Back when I was in high school I remember a friend asking me what I wanted to do with my life. My answer was that A) I wanted to meet a British record producer, B) record a rock album and C) get airplay on the radio. People mocked the idea, telling me that there was a one-in-a-million chance of it happening, but I always believed I had this dream for a reason. In school I was in the choir and learned keyboards and steel band, but singing was always my passion. After high school I left Toronto and moved away to Saskatoon where I got involved in music and the choir at my church. Participating like that was great but after a while I started comparing myself with others and, as a result, I found I was getting kinda depressed and down on myself. I knew what I wanted from life but really started to question and doubt; yes I was doing music, but I’d lost all my passion. On a particularly depressing Saturday I resigned my dreams and decided to walk away, heartbroken.

So to my complete surprise, the very next day—Sunday morning—this guy comes up and introduces himself to me and tells me that he’s a record producer and he’d moved to Saskatoon from the UK! I kinda didn’t believe it at first because it seemed so perfectly lined up with my dream and, of all the places to meet a British record producer, Saskatoon doesn’t seem very likely. He said he was interested in meeting up with me to possibly work on something.

We first recorded a few gospel-type songs together. It was my first time in a recording studio and I loved it. During this time I was friends with a DJ from one of the local radio stations. He played a couple of these songs on the air and even invited me to the studio to sing a couple of them live, which was an awesome privilege.

A little while after this my producer asked when we would start work on my own album. I was, like, “WHAT?” That really floored me. I tried my hand at writing lyrics, collaborating with my producer for the music, and wrote songs together with several other people. Also my producer invited some songwriters he knew to contribute. He introduced me to a lot of really amazing musicians and took great care in making sure we got the right crew for every song. I learned so much. Recording various vocal parts and styles really stretched me, pushing me beyond what I thought I was capable of. It’s so great to work with someone that believes in you; it helps you believe in yourself more.

To have such big dreams and see them happening has been such an amazing experience. This album has taken a while but so much care has gone into it. I not only get to have my dream fulfilled but have it done the best it can be. It’s been such an exciting and fun process getting a chance to do what I love and collaborating with all these great, talented people as we watch these songs come to life.

I’ve considered how different life could’ve been had fate not stepped in that day after I gave up my dreams. If it hadn’t happened I’m sure I’d be regretting giving up on my music goals every day. It’s important to stick things out even when the going gets tough and it can feel like you’ll never get there. I’m a firm believer that we’re given dreams for a reason. This dream of mine has created opportunities for me to sing at many different venues and events, work on bettering myself both personally and musically, meet awesome musicians, and create an album that I love (and I hope you will too). It’s also allowed me to develop great friendships with like-minded people. Even though it may sound like a bit of a cliché, I encourage you to reach for the impossible. Just go for it. Strive to climb to the top of the hill. If you give up, you’ll never know what could’ve been. The effort is so worth it.

I got to hear the final mix of ‘A Thousand Miles’ last week and it blew me away! You can hear every instrument and special effect so clearly. It really is quite amazing. I got to hear a few more of the songs as well and I really think this is gonna be awesome! Recording is all done and we’re mixing the project at a studio in London, England. I’m so stoked that we’re getting closer and closer to the final product. I’m hoping to get a couple of lyric videos and perhaps even a music video done. Things are looking great!

So all three parts of my dream are being fulfilled. More updates to follow.