“Flamboyant Stories” Commentary + Original Songwriting Notes

“Flamboyant Stories” is a song about being a crazy spiritual woman who’s stargazing on a beach, daydreaming about romance, reflecting on how life changes…something like that. If you would like to listen to a full commentary of this song, I recorded an hour long video sharing my songwriting process, the deeper meaning behind the lyrics, and the creative spiritual experience I go through as I travel the world and make artwork inspired by my relationships. The notes below are referenced in the video. They are copied and pasted from the original “Notes” document on my phone and laptop. I used to write songs by hand on paper but in recent years I’ve typing lyrics has been most efficient. The words themselves were taken from my handwritten journal which I would love to photograph and share with you…if I can find the pages I drew from. Unfortunately, I didn’t take a note of it at the time. So this is what we’ve got. Enjoy the stories and feel free to ask me questions. Love & Rainbows, Cha Wilde

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🎧 LISTEN to "Flamboyant Stories" by Cha Wilde on all streaming platforms:
Spotify Apple Music. YouTubeMusic. Soundcloud

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CRY

i feel a lonely aching pain /

i need someone I can dive with

I don't like that to feel healthy I have to live alone.

I’m lonely and don’t feel good with my partner. He won’t change and I’m afraid to go out and live alone without him even if it means I’ll be healthier.

WISDOM

What got me here may not get me beyond here.

The space makes the time together better.

We're the ones pulling back.

All the softnesss is sucked out of it when I'm pushing to do more.

I can let go of the idea that home is in one placee.

Home can be inside myself somehow.

One sided vulnerability doesn't feel good.

It was working of me before but now it's time to do something new and this requires courage. After doing something new I will feel better. I'm the one who is in control of whether I stay or go. In order to go I need to stop forcing trying to make things work and I need to let go of how I thought things ought to be or wanted them to be. In moving forward courageous into something new, I will find a new home that feels good.

POETIC INGREDIENTS

She's the one who has to change.

Taking space hurts because I don't have much time.

I want to bring relief.

my parts really like noone knowing where i am

sunset that turned all the sand to sky

happy place is so far away from home

When the time is good I want more of it.

She's worried that she's ruined

It's painful to look straight at it

LYRICS

follow my lead

Far away from home

nothing will feed

the constant craving

always craving more and wishing i prayed

I turned the sand to sky

Back on my home

Heard the babies crying

Such an awful tone

Of misery

Forgetting love

can fade away In a day

Put down the phone

When the aching pain is lonely

It’s time to be alone

bring relief to people

Walk them all home

whoever’s has changed

Has rearranged

Their way of being

Found a new way of seeing

I’m always craving more

And wishing that I prayed

Now I’m only trying to ruin

Something that I’ve made

I'm the one who has to change

I’m the one who is estranged

I’m the one whose happy far from home

My happy place is far away from home

She wants love

to come back on demand

Doesn’t want to follow a man

let no one know where i am

so I can live without plans

Two feet on the land

I’m sweet in sand

You’ll understand

When you’re space

You’ll realize

it’s not a race

Oh lord oh lord oh lord

I gaze through the haze

On the days when I’m lazy

I sing songs for the sun

I’m a little crazy

pick my words

let them run

In wild minds

that smile blind

When I’m done

ring the bell

free the birds

Who fly in/from hell

sing my spell

break your shell

endlessly dwelling

mindlessly telling

flamboyant stories

In categories

Of life that’s alright

Cuz I’m far away from dancing

Dreaming of romancing

Wishing on the stars

Not on in mars

through broken illusion

I’ve caused a confusion

now i am trying to ruin something i made

Watch my spirit be swayed

***

When the time is good I want more of it.

why does all the fun happens after I go to bed

Us all as one

I’ll Ring the bell

And free the birds

Who sing my spells

They’ll fly from hell

To break your shell

We’ll fly and run

We’re having fun

We’re Holding back no more

The name I’ll sign

On every line

Will cast and bind

"Flamboyant Stories" Lyrics

🎧 LISTEN to "Flamboyant Stories" by Cha Wilde on all streaming platforms:
Spotify Apple Music. YouTube Music. Soundcloud

