BTS: The Making of "For Your Sins" pt.2 (Patreon)

The first full vocal take of "For Your Sins" in studio...once I had the right backing track!

Having the right backing track to sing along to can make a world of difference in how the vocals end up sounding! As you may have seen, I also posted part 1 this morning at T3. Part 1 showcases how the vocals can end up sounding with the wrong backing track.

There wasn't anything wrong with the original track I had for this song, but it just didn't feel right to me, which made it very difficult to get into the right headspace in the booth. Being in the right headspace is so important to me - maybe more to me than to most recording artists, honestly. Because the delivery of emotion in the vocals is of paramount importance to me.

I want the vocals to convey the feelings I was experiencing in writing the song. I want the listener to hear the hurt. To hear the anguish. The anger. And the shift. The empowerment. I want all the complexity of human emotion and experience to be reflected in my music. And I think that's best done with the vocals. Because if I feel it, and you can hear that, maybe you'll feel it, too.

Of course music is an absolutely incredible vessel for translating emotion, regardless of language, and even in the absence of lyrics. But as a songwriter, the lyrics are often what I focus on. I don't just want to feel music, I want to understand it.

Maybe that's the 'tism 😂

Either way, the lyrics have always been a priority for me. Especially since that's where I do my processing. That's the part that feels most creatively satisfying for me, as well. So if you can feel those lyrics in the way they were intended / written...that's what I want. That's magic ✨

Since this was my first full run-through with this new track, there are still a couple rougher patches. But there's no hesitancy. Only feeling. And the imperfections that come along with that.

I hope you hear it, too!

ps. Next post will be a merch preview 👀 Looking for feedback!