by AEUNA
Writing Light felt like a silent eye opener for me. The kind that doesn’t announce itself but lands softly. It came right before I was about to fully jump into a new beginning, letting go. Not a dramatic revelation. Just a quiet, honest look at what I was leaving behind, and what I was choosing to carry forward.
I’m AEUNA (pronounced ay-yu-nuh), an independent singer-songwriter and producer from Cebu, Philippines. On April 24, I’m releasing my new single, Light.
Continue readingby Fifi Rong
From the tender age of eight, melancholy wove its stars into the fabric of my life. Deep, existential contemplations about life’s transient nature became my constant companions. My young mind, captivated by these musings, delved into the profound mysteries of existence. In these depths of reflection, I discovered music’s magnetic effects, a revelation that ignited a spark in my soul.
Around the age of ten, I discovered my natural singing ability, dreaming of a life as a music artist. However, this dream faced immense resistance. I grappled with a soul-tormenting dilemma: a burning desire to devote my life to music, contrasted by a deep-seated belief, instilled by those closest to me, that I lacked the talent. Their laughter and doubts, and concerns that I was chasing a delusion, cast long shadows over my aspirations. The belief that “I wasn’t a good enough singer, nor did I look the part,” became an unchallenged conviction for the next decade.
第一章：无望的梦想
我从小就是个感情丰富、爱沉思的孩子。在我幼小的心灵里，我经常沉浸在对生命本质的思考之中。在这些深邃的反思里，我逐渐发现了音乐对我灵魂的强烈吸引力，这成为了唤醒我内心深处火花的启示。
大约在十岁时，我发现自己天生具有唱歌的才能，开始梦想成为一名音乐艺术家。然而，这个梦想遭遇了巨大的阻力。我陷入了一种灵魂深处的挣扎：对音乐的热爱与深植于心的不自信之间的矛盾。周围人的嘲笑和怀疑，以及他们认为我追求的不过是一场幻觉，给我的志向蒙上了阴影。长久以来，我无法挑战内心的那个声音：“我唱的不够好，长得也不够漂亮。”
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Hi, I’m Raging Flowers, a singer-songwriter-producer from Auckland, New Zealand. My primary instrument is the electric guitar. I make jazzy self-help indie pop that celebrates the diversity of feelings. My music is about truthfulness, exploration, and hope.
My music career has had an unusual start. I’ve been a long-time music learner, but I decided to pursue a career in tech. I studied Computer Science and had a career as a Software Engineer. I worked for some of the top software companies in New Zealand. I was a star Software Engineer in various fields, including music, blockchain, and AI. Back in my programming days, my ambition was to run a small business of my own.
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Years back, I attended my late cousin’s funeral in the core of the inner city where she lived. One could call the area run-down, poor, and even scary. It was the kind of place where taking to the street at night was risky, let alone by day. Many of the shops were closed down, and the upkeep on the surrounding buildings was minimal, to say the least.
My cousin had been renting a three-room apartment over a dingy hotel where she lived a hand-to-mouth existence due to childhood traumas. Every time I went to this city, I made a point of stopping in on her for a visit because, despite her struggle, she hadn’t lost her sense of humor and hadn’t forgotten the ways of knowing taught to us by our grandmother. She was fun and had a great sense of humor. She didn’t let too much bother her, and I enjoyed spending time with her. It was relaxing because there was no pressure to be anything else than two cousins spending time together. We would often jump into my car, as she didn’t own a vehicle, and drive out to the country for fresh air and a change of scenery.
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Mrs. Penny was one of those teachers you remember – she encouraged me, enjoyed my stories, and often read them to the class. She told me to study sciences for a better-paid job, and off down that road I skipped studying engineering. But as Iggy Pop once quipped, if you’re creative, there’s something inside you, and it needs to get out…
Million Pebble Beach is my chosen “Nom de Guerre” – a nod to a local artist and the area (Pete Codling’s One Million Pebbles project in Portsmouth).
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“Waiting For” was written alongside producer/writer Abraham Hovey. I had been wanting to release a single for a while, and let something sit on its own… this finally felt like the track that could do just that.
With the passing of legendary soul singer Aretha Franklin and the 60th birthday of Madonna occurring within days of each other this week I started to think about the enduring legacy of certain women in the music biz and how they got to where they are today. I also started to think about the mentors that have helped me on my journey. Here are seven female performers who have influenced my work and the stage of life I was in when they found me and first sang their song to me.