FLAMBOYANT STORIES by Cha Wilde

Oh Lord, Oh Lord, Oh Lord, Oh Lord

I gaze through haze on the days when I’m lazy
I sing songs with the sun cuz I’m a little bit crazy
I pick words, let them run, in wilde minds
That smile blind, that smile blind

When I’m done, ring the bell
Free the birds from hell
Sing my song to break your spell
When I’m done, ring the bell
Free the birds who fly in hell
Sing my spell to break your shell
Endlessly dwelling, mindlessly telling
We fly and run
We’re havin’ fun

I gaze through haze on the days when I’m lazy
I sing songs with the sun cuz I’m a little bit crazy
I pick words, let them run, in wilde minds
That smile blind
Bring relief to the people, walk them home

When the aching pain is lonely it’s time to be alone
Forgetting love can fade away in a day
Whoever changed has rearranged their way of being
Found a new way of seeing

Cuz I’m far away from dancin’
Dreamin’ of romancin’
Wishin’ on the stars
Two feet on the land, I’m sweet in sand
You’ll understand when you’re in space
Realize it’s not a race
O Lord

I gaze through haze on the days when I’m lazy
I sing songs with the sun cuz I’m a little bit crazy
I pick words, let them run, in wilde minds
That smile blind
Bring relief to the people, walk them home

I gaze through haze on the days when I’m lazy
I sing songs with the sun cuz I’m a little bit crazy
I pick words, words, words, words, words, words, words, words, words
let them run
Bring relief to the people
walk them home

I’m always craving more
And wishing that I prayed
Now I’m only trying to ruin something that I’ve made
Words,  crazy, I pick words, my words
Words,  crazy, pick my words, my words (In wilde minds)
Endlessly dwelling, mindlessly telling
Flamboyant Stories in my categories
This life, it’s alright
She wants love to come back on demand (In wilde minds, that smile blind)

I gaze through haze on the days when I’m lazy
I sing songs with the sun cuz I’m a little bit crazy
I pick words, let them run 
through wilde minds, that smile blind
Bring relief to the people, walk them home

- CREDITS -
written, performed & produced by Cha Wilde
mixed & mastered by Amery Schmeisser
released: Feb 2, 2024

The Ocean Made Me "Slow Down"

The world beneath the water’s surface sucked me in. I’d been wandering on land for too long; problems had started sticking to me like barnacles. I’d rushed through the years of my youth, smiling and bouncing. Then all at once, over the course of a couple years, I crashed, exhausted, into the hot sand and let the sun bake me back into the earth. The Island of the Gods welcomed me home. The incense burning on the temple’s steps blew into my nostrils and spirit came back to life.

The people of the water swam up to pull me under. I wasn’t afraid of them. My greatest fear used to be drowning in the ocean or floating away alone into the vastness of space. It was the loss of air that terrified me. The feeling that I was alone without any way of sustaining the life within me. Just one more breath would never be enough. But the ocean showed me how to relax in the face of death. Just let it hug you. The swimming folk taught me to slow down, slow down, slow down. To survive, you must slow down.

Slow down your thinking, your breathing, your heart rate, every little movements. To survive, you must be slower than you’ve ever been before. This will bring you into the endless depths of the present moment where birth and death belong, one in the same. From that point, the whole world opens up around you, for you. It sparkles. Magic returns to the universe and suddenly floating away into the deep blue is the most enticing proposition. Land has lost her hold on me. I flew free from gravity’s pull. I have slowed down so now every breath I take is a joyride, a thrill. Every breath I take is the moment I live for.

“Slow Down" 🎧 LISTEN on all streaming platforms:
Spotify • Apple Music • YouTube Music • Soundcloud

The cover art is a compilation of two images; a photograph of me freediving in Komodo National Park, Indonesia and a painting I created in Bali titled “Wonder” — part of my “Words in the Waves” series.

