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Song of Myself
By Walt Whitman
1819-1892
I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.
Courageously vulnerable and incredibly honest, David Archuleta, is known for the strong connection he makes with his audience when he sings. To make a strong connection, you have to believe in what you sing. David recently said he will be taking a larger part in the songwriting process on his next album because he wants his music to reflect who he is as a person.
“I want the stories to be more relatable to what I want to talk about. It’s, like, fun music! But you can tell that it’s my story. And I like that. I think people will get to know me better with these songs.”
“I want my music to make people feel good. I want people to be able to connect with me and my music. You know, it’s just figuring out how to do that the best way — because I’m not good with words, but I think I’m learning to do that more and more, as I get more involved with writing.”
David has been working with accomplished songwriters such as Joy Williams (co-writer of “Waiting For Yesterday“), Matt Wertz, Mat Kearney, producer Robert Marvin and producer/songwriter/novelist Matt Bronleewe in Nashville, with Jeymes Samuel in New York and with Victoria Horn, Matt Squire, Kina Grannis and Daniel Bedingfield in Los Angeles.
Songwriting is undoubtedly a key element of a recording artist’s career. It seems that to be taken seriously as an artist, you have a greater chance of being respected, winning Grammy Awards and having longevity if you can do more than sing. While talented singers are always sought after, those who in addition, can write their own material are especially valued such as Billy Joel, Elton John, Sheryl Crowe, Alicia Keys and Phil Collins, to name a few.
But writing one’s own music doesn’t automatically win you respect if you can’t connect with your audience. I wondered how important it is for an artist to write their own music and what it takes to be a success in the music business. With David in mind, I did some research on what the total package was all about. Here is a list of attribute’s of successful artists from “The Music Think Tank“.
• Heart – the powerful force that brings art to life and creates the charisma that bonds great musical artists to their fans.
• Conviction – the total and absolute belief in yourself as an artist and in your ability to write great songs.
• Drive – the thing that fuels an artist’s belief that their music is great.
• Perseverance – this is what permits an artist to become successful if they hang in there until it all comes together.
• Originality – this is what separates great music from the music everyone else makes and allows it to stand alone from all the rest.
• Great Songs – A great song is made up of words and melodies that embody the artist’s spirit and soul. Together they forge a sound so special that those who listen to it are moved and emotionally bond with it. Great artists never stop trying to challenge themselves by writing better and better songs.
• Appealing Image – an appealing image that is comfortable yet edgy enough to define and differentiate who you are as an artist.
• Great People Skills – the ability to communicate with fans one on one as well as connect with a large audience. Honest communication only strengthens the connection.
• An Accomplished Live Performance – The greatest musical artists combine incredible music with a compelling performance. Of course, a great song can stand on its own without an accompanying live performance. But great music played live by a powerful, exciting, charismatic performer gets taken to a much higher, more memorable level. Some people are born to play live and others have to work at it to be good. Live connections almost single handedly drive every aspect of an artist’s success.
This list made me wonder how important it is for David to write his own music when he already has heart, conviction, drive, perseverance, originality, an appealing image, great people skills, drive, and a kick-ass live performance so early in his career. However, I feel that for David to shed the American Idol image once and for all, and for him to be taken seriously as an artist and recognized as an accomplished singer/songwriter, he needs to write great songs. I have every faith that he has it in him and that he knows what kind of music to write for his voice. It’s exhilarating to think about in light of the many genres The Voice can sing.
How important do you think it is for an artist to write their own music?
The Voice David Archuleta 