hope that the music will be a blessing to you and give you a moment of peace, wherever/whenever you are listening. You are very loved and your life has great purpose. As always, THANK YOU for listening, and talk to you soon! xoxo, Rorie