“Slow Down" 🎧 LISTEN on all streaming platforms:
Spotify • Apple Music • YouTube Music • Soundcloud

Cha Wilde · Slow Down

Cruella

Cha Wilde · Cruella

I LOVED the new Cruella movie…except I hated the music that played in the final credits. It did not fit with the vibe of the movie at all! I got out of the theater at 11pm and zoomed home to turn on my microphone and record the vibe I was hoping for, the perfect ending to that movie. My boys went out to party in Cap Hill and I stayed home to make this song. By 1am the whole song was recorded. I finished producing the song the following week on an airplane (I was flying to Miami for a swingers party).

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LYRICS
Cruella
My name is Cruella
Everyone sees me
a little bit darker
That’s cuz I’m free
deep dark and sparkling

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Airplanes are my one of THE BEST places to produce music because you’re stuck in the sky for hours with literally nothing else to do, no distractions or interruptions. I feel cool as hell whenever someone looks at my computer screen and sees all the craziness of the Ableton project on my screen. Ever since I was a little girl I’ve loved this secret feeling of showing off on the airplane. I hope someone sees my screen and is impressed by me. As I’ve aged, I’ve learned to stay focused on my work and care less about what other people are observing and thinking about me. Still, though, it’s a fun little game in my mind to feel so creative and cool. Yes, being a music producer is hella cool. All my music producer girlfriends delight in this…we are badass bitches with the power of the universe at our fingertips. We craft sounds and create worlds and play with feelings and swing people’s moods, awakening imaginations and controlling the bodies of everyone who is listening. It’s a power trip.

If I remember correctly, the Cruella movie ends with bouncy playful music. I was like WFT? This whole story is about dark and light. It’s the evil glimmer in her eyes and a crazy laugh. It’s elegant and it’s mischievous — the devil having fun with herself. Give me more of that! So when I produced this song, I held in my mind the deep dark feelings (deep sub bass sounds) and sprinkled sparkles (the glint Cruella’s eyes) over the top (bells, sparkles, chimes). I played with low and high sounds together. Can I make you feel dark gooey evil vibes that don’t scare you, they excite you? It’s fun to be naughty. “Deep, dark and sparkling”

LOVE,
Cha

I Make My Music Complex and Then I Kill My Darlings [LIVE STREAM]

We like to make things complex, don’t we? I think it’s because at first, we’re so limited by our novice skills (or lack thereof) that we’re desperate to travel fast and shove a lot in. Babies, we’re crawling at the starting line and finally when our legs are long and strong enough to run we get to burn off all that pent up energy. In our first few years of learning musical instruments, we have no choice but to keep it simple. We only know a couple chords and our fingers can only coordinate to hit a couple keys at the same time. But then….one day an extra finger flickers with movements and our eyes grow big and we’re like “OMG that finger moved and I totally didn’t tell it to! OMG My muscle memory is taking over! OMG my brain just figured out that harmony without me even trying!” The victories of early progress are so sweet. So we run as fast and hard as we can. We want to play with ALL of the sounds, cram them in there. This applies to more than just music making, songwriting, electronic music production. This applies to pretty much all of human life. We get all excited and stuff way too much in our bellies. I think this is a great thing for artists. When you feel free to express yourself, go crazy with it! Run free, run wild. Explore everything. Don’t hold anything back. This message is especially for those of us who have felt blocked, shy, and afraid. When that harness if finally snapped off of you, when your heart breaks out of the cage, then fuck yes!!!! Be boundless in your creations! Spread your wings and get funky with as many sounds as you can pour in your ears. Enjoy the chaos of the unlimited combinations! A time of sophistication, fine tuning, culling and “killing your darlings” aka deleting the good (but not great) bits will soon be upon you! For me, that’s today.

