Awestruck

Attention!

I’ve spent the past four months living in Los Angeles, New York City, and in this room:

Writing, producing, recording, engineering, mixing, mastering — its been a big workload for those involved and there’s still much to do. However, so often it’s about the journey rather than the destination and I’m so excited about where I’ve been, where I’m at, and where I’m headed — I can barely fall asleep at night. Seven songs are mixed, mastered and in the can, four more are in the pipeline and a handful of b-sides are on top of the pile. It’s crazy how different this record is than anything I’ve ever done before but I’m quite proud of the shape its taken thus far and I can’t wait to share it with the world. The biggest departure is perhaps the endless amount of writing and rewriting I’ve done over the past six months of work, both on the road and off. Like anybody doing anything in life, your tastes and interests change and refine over time and I’ve found myself striving to do a better job in perfecting my craft than I ever have before. In the past, I’ve been guilty of devoting and committing to the first thing that popped into my mind, and for better or worse, risking entire concepts or notions going way over the heads of casual listeners because of a neglect to experiment with other colors and brushstrokes in the humble pursuit of creating richer art. During the making of this record, I’ve been constantly asking myself, is this the right shade of blue? Is this exactly what I’m trying to say? How can I make this as good as possible — both subjectively and objectively? I’ve been drafting and making changes and revising like a movie writer with a screenplay.

It’s a big process. Jack Joseph Puig once described it to me like this:

“You’ve effectively drawn up the blueprints and constructed an entire building singlehandedly. You’ve written and recorded a full-length album — fifteen songs, fifteen floors of a brand new building under construction. You built the skeleton, you raised the walls, you set the roof, you poured the cement. You designed and decorated each floor of the structure, the size and shape of each room, how big each window is, which way the doors swing open. You picked the paint color on the lobby walls, the wallpaper pattern in the bathroom, you even tossed and turned over what shade of green the pipes under the kitchen sink should be.”

It’s down to details and questioning yourself over whether what you’ve got is RIGHT or not. I’ve never truly pulled out all the stops and fought for excellence in every way possible — and while it can be exhausting and emotional at times, I believe it makes the final result far more special than it otherwise would have been. Making this record has been like meeting a significant other, dating, falling in love, weathering a sea of ups and downs, breaking up, getting back together, making promises, proposing, getting married — a lifetime of emotion crammed into six months of creativity.

Aesthetically the record sounds a lot different as well. New flavors and textures and consistencies of melody, rhythm and lyric. Much of my love for European dance music has found its way into the production of the record and I’ve been able to utilize my deep inspiration and admiration of the great trance dj’s I grew up listening to (Tiesto, Armin van Buuren, ATB, Ferry Corsten, Paul van Dyk, Above and Beyond). It’s still very much an electronic pop record but one with more energy and spirit and frame of reference. I believe you should never repeat yourself or look back on your career, and this record marks new territory to which I’ll admit, is a bit exhilarating on both sides of the scalebecause it’s so different, but I believe that sense of ambiguity in the balance is an incredibly healthy thing because it reminds you that you’re adapting and refining and perfecting your craft, and ultimately, continuously trying something new. That’s what artistry means to me: experimentation, trying things you never have before. For those of you who’ve been with me since Of June, it may take a bit of getting used to, but as an artist I’m extremely proud of the endeavor and magic I’ve been able to capture in a jar — and my prayer since day one of this roller coaster ride stands true: that my Savior use the blood, sweat and tears of this humble servant to do His will in whatever context or capacity He deems suitable. For that is what this is all about. Not fame, not fortune, not a guy trying to sound cool writing about “his awesome new record” in a blog on the internet… but merely a dreamer lost in the pursuit of excellence, virtue, honor and high standards.

Street date in August. I can’t wait for you to hear it.

Glory to God.

~Adam Young (Owl City)