Hi all, this is my first blog ever for my website. I'm happy to write about my debut album Exulansis. It was released two months ago, on January 12, and is my first release ever. The theme of the album is about a journey to self discovery and clarity.
The idea of making this album started in last summer. I always dream that I wanna do my music with my main band project and as a solo artist. However, at some point, my band project wasn't going anywhere and it kinda gave me a hard time of what I'm gonna do moving forward. After a careful consideration, I've finally decided to prioritize doing solo for a while and go full force with it. Before the album released, I had no clarity of how to manage my music. I realized I had too many songs in my catalog which can actually serve three to five different projects! But, somehow I just kept writing new songs and they got mixed up because I didn't have a clear idea of which songs would belong to my band project and which would be for my solo work. In the end, this album became a revelation for me in many ways.
I finally decided to start recording this album as a solo project last September. A big thanks to my private lesson instructor at Musicians Institute, Amy Gordon, who encouraged me to record a single to kickstart my music portfolio. The song we chose at that time was “The Dream Is Still Alive.” It’s a song I recently wrote for my Sophomore Recital, and I really love the lyrics. During that period, I also wrote “Come Home,” a very personal song to me. I added “Heaven,” “Making Peace With Myself,” and “I Will Be Strong” from my old catalog. These three songs share similar vibes and messages to the other two. I had five songs already, and I realized I might still have a few more good options in my catalog. That moment made me think, “Wow, this has to be an album, not just an EP!”
Once I was certain about making this project an album, I decided it should have around 10 songs in total. “Lost In You” was a daring choice I made. It’s a short solo instrumental piano piece that I composed five years ago. Initially, I thought of it as a “filler track” for the album, but it ended up fitting perfectly. “Change of Heart” is another older song I decided to add. By the end of November, I had seven songs but couldn't find any others to add. Then came “Remember Who You Are,” a new song I wrote, inspired by lines from one of the Marvel movies. “The Bird's Song” is another new composition. Writing this song was unique because, at first, I had no idea what I wanted to say. I got a sudden idea to include a wisdom quote in French for the chorus. The line I chose was “petit à petit, l'oiseau fait son nid,” which means “little by little, the bird builds its nest.” It's a beautiful quote, and it inspired me to write the song around the imagery of a bird surviving rainy days.
Making this album was truly an amazing experience. It’s been such a long time since I focused on one specific goal and worked so productively. I recorded all the tracks at my home studio and handled the post-production myself. It was intense! By the end of December, I decided the album would have 9 songs. For the album title, I chose the word Exulansis. I feel this word perfectly represents me at that moment. If you've listened to the album, I want to thank you for taking the time to do so. I hope you enjoyed it! If you haven’t listened yet, don’t wait any longer! The album is available on all streaming platforms, and you can also purchase it from Bandcamp.
Thank you all for reading my first blog!
I’ll see you on the next one.
-Abhi Ananda-