During this live stream on Twitch, I’m listening through a song that’s got way too much going on. It sounds cluttered. I was experimenting with bass guitars, bass drums, bell sounds, sub sub sub sub. I was filling up the song with more body that would make us get lost in it, feel it deeply resonating through our bodies. I’m practicing keeping a more consistent baseline throughout the entire song so it feels like one cohesive piece rather than a bunch of little chunks of random sounds stuck together. I’m learning the balance of going wild creating an epic sound journey and also making sure I don’t lose the plot half way through the song. Essentially, as long as I keep some common threat (in this song it’s a pretty continuous clapping sound) from beginning to end, then I have more room to do whatever crazy thing I want to do with the other instruments and voice. Somebody (the clap) is holding down the fort so it still feels like the same song. So today, I’m hunting for all sounds that don’t fulfill that mission. Clear out the extra sounds that are causing clutter and only keep the ones that are adding delicious texture, steady rhythm and wild sonic adventures. Okay, I’m getting carried away. Time to get to work…I mean PLAY.

(LIVE STREAM) Electronic Music Production in Ableton Live 10

Come chill with me on TWITCH: https://www.twitch.tv/chawilde
I simultaneously went live on @chawilde Instagram.

The song I’m working on today is on my upcoming album. It’s called “Lose Myself in the Song”. I’m sharing the creation process behind this one song to let you in on my world, the vibe of this album that’s about to drop in your lap (probably in 2021), pass on helpful production tips and inspire a little dancer party in your soul. Enjoy!

CHA🍍WILDE

Why Learn New Skills Is Worth the Painful Challenging

I want to sing on stage for you. I don’t want to dance around to my tracks, solely as a DJ, with no physical live input. It’s awkward. I’d probably get used to it. Worse though, it’s not a gift from the present moment, flowing in through my body. My electronic tracks flew threw me moments ago, months ago. I captured a feeling that we can resurrect, to which we may dance the night away as it can take us places. That’s nice. When I sing and play for you live though, that is right here, right now. That brings us together in this one precious moment. It’s fierce creation, intoxicating, chilling. Hello goosebumps. I want you to feel the vibrations leaving my lips, entering your body, so we know we are one.

Will I ever feel fully satisfied performing my electronic music? Will I find a way to perform live along with the track and have it feel raw and not just a paint-by-numbers kind of performance. When I perform acoustic, every sound is hanging on my move, I can drag out the pauses and tickle the air before slicing through it with my voice, taking you by surprise, taking myself by surprise. Part of me wants to give up on figuring out how to perform live with my tracks. Part of me whispers to keep going. We’ll have a breakthrough. We’ll be excited.

I’ve seen people perform live with the Ableton Live Push 2 pad, which I have been learning how to use at the pace of a slightly wounded and possibly lazy, or perhaps mainly resistant snail — read The War of Art by Stephen Pressfield if you think you’re a lazy or blocked artist. Why so much resistance here? Why does it almost physically pain me to turn on the Push and practice performing a song with it, creating a live beat? Too many buttons? Too many cables? Would I rather be fine tuning a song on the computer with my mouse and headphones, rather than creating bigger loops through speakers? Would I rather be improving at singing or mixing songs than training my slow fingers to drum quickly and memorize patterns. Would I rather _____?

If I’m asking the ‘rather’ question, what answer that wins? I would rather be what? Eating? Sleeping? Running? Doing yoga? Reading? Answering emails? Meeting clients for coffee? What’s so great that it wins the arm wrestle with the Push, or any other challenge that presents itself along my creation path? What is your challenge right now? Are you up for it?

What happens when we master a skill, or even just make a little bit of progress? Usually elation, celebration, play time, joy! The challenge is an obstacle, just like a puzzle, a brain teaser, an obstacle course, a dare, a finish line ahead. Sure, we can sit down, turn it off, walk away. Maybe we don’t care about it, genuinely. Usually though, I don’t start running a race I don’t intend to finish. Do you? Sometimes we make mistakes but when we do, we know it. We’re instantly up and out of there because we know it is so wrong for us there is no question. But when we question.

We question and consider quitting when it gets hard, not when it gets wrong. When it’s wrong, we’re done. When it’s hard, we’re wondering. If you’re wondering, keep going until you know. Yes? So I will learn this god damn push because it’s still bothering me. If you can’t stop thinking about it, do it. Right? So I’ll do it until the curiosity, annoying desire, taunting is gone from my head. Either I will love this thing or it’s not for me but by the time I know it’s not for me, I’ll really know because I’ll know how to use it fully and I will simply not be interested in it. It will be easily forgotten. You’re done when you can forget it. Until then, keep going.

