The first days of "Why"
Crissi Cochrane
It’s been a wonderful first few days of “Why” being out into the world! It’s the “Homegrown Hit” over on The Mix 96.7fm this weekend in Windsor, CBC Windsor just released an article about it based on an interview that Delaney and I gave to Windsor Morning on Friday, and the song has been added to quite a few playlists and blogs.
When I’m writing a grant application and one of the questions asks how I’ll measure the success of the project, my answer is always given in two points: the concrete numbers of things like streams, plays, sales, followers, etc., but also, and most importantly, the emotional response and feedback that I receive from my friends, family, and listeners. And so, I’m elated to say that I’ve been receiving such kind comments and messages expressing how much the song and animated video are being enjoyed.
It’s incredible - I can’t remember having received such a strong response to any project of mine in recent years. I think the most comparable feedback was around the release of “Little Sway” in 2014, but even then, such comments were staggered across months. In this fast-paced world, it’s simply a lot easier for us to consume something that’s condensed into a 4-minute experience, as opposed to trying to find the time to sit down and pay attention to a full-length album. And while both types projects are essential pieces in a music career, it feels much more immediately rewarding to devote all that care and attention to making the richest possible four minutes of music and visuals.
Yesterday, I was out in the county, playing my last wedding gig of the summer, in-between meticulously sharing posts about “Why” on my socials, and today, I’m heading back out to the county again for another interview. It’s been an incredibly fast-paced few days, with tremendous amounts of screen time, late nights, and the regular domestic workload that comes with parenting in a pandemic. But it’s lovely - and I always hold fast to the advice Martin Atkins gave at a Halifax Pop Explosion conference many years ago - “always do more than any sane person would for your music career”. I mean… maybe it’s not the healthiest advice if you’re trying to avoid burn-out, but fortunately I have been blessed with the stamina to keep hustling, and I can’t wait to see where this project goes!