Tonight I've been thinking about "giving people what they want". It's in many ways the opposite of what I've always done. I've always considered myself a rebel; mostly because I've had to be in order to achieve my goals. Lately though with a growing fan base that actually "wants" something from me my rebellious side has been saying to me "David, don't give them what they want …give them just the opposite and try prove to them that they'll still like it", haha. My last cover was a version of the song "Sex And Candy" by Marcy Playground, and though I'm sure a few of my fans love that grungy strange pop song just as much as me I'm also pretty sure most of them would much rather hear me sing (for instance) the classic ballad "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain.
Tonight's epiphany for me is that maybe "selling out" …also sometimes known as "giving people what they want" (instead of the mindset of "giving people whatever you want to give them") is actually the much more mature (in a good way) way of doing things.
I would never suggest that someone commit long term to doing something they hate in order to satisfy others, but I've realized that the dilemma I'm now facing is not that at all. You my fans/audience actually love MOST of the same things that I do, but as a complicated person with diverse taste in music you probably won't like all the same music that I do, and that's fine.
So a compromise must be made for the better good of the "brand" …and that's not a bad thing at all. It means both me and my audience/you are happier. I get to do more of what I love (which is sing beautiful melodic songs that are often about love or family), and you will be more satisfied and willing to support me knowing that I represent something that's also very important in your life as well, which is those themes of love, heartache, family, and the songs that best represent them for both of us.
Today I'm uploading a cover of "Danny's Song" by Kenny Loggins …it's exactly one of those songs about love and family that I'm sure we both love :)
Tonight's epiphany for me is that maybe "selling out" …also sometimes known as "giving people what they want" (instead of the mindset of "giving people whatever you want to give them") is actually the much more mature (in a good way) way of doing things.
I would never suggest that someone commit long term to doing something they hate in order to satisfy others, but I've realized that the dilemma I'm now facing is not that at all. You my fans/audience actually love MOST of the same things that I do, but as a complicated person with diverse taste in music you probably won't like all the same music that I do, and that's fine.
So a compromise must be made for the better good of the "brand" …and that's not a bad thing at all. It means both me and my audience/you are happier. I get to do more of what I love (which is sing beautiful melodic songs that are often about love or family), and you will be more satisfied and willing to support me knowing that I represent something that's also very important in your life as well, which is those themes of love, heartache, family, and the songs that best represent them for both of us.
Today I'm uploading a cover of "Danny's Song" by Kenny Loggins …it's exactly one of those songs about love and family that I'm sure we both love :)