LOVE,
CHA🍍WILDE

Do Your Work and Finish the Damn Project with Joy

I have a post-it note above my painting table that says “Do Your Work” and it stares at me in the moments when I’m thinking about plans instead of acting on them.

"…as [George Orwell] was avoiding writing, he ‘did so with the consciousness that I was outraging my true nature and that sooner or later I should have to settle down and write books.” — The Second Mountain, David Brookes, p88

I trudged up a steep emotional hill to get to work this morning. God it was almost painful. Life felt weird all morning and I knew that feeling wouldn’t go away until I sat down at my computer and mixed a song. The end of the album is upon us and the last bit of work is nitty gritty technical mixing and mastering. I’m adjusting frequencies, deciding which sounds go in the left ear of the headphones and which go to the right. I’m zooming in on the audio waves and cutting out tiny little jagged bumps so my singing sounds smoother. I’m opening and closing my DAW projects over and over, exporting, upload, listening to the same song dozens of times, searching with my ears for any blip or weird feeling. This is the part of the process when we polish and decide how the world will hear this music. It’s a big deal and the work requires 100% focus. I can’t multitask, have any background noise or let my mind wander for even a moment. This intensity scares me away. But this morning, the sunshine filled a blue sky and I sat in my driveway with my morning tea, watching clouds move and I asked myself, WHY AM I EXCITED TO DO THIS WORK? HOW DO WE MAKE IT FUN?

If my music were a play on Broadway, the rehearsals are done and tonight we’re getting ready for the big show. We’re in the dressing room putting on makeup. The final touches are exciting - it’s a celebration of how far we’ve come. Last summer, I decided to create and album and here we are, almost at the finish line. Don’t give up right before the end! Don’t hate your baby just as you’re about to give birth (just because the birth is kinda painful). Dive in with all the enthusiasm you have left and carry it through to the finish with love. Serve your work. Show up with your whole heart and make sure this project emerges into the world with the power it deserves; make sure you’re proud of it.

Why I Didn't Cancel My First EDM Show at Conor Byrne Pub

I wanted to cancel this show so badly. I was hacking up a lung, dying of the flu, on my period, exhausted from the holidays, lying pathetic on my couch, crying and stressed by the fact I just agreed to perform and I still had no idea how to work with the buttons on my equipment or arrange my songs. I was going through all the reasons why a music career is a very bad idea and why it was a total mistake to agree to perform at Conor Byrne Pub. I wasn’t planning on performing until May. They asked me to perform on Jan 16. I should have said no. I’m not ready. My songs aren’t mixed yet. I’m trying too hard. Nobody will come. Everybody will come. Expectations are too high in my head. I’m not aligned with my deepest meaning in life and I’m going off track. I shouldn’t want the spotlight. I should be a monk. This is my calling. You love this. I don’t believe myself. Don’t let yourself down. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Blah blah blah.

Davey said, “You’ll be amazing.” That didn’t help. Added more pressure. My girlfriends reminded me that I love making music and connecting with people. I have been dreaming of performing my music and so full of light and joy around it. I just need to go through this moment of challenge. THE BIGGER THE BARF, THE BIGGER THE GROWTH. If I chickened out of this show, it would be another notch on my belt of shame, self sabbatoge, avoidance, and “what the fuck is wrong with me” nasty thinking. I’ve loved music my entire life but I spent the first 26 years avoiding singing on stage. If there was a school play, I would sign up for stage crew. If my college roommate went to choir auditions, I would say I was busy doing homework. When church choir needed a soprano soloist, I dropped my voice and pretended to be an alto so I could sing with the boys and never have to step into the center stage spotlight. And yet, secretly, I was obsessed with Taylor Swift. Her hair was permed. I permed mine. I saw her in a magazine with a red guitar. My first guitar was red. I traveled by bus across Scotland to buy that first guitar and I played for hours a day self-teaching when I was 21. I sang in the car for at least 1-2 hours a day when I was in high school and relished this privacy to sing like a star. I never went to concerts though because it was too painful in my soul to watch other people doing what I secretly wanted to do. I dreamed of performing and never took action. It was took scary. I loved it too much to fail. God, I hated American Idol and how people would be laughed at. I was deadly afraid that I thought I was amazing at singing but if I ever sang in public, American Idol would happen. Everyone would laugh and whisper, “I can’t believe she thinks she’s actually good.”

