A Smile is All - The First Love Letter

My first single came out May 20, 2022. On Spotify it's classified as an EP, because it has four tracks, but there's really only one song that is completely new, which is the title track, "A Smile is All".

The idea of a "single" with a title track/A-side, potentially a B-side, and extra versions of previously released tracks (instrumentals, remixes, etc.) has always appealed to me. I listened to and bought a lot of Japanese pop music in my teenaged years (especially between 2005 and 2012), and there was very, very rarely a single CD that had only ONE track on it. I see that a lot in American music now (probably in other countries too), where there's just one track in a single. It makes sense, but I'm still sometimes disappointed when there aren't any bonus tracks or anything else of interest released with the one song.

At first, "A Smile is All" was going to be part of my second album, but because I made the track a few years ago, it seemed appropriate to release it as its own single first. The song fit the theme of the album, though, so I decided to call the single "The First Love Letter", as a prequel to my second album, which for many months I knew would be called "Love Letters to Myself".

All of the tracks on this single/EP were recorded in 2019. When I listen to "A Smile is All" and "Whoever You May Be - Piano & Vocal", I can hear my hesitation and my desire to hide behind the mic. I wanted to own where I was in my musical journey, and even though I can hear my shyness in these two tracks, I still like my performances overall and thought they were worth sharing, even though I no longer sound like that when I sing.

"I wanted to own where I was in my musical journey, even though I can hear my hesitation and my desire to hide behind the mic."

The third track is a syncopated version of "Whoever You May Be", what I like to call the "puppet master" technique, where the right and left hands never hit the keys at the same time! ;P I have been playing this version for many years, and thought it would be fun to add onto the single.

The fourth and final track of the single is "C&C (little buggy voice)". This is the ORIGINAL recording of my impromptu singing into my phone after I ran into my house to escape the insects outside. This ridiculous song/poem became the masterpiece that is Critters and Creatures. It does feel a little embarrassing to publish this unedited recording with my silly voice, heavy breathing, and drawn-out pauses (I was writing the poem as I was singing it), but I also thought it would just be fun to share with the world.

The cover of "The First Love Letter" is a photo I took in the room where I taught my music theory classes last year. I initially took the photo to focus on the shadows of the plants in the window. When I was deciding what to do for the cover of my single, it seemed fitting to use one of my classrooms, since in a way I like to think of my music lessons as love letters to my students. The four hearts layered on top represent the four tracks of the single. ❤