How I learned to listen to myself (the Story of Listen)

Preface: This is based on an older post I wrote years ago when Listen was originally released

In 2020, there was a lot of struggle, drama, and everything else going on in the world. I like to listen to a lot of podcasts and radio shows that talk about a lot of the topics that were causing division throughout the world and the country. A lot of what people said they wanted and what some people even said we needed to do was listen to each other. I learned pretty quickly that I never really learned how to do that.

In School, I learned to craft arguments and synthesize information, and if I was to look at a counterargument, it was to analyze what was wrong with it and not truly listen and absorb the argument and point of view. Eventually, that became not listening at all. If there was a point of view that was different or opposing my own, I’d immediately dismiss it. And my mind took it to the extreme, and I stopped listening to and trusting myself. That extended to my musical life as well, where if I don’t sound like “X” person or don’t play the same as them, I wouldn’t want to play or create anything.

So much of my music became trying to sound like other people, where I would hope that I would get excited when I was told that I sounded like a different producer, which became my goal. I started reading more in 2020, right around the time a lot of learning to listen began to really build, and I read Victor Wooten’s book, The Music Lesson (Which I may do a review for), and the biggest musical lesson I got from that book is to listen, to what’s around you and what’s in your head, and just let that come out with no judgment, your intuition will guide you. Similar to just knowing what words to say when speaking your primary language.

So I sat down in the music room of my old house and decided to do just that. I sat down, closed my eyes, and pressed record in Logic, and the result was a new song. It wasn’t perfect; it was simple, not as complex as the other artists I looked up to, but it was truly something I created from my head.

The result is “Listen,” The single released for my new EP, Bad with Titles II, the result of experimenting with listening to those around me and what’s actually in my head. Since I wrote and released this song, I feel like my arranging and composing skills have improved because I learned that there are no right answers in music, and I can make any music work as long as I make it mine.

Go listen to my single, “Listen” (Apple Music, Spotify), hear to results of my learning and experiences. Even though this track has already been released as a single, it will be included in the new EP, Bad With Titles II.

Or click here to see a list of my Compositions under CJ Arc