When I was 25, I was in a yoga teacher training and my teacher encouraged me to dig deep inside and find out where I was holding back in life. Music. She encouraged me to sing. I trembled and cried and everyone in the room waited and waited. 45 minutes later, I was singing, opera style. Letting it the fuck out! Something in me had broken. That was the beginning of me singing in public and embracing the fact that I want to perform. The dreams that were so secret were coming out to play. It’s been almost five years since that day in the yoga studio and I have faced the challenges; learning instruments, stepping on stage, learning production, posting videos of myself singing etc… My friends have held my hand and cheered me on and devoted countless hours in conversation with me digging through my fears and doubts. So for me to come this far, break through all those level and then right now, when shit is about to blossom, I’m going to cancel the show and run away? No fucking way. I still don’t know why I was so afraid of sharing music as a kid, what kind of subtle trauma closed up my throat chakra. Maybe I’ll never know why I shut down (my mom seriously never heard me sing between the ages of 3 and 26). What I do know is that I never want to go back to that secrecy. My desire to cancel the show was an old habit, an attempt as holding back, staying small, playing it safe.

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” — Anaïs Nin

This quote has stuck in my mind since childhood. As I laid sick on the couch, thinking of canceling my show, I said this quote over in my head. I realized that today is THE DAY. Performing was stressing me out and stress is painful and harmful but I believed that following through with the show would break me through to a new level of freedom in life. I had to go through. Cancelling the show would just cause me greater pain and lifelong harm, damage to my spirit. Don’t die a bud. Blossom now. Then you can die happy later. ;)

Great, we’re gonna blossom but how do we actually get up on that stage? How do we go from sickness to enthusiasm? These are the specific things I did to change my mindset and on the night of the performance, not only was I not afraid, I wasn’t even nervous. I was calm and excited. Ready.

1. Focus on Love: You started on your journey because you loved something so much it called you forward. I LOVED music so much that I just had to learn how to make it myself. I would be dancing at concerts, overwhelmed with love for this magical mysterious musical thing. That love is what called me onto the stage. So walk onto the stage with love. I love my songs like children. I’m proud of them. I will put my songs in the spotlight so they can be loved by the world and I will stand with them (dance with them more like) BECAUSE I freaking love them. I have fun creating my music, dancing to it in my garage, playing it for friends. Why would I suddenly be shy to play it on stage? If I walk on stage and focus on fear, I’m totally missing out on a chance to enjoy my music in a new way, a bigger way. Go up there for your music!

2. Focus on Service: Somebody needs what you have. I’ve had life changing moments at concerts, dancing to somebody else’s music, because they had courage to walk on stage. Other people’s music gets me through the moments of my life, so I know I’m connected. Somebody out there in the audience, is going to feel connected when you perform. Go up there for them.

3. Focus on Growth: “It doesn’t matter how slow you go, as long as you don’t stop.” My grandparents said this. Step by step we move towards our goals and our dreams blossom into reality. We blossom. Think of how amazing it is watching the people you love do cool shit. Now it’s your turn. Grow into the next version of yourself. Find out who you will become. Find out what you will become. Show up for yourself. Evolve!

4. Focus on Joy: Happy humans are singing, dancing, laughing and playing. Life is full of shit and so we must celebrate as much as possible. Give everyone a reason to celebrate tonight. Your friends have a cool reason to come out dancing! You and everyone at the venue are going to party and dance. Tonight could be the last night of eternity so dance away! You’ve worked so hard for a year to create this music. Don’t die off at the last moment. Finish! Celebrate all this hard work you’ve done. It’s show and tell time! You’ve created music that is full of joy. Go celebrate!

