It’s 2021! Can you believe it?
There’s a lot of things we can say about 2020. It was a year of loss, sickness, unrest, uncertainty, full of anxiety and a lot of other things. But it was also a year of re-imagining things, enlightenment, and growth. As I’m writing this, we’re going into 2021’s second month already and it just feels like 2020 flew by.
Nonetheless, I have lots of updates to share about where I am currently in music, what we’ve been doing as a family, and possibly shed some light on why you maybe haven’t seen me as much. Let’s get into it…
Performing Has Been Put On Hold
So we started off at full steam. But when COVID hit, things quickly got sidestepped. I'd been featured a couple of times on a podcast and in a local magazine, we had a few college shows, and I was moving forward with my upcoming album. But things halted really quickly starting in March and that continued into the year. All of our gigs had been canceled during that time and for the remainder of the year, we've had to regroup. I started focusing more on blogging and freelancing while doing smaller (social-distanced) gigs and virtual shows here and there. We've taken on several online work opportunities and we've managed, thank God.
We Experienced Loss
With the onset of COVID-19, we've had a handful of family and friends contract the virus and unfortunately, we've had to say goodbye to loved ones. What's worse is that because of the risk of spread, we couldn't even properly memorialize loved ones. Rob and I have done a lot of soul searching, journaling, and talking ish through during this time. I've dealt with bouts of depression and an overall feeling of uselessness or lack of fulfillment when it comes to music. It's been a really difficult season.
But We Also Gained
I'm pregnant! We'll be adding a new Jay to our nest come this April! Maybe she'll become a songbird like me. Whatever she becomes, I have a feeling it'll be grand. Baby girl is very active and seems very excited to get out here and take on the world. She does a lot of karate chopping and acrobats. Maybe she can teach me and her Daddy a few things. Rob and I are overjoyed and looking forward to meeting her this coming spring.
And Moved…
We've moved to Arkansas. We now live in the Ozark mountains and we couldn't be happier. Some people have wondered "why Arkansas," and we always ask them "have you been to the Ozarks?" That part of Arkansas is different from the rest of the state. It's beautiful, mountainous, quiet, serene, and the stars are just gorgeous at night. It's always been our dream to live in a slower-paced, smaller town with a lot of space to grow a family, a garden, and perhaps raise animals. We're ecstatic to be moving closer in that direction.
So, what does all this mean for music?
As you probably guessed, I'm on maternity leave right now and will be for the next year or so. We do plan to ease back into doing music full-time as we get more acclimated to family life. I will continue working on releasing "Work in Progress." I'm hoping to jump back on my YouTube Song+Scripture Series as soon as I can. As far as some long-term goals, we're hoping to implement more gospel-centric programming into our mix where we talk to youth about intermixing faith with art. Eventually, we'll be looking to perform in our new local area and network with the scene here in Eureka Springs. We're excited to learn more about nearby wineries and we're looking forward to touring more of the mid-south and mid-west at some point!
But we're taking things one step at a time for sure as we keep a close eye on COVID-19. Here's to seeing better days in 2021! Thank you for your support, love, and cheers. You are my rock! Without your support, I certainly wouldn't be able to do what
