(Unreleased demo of new song, “The Time”)
In celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., his legacy, and the spirit of love that moves so strongly through his work. And in gratitude for the powerful invitation and support his life, legacy, and love offer us…
The recording above is a demo—a rough sketch of a song that’s still in the process of being written and recorded. I don’t normally share songs at this stage (I actually never have before), but I think my reasons for that aren’t always so helpful.
I believe that songs have work they’re trying to do in the world, and I’m interested in what actually helps a song do its work. I’ve realized that my interest in releasing songs when they’re technically “at their best,” or trying to get them as close to perfect as possible, often has more to do with my own ego and fear of judgement, than it does with helping the song carry out its true objectives: to support meaningful experiences, or enrich the world in some way.
There are times when the effect of a song can be felt equally, if not more strongly, in a less polished or perfected form. I’ve reflected a lot on this over the past few years, and I know many of us have experienced this in different ways. So if a song is meant to support meaningful experiences, and if this can happen as much if not more through a rough, imperfect recording, then being true to my work has to include the possibility of sharing music in less polished forms, even when music industry standards and my own fear might say otherwise.
Recently some friends invited me to share this song, “The Time”—a song inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—on their YouTube channel, Astral Arc. Their invitation was coming from a place of recognizing that the song could offer something, regardless of the technical shape of the production, and they were interested in sharing it with others. When the time came to post it, this demo was the only version I had ready, and I had to choose between my own fear of it not being good enough, and my interest in honoring the invitation and letting the song do its work.
The fear I’m speaking about has in many ways been shaped and reinforced through years of music industry narratives influencing my understanding of what it means to be legitimate and professional as an artist. These are narratives I’m interested in being free of, and I’m grateful to my friends at Astral Arc for making an invitation that gave me the opportunity to choose a different approach—one that’s more closely aligned with the fundamental intention of the work.
The Astral Arc YouTube channel shares a song each month, corresponding with the exploration of a different virtue—strengths, or qualities, we can work with and cultivate in ourselves as we walk our paths. This song is being shared in connection with the virtue “courage,” which feels appropriate considering how important courage has been for me as I try to face my own fear and egotism, and the dominant narratives of not only the music industry, but mainstream culture in general—narratives which so strongly promote a notion of success based on recognition and personal stature, rather than service.
My intention in sharing this isn’t to point a finger at these societal narratives, but to recognize how they live in me, and to try, with all the strength I can, to somehow change myself. Why? Because I want to be free enough to do the work my heart feels called towards. As long as these stories have a hold on me, my thoughts, choices and actions are influenced by motivations that aren’t aligned with my heart’s desire to give all I can in support of a healthier, more just world.
I can feel this call—this desire to give what my heart is inspired to—yet I hold myself back in so many ways. I’m interested in freeing myself from stories that limit my capacity to love and to act from love, and I know so many others feel this way as well. This is what I’m pointing towards when I say “courage”—an inner strength that can help us think, and act, in accordance with love.
As I work to cultivate and live with this kind of courage, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has been one of my biggest inspirations, a great teacher and support. The song “The Time” was inspired by Dr. King and his work, and in particular by words he shared in his final speech, the day before he was killed. In this speech he shared—and in doing so made visible—a kind of love that is unequivocally committed to following the heart’s call to serve. He shared what it means to orient ourselves around this call, to allow it to be the cornerstone of meaning in our lives, and to courageously choose, and stand in, this way of living.
On a cold night in March 2020, just as the world was entering an extreme time of challenge and change, I was driving on a pitch-dark, country road in upstate New York and heard the first lines of “The Time” in my head. I was thinking about the words in Dr. King’s final speech, and feeling how powerfully these words put me in touch with my own heart and aligned my sense of self with a deeper feeling of truth and a certainty of purpose. A few minutes later I arrived at a friend’s house and, in an attempt to express and share this feeling, sat for a while in the driveway, singing the opening lines into my phone.
I’m realizing that an “attempt to share this feeling” is a good way of describing my inspiration for writing this song, and for sharing it. Dr. King was tragically killed the day after his final speech, but this feeling I’m speaking of, and the potential in it, was not. I believe he gave us a gift, and that by sharing his courage and love, he invited us into this feeling—an inner atmosphere where we can connect with our own courage, and a deeper sense of why we’re here, what it means to be alive, and how we can choose to give our love in support of the world, and the time, in which we live.
Love Bravely is a cross-genre music project and creative community founded by rapper / singer-songwriter, Matre, in collaboration with a wide network of musicians, artists and creatives. For more information visit us on Substack.
Our work is made possible by a community of supporters. To join this community and help this work flourish, you can become a monthly contributor on Patreon or make a one time donation here. Thank you!
Astral Arc is a YouTube channel dedicated to supporting individual development in relation to world development, with a focus on developing and working with the power of Love.
Laura Summer is a painter and co-founder of the arts and arts education nonprofit, Free Columbia. She’s also the creator of “Art Dispersal”—an innovative way of supporting visual artists and making original artwork accessible for all without paywalls.
Awesome
Such a great song. Thanks for sharing!