August Fireheart Perspective on The Space We Keep - Piano Only

My name is August, and I write music to capture thoughts and emotions when I can't find the words to do it.

I have spent my life being the go-to person for those that need to be seen. In that time, I have learned that many people just seek to be heard and seen. I have learned to listen to everyone, and processed this into music that I hear in my head. I figured it was time to release the sounds I hear in my head.

I've been listening to music since childhood. I grew up with a piano my father had purchased for my mother 40 years ago. This was my first instrument and foray into artistic expresssion.

At first, I started with poetry. It was well received, but I never liked the public attention. I was bullied a lot as a child, and thus never adjusted to public attention. It was only when I was able to publish music anonymously, enabled by advancing technology and social platforms, that I was able to create with complete freedom of expression.

I don't know quite how to answer this. The best feedback I've gotten from friends and fans is that my music is good if you need a good cry. I don't hide my emotional triggers in my music. It isn't necessarily made to be sad, but it is created with the intention of interpreting emotions at their rawest form.

I have learned to refine my music in its ability to storytell. I have always been a big believer that messaging, in any form, is best when you connect with an emotional story. My music tries to capture emotions in a way that enable listeners to relate to it in their own way, with their own stories. My music is simply a tool to extract your own stories.

My main themes are connection through loss. I have never been able to write music when I'm happy. I am most creative when I am in a state of melancholy, whether it is my own, or if I'm learning of someone else's emotional journey. I like to think of myself as a musical empath.

David Foster, simply because he's one of the best composers of all time, that has delievered story-telling hits to so many artists. More contemporarily, there is a fast rising artist called Natalie Jane, who does a phenomenal job of expressing raw, real emotions.

David Foster is a master storyteller through music. He has crossed over multiple genres, and over several decades. Some of the world's greatest music stars can attribute their greatest hits to this composer.

Emotionally triggering music. At some stage of your mindset, you will be able to relate to it.

I've been to many concerts in my lifetime, and have seen many of the greats and up-and-comers. For modern artists, I think Benson Boone would be interesting. I've heard he's a great performer, but more importantly, he is very relatable to his fan base. He is very good about building his community.

The orchestral version of "The Space We Keep" is my favorite. I collaborated with an academy award-winning composer and friend (who wanted to stay anonymous), who arranged the entire orchestral segment of my piece. His fans will be able to recognize his style. The reason it is my favorite is that he was able expand the raw emotion of everything I was trying to express, far beyond the capabilities of my piano-only version. I believe this gives my music far broader appeal to a wider audience.

David Foster, Ed Sheeran, and Billie Eilish. You couldn't get a more eclectic group of master storytellers.

Orchestra setting, with multiple artists, that I am actually performing for, but nobody realizes its me. I would perform in a say that light never falls on my face, so you are thoroughly focused on the piano, my hands, and the music.

Realistically, in terms of current music genre and style, I think Natalie Jane. For a global artist, I'd say Ed Sheeran.

At a horse ranch. One of the horses I had ridden, had suddenly passed away a few months later. I heard the music in my head and immediately composed something within days. It is one of my favorites, and probably among my next round of publishing.

I just want people to listen, and re-visit any memories that my music triggers in their mind. My purpose is to simply let my music trigger your own memories, and create your own stories.

Real, raw, relateable.

Other than platform-sharing, I love to just send music files to close friends that I attribute the inspiration from. 

I don't practice as much as I did as a disciplined child pianist. These days, if I hear a song often enough or loud enough in my head, I go to a music studio for hours and usually my fingers just find it.

I wrote "The Space We Keep" for a friend who had experienced horrible tragedy from losing someone in her life, and was in the process of losing someone else in her life. This unlocked a whole slew of emotions and intepretation that literally manifested it self daily on the piano. Even up to the hour before recording my final version, I was still writing small bits and pieces. When she finally came to the studio to hear the piano version, she was in tears. We had no words, but she knew exactly what the song was about.

For me, success is deteremined by connecting with my audience. We all want connection. I love to share. I they like what I have to say (through music), it inspires me to continually connect and create. Most of the time, my creativity stems from the expression of others, so as long as I have connection with my listeners, I will have creativity.

I am working on an interesting idea of looking at content creator videos, and composing something the spot for them. Much like the way free-verse rappers do it, but with a little more production value and refinement.

We are needed when words are not enough. We are absolutely critical in communicating, with long, long-lasting effects.

For instrumental music, David Foster's "St Elmos Fire" is timeless. It is such a relatable across multiple generations.

For lyrical music, U2's "With or Without You" is hugely successful because it is musically chorded on a familiar base line that all listeners are familiar with, with timeless relevance of the chorus hook.

It is SUCH a labor of love, which means that for many of us, we can't even afford to buy lunch with all the work we put into our creativity.

I think it's no secret that any content aggregators are the financial gatekeepers. I think there should be a far more equitable way for musicians to benefit financially. I would find a way to share the wealth across a wider spectrum so that many of us can focus on music creativity.

I spent the bulk of my career as an analyst in the video game industry, meaning I was the storyteller to Wall Street investors, the press, and non-gamers. I was the first analyst to discuss NFTs in 2005, way before they became a reality during the crypto boom. So I have always maintained my ethos as a storyteller, which is taking a bunch of thoughs and ideas, and converting them into a far more digestible form for others.

Alone, but not lonely. As much as I love creating, I love sharing my creativity with others. 

Any of Rembrandt's self portraits.

Be honest with yourself. Don't create what you think people will listen to. Create your own truth, and your own story. If not, you'll simply be telling someone else's story, and claiming it as your own, which ultimatey, in my opinion, is a very lonely journey in the end, because you'll realize that nobody really knows you, which is the loniest path in life.

I'm happiest when I am creating my truest, rawest music. If life is about the pursuit of happiness, then this is the only reason I'll ever need to continue making music.

To share my music, as well as help others find their own truths, their own stories, and create their own music.