"Stream of Consciousness", an open letter by Caroline Romano
Music, at least for me, is about as high and low as it gets.
To pursue a career in this industry means that you want the ride, you seek the thrills, and you chase the rises and falls that it brings, knowing it may stop at the top or at the bottom of it all.
I’ve always gone to music at my most extremes, whether it be pure happiness or in my darkest times. Actually, I do find I work best when I’m in a sadder head space. I can write the happiest song in the world when I’m feeling really low. I think I just need the deep emotions and thoughts that sadness, that loneliness can only bring.
I’ve found many artists share my feelings of the best music being made in the extremes, and I believe it’s a good indicator as to what’s really going on behind the songs that go out into the world.
As a pop artist, I sometimes struggle to put out music that I think “fits my sound” when I’m not feeling upbeat, or when I want to write a really depressing song, which I often do. There’s this mask I find myself hiding behind sometimes, particularly on social media, in interviews, and other aspects of my career. I think there’s often the expectation that since musicians get to do what we love for a living, we shouldn’t show the hard parts, the sad parts, the mountains that have to be climbed to make it.
What always gets me out of this headspace is to remember why I’ve chosen this path in the first place. I’ve got things I want to say, and music is my way of saying them. More and more, I’m allowing myself to put the vulnerable pieces of me out into the world.
My latest single, “Stream of Consciousness,” is the realest it gets. It’s basically about the thoughts that are running through my head all day, including anxiety, loneliness, crushes, heartbreak, and all of the other emotions clogging up my brain. I think the song explains a lot about who I am, why I do what I do, and why I want to share these things with everyone.
My biggest goal through this all is to provide a sense of belonging, and to show that we are all going through something. I only hope to reach as many people as I can.
- Caroline