Like children, music also has to be conceived and find its way through someone to enter into this world. At least the kind of music I write. How exactly does this happen? When can we say that a song is fully born? And why are there some songs that move us deeply and seem to have eternal life, while others don't last longer than a mayfly? I don't know if I hold the ultimate truth to these questions, but I've had some extraordinary life-changing experiences when it comes to songwriting, that has left me in awe and made me perceive music in a whole new way.
As you might know by now, the music entered my life in such a powerful way that I had no other choice than to make it my priority number one. I soon discovered there were two ways I could write and compose music, and that the differences in between the two were significant. There were the songs that I could sit down and decide to write. I would think about what I wanted to say in my lyrics, how I wanted the melody to sound, and what I wanted people to feel. It was just me and my guitar, creating a song. And then, there were the songs that came to me and asked to be written. Those songs were already complete; the lyrics, the melodies, the emotional state they were carrying, absolutely none of it was for me to decide. To this music I was not the creator, but a vessel and a gateway to enter the world. My job was to give space and allow it to come through, as untouched and pure as possible.
So I opened up, and I had to learn how to let go of all control, as any interference from my side would stop the flow. And in that effortless in-stream of lyrics and melodies, I would be uplifted and nurtured in a way that I had never experienced before in my life. I was brought into a state of inner peace and freedom, where I was filled with a deep knowing that every minute spent within that state, was a minute where I gave myself and my body a chance to heal. Because, unlike the songs that I could create, this music had enormous potential.
And just like any living person, every song had a unique personality and its own way of approaching me. I would be taken along on inner journeys, they would fill me with all kinds of emotions, show me pictures and moving images, and sometimes even talk about things that I had never heard of before. Some came rushing in with force and determination, allowing me to hear the music loud and clear as if an inner radio had been turned on. Others would gently tap my shoulder, or pass by me so quickly that I was lucky if I managed to grab them by the tail. And then there were the ones that would speak to me in the most intimate and subtle ways, where I had to slow down my breathing and become aware of every single movement within my body. There was no recipe to follow, other than following the movement of the song, and being willing to go anywhere. And no matter how intense and messy the writing process would be at times, I knew that everything would land in the perfect place.
The songs that came to me were always linked to my inner growth, carrying the light codes and insights that had transformed my life, and in this way, they were made available to others. As more and more songs were finished I started noticing a building pressure inside of me, an inner push to get the music out into the world. And from the very beginning, it was crystal clear that the amount of impact the music would have on people was directly related to its level of integrity and the emotional connection of each song. Knowing this, I vowed to myself, and the music, that I would never compromise and only release music that was in its full potential.
As I started sharing the songs with others, I got to see exactly why this was so important; The energy in the room would always change, someone would burst into tears, and it would get so quiet that it almost felt a little strange at times. And as I finished playing, people would come up to me and say things like: "I got chills all over my body", "Something happened in this room when you started singing”, and "Whatever you just did, moved me deeply”.
It was obvious that these songs had an ability to find their way into people’s hearts and bring them into that same state I had been in while writing them. Knowing the power of that state, I fully devoted myself to sharing the music. I released my debut album “What I’m Living For”, visited one radio station after the other, played at festivals, put out my first music video and was on the front page of the magazine “Din Reportasje”, where they beautifully covered my story. I received an incredible amount of support and it all was moving very fast. Little did I know that it was building towards the moment where I had to let the music go and painfully became aware of the areas of my life that still needed healing.
12 years ago, in that moment of despair when the music entered my life, I found myself in a living nightmare where I was struggling to survive. I had cried out to God for help, and as an answer to my prayers, I was reconnected with my essence and put on the path of my life’s purpose. As I was writing the songs, I was spending time where I was in full integrity with myself. And while being in that state of full integrity, I had access to my potential and my life force. I started remembering who I was and why I was here. And over time I realized that the value I was bringing into this world was equally important to the value of any song I had ever written. And that was the moment my life truly began changing for the better; when I started treating myself with the same amount of respect that I treated the music.
And here I am, almost 5 years later, finally ready to fully step into my life’s purpose and bring the music to the world. I've lived, I've learned and I've grown. And I’ve come to know that the music needs me just as much as I need the music. You see, for a song to be born it is not enough to be written, it also needs to be shared, as it is the moment that it touches someone’s heart and soul that it comes to life.
I believe that the true purpose of the music, and the reason I am here, is to communicate the importance of self-worth, self-respect, self-love, and integrity. Whether that is through sharing the songs, telling my story or just being me. Because I don’t necessarily have to do something big, I just need to be who I am. And through that authentic expression, I allow myself to BE in this world in a way that has the potential to uplift and inspire others to do the same. Just like a song. And if I'm right, the footprints we leave behind when walking this planet within our full potential will never fade. They carry the presence of something greater that has eternal life.
May the music bring you into a state of true freedom and align you with the essence of who you are. And please, do yourself and the world a favor; know your worth, be yourself, and express who you are.
ACHEIVEMENTS WITHIN SONGWRITING
I have attended The international songwriting competition two times, in 2020 and 2021. Both times my songs were selected as semi-finalists. "What I'm living for" in 2020 and "You and I" in 2021. I also attended the Unsigned Only music competition in 2023 with the song "You and I" and got through to the semifinals.
John O'Donohue - "Eternal Echoes"
These videos are created as an invitation for you to see more of my work as a songwriter. They are simple recordings made with my phone, unpolished and raw.
If you appreciate my music and feel inspired to support my work, you are welcome to make a donation. Every contribution goes directly into the production of my 2nd album, which I believe will be carrying the title "This is how we do it".