What's taken so long?

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Hey, hope you're well. The sun and I have been getting reacquainted...and I'm loving it!Here's your digest for this week. Hope you find these, inspiring and encouraging.

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

What's taken so long (to release new music)?(approximately 4 min read)In 2019, when I won CBC Searchlight, it felt like the culmination of 10 years of work - quite literally.In 2009, I decided in my heart to pursue music as a profession.In fact, I distinctly remember the moment when sitting in a massive lecture hall at the University of Toronto during a Physiology lecture.Years of ruminating and prayer led to that singular moment where everything crystallized for me - Music was what I was made to do.So from that moment onward, everything I did was with the singular vision of making a living from music.Enter songs, albums, unprofitable tours, crappy set times, paying to get on festival stages, etc.I did the work, up and coming artists are supposed to do….and it worked!My win, 10 years later, signified the culmination of my 10,000 hours of training and marked the beginning of the next chapter in my music career - at least that’s what it was supposed to be.In that year between 2019-2020, I enjoyed a flood of attention, support and resources.Then came 2020, when the world as we knew it ended.The pandemic brought to a screeching halt all the momentum I had just garnered.International media tour cancelled, major label and management conversations fizzled, financial backing eventually ended.It’s now been about 4 years since Searchlight, 2 of which were pandemic years.And to be honest, I don’t have the buzz or attention I did during that season.One of the casualties of the pandemic was I lost my music infrastructure.The team members who I relied on to consistently pump out music, had to move on to other things.Some got gigs with bigger artists, and others left the music industry altogether.A lot of the music funding I had also eventually evaporated, and without new revenue opportunities (shows, features, sync placements, etc.), it became that much more difficult to put out music.As you already know, I also had to diversify and start new businesses outside of music - some succeeded, others didn’t.At any rate, my last EP “Things We Say” was released in July 2022 with the last of my music fund.I have since then been working at rebuilding my music infrastructure, which involves not only finding new collaborators, but also new funding for it.(I keep my personal and business funds separate)And that has been the main reason for my lack of music this year.I want to say, I have my new music infrastructure firmly in place, but I’m still working on it.It certainly looks like it’s taking shape, but there are still things to sort out.But with what I currently have in place, I’m ready to release my new song “Ten (Mewa)” on November 15.For an artist, releasing new music is like exhaling after holding your breath for a long time 😮‍💨Admittedly, given that the buzz I used to have isn’t there anymore, I don’t know how the song will do numbers-wise.But honestly, I’m not concerned.I’m just excited to finally be releasing new music.As I keep working on rebuilding my music systems, I’m hoping, praying and believing that 2024 will see more consistent music releases.I realize that unlike other newsletters, today’s has been primarily focused on me (I hope you’ll indulge me for today), but if you take something away, I hope it’s this;Once you find your life’s work, work at it for life.It may look different at various seasons of life, but seasons are by nature, cyclical. So find a way to keep at it.Here’s to never giving up on our dreams! 🥂“Ten (Mewa)” drops on November 15.It would mean the world to me if you pre-saved it. That little action really does go a long way.Pre-save by clicking below!P.S. I’ll reveal the Coverart next week, so stay tuned for that.

VIDEO I ENJOYED THIS WEEK

If I Started a Business Again Today, I'd Do This

I'm a strong advocate for having some sort of business or side hustle. Something that diversifies your income stream (and mabye even replace your current income). Whether big or small, it's worth thinking, "If I were to start a business, what might that look like?". This video is a great guide to get you started on answering that question.Watch by clicking the image.

SONG I ENJOYED THIS WEEK

Trip Lee & Kirk Franklin - Mercy

Trip Lee is a CHH OG in my eyes. But not an OG in the out-of-touch kinda way. More like an OG who's got lots of credentials but is still swinging and hitting harder than ever. He just dropped a new album and this song is a standout, no doubt, in part due to Uncle Kirk himself.Listen now by clicking the image.

That's it for this week.Love you,ShopéP.S. Don't forget to Presave "Ten (Mewa) HERE.P.P.S. Don't forget to my latest YT video Christians get THIS wrong about money and new YT Video also incoming!

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