5. Focus on Being Part of the Universe: I have a beautiful gift to give to the world (and so do you) and I need to share my gift (and so do you), or else I will die inside (and so will you). We are a channel that a message is passing through and when we stop the flow, our souls and spirits stagnant like swampy water. Keep the river flowing. Let the art pass through you. We are going to feel sick to our stomachs, doubting, shaking. It’s a lot to ask of a little human. The greatness of the universe, the power of creation, is going to possess our bodies and we’re expected to just ride it like a wave. We’re surfing on this big scary ocean but remember…when we do it, when we stand up and catch that wave, holy fuck, we’re stoked.

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stoke (v.)

1680s, "to feed and stir up a fire in a fireplace or furnace,"
from Middle Dutch stoken "to poke, thrust,"
from Proto-Germanic *stok- "pierce, prick,"
from PIE *steug-, extended form of root *(s)teu- (1) "to push, stick, knock, beat" (see stick (v.)).

Meaning "to stir up, rouse" (feelings, etc.) is from 1837. Stoked "enthusiastic" recorded in surfer slang by 1963, but the extension of the word to persons is older, originally "to eat, to feed oneself up" (1882).

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When you share your art, you are opening yourself up and giving the universe permission to poke you, push you, stir something up in you. You are saying, “Okay, do something with me!” — during and afterwards, you feel the rush! The surfers get it. You paddle out onto the ocean and you say, let’s do this. Carry me. I’ll ride the wave you send me. You wait. You feel the wave coming towards you, lifting under you, washing away and you’re left there, exhilarated, enthused, filled with the power of God and life, and holy shit what just happened!?! We cannot control the ocean of water or the ocean of creativity or the ocean of life. The oceans invite us to ride on them and as a reward for our boldness to accept that seductive invitation we are stoked and we come alive! You are what you eat. When you create art, you are filling yourself with the creative power of the universe that expands through us in every direction. The universe is feeding you, feeding your soul. You become one with the universe.

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So I didn’t cancel the show. Thank god. I got through the scary part. My body threw a fever to burn away the flu virus. My spirit threw a fever to burn away a lifetime of built up fear around performing. The fevers broke. Now, I laugh at the how scared I was and I’m grateful I held steady at the helm. I sailed through the storm and now, the skies are clear and I’m hella excited to get my name signed up for as many shows and festivals as we can this year. Bring on the experience. We made it out of the starting gate and momentum is building. Totally stoked. Also, this show reminded me of how community is all that matters. Loving each other, showing up to support each other and dance and cheer, helping each other set up and taken down, carry stuff to the car. Be there for your friends. They will be there for you. Again and again. Keep showing up for each other and make these friends so strong they are your life.

LOVE,
CHA🍍WILDE

— At the end of the show, Davey tossed me up on his shoulders, all my friends came up on stage with me and we screamed, “1.2.3. WILDE!” for a photo. Thanks guys! I love you. It was SOO COOL hearing my music for the first time through giant stage speakers!! The whole room was shaking and it made people dance! Every time the beat came in I was thrilled by the surprise of how powerful it was, i kept looking at davey and laughing whenever the speakers went BOOMBOOMWUBWUBWUB!!!! Haha more please! 🍍✌🤩🎶🎧💻

Listen When You Need Me -- Rehearsing Landslide

One of my favorite song -- LANDSLIDE by Oh Wonder -- I listen to this one in my moments of heartache and loneliness. It reminds me how there are people out there, musicians, who are reaching out to be here with us in these moments. Through the music we write, we can be there with each other on demand. When people need us we can't always be there in person and we actually don't even know each other personally most of the time. You don't have my number so you literally can't call me in your time of need. We live thousands of miles apart but we are in this human life experience together. Through the music, you can reach through time and space and be with me. Thank you Oh Wonder for this song and for letting me know that you'll be there for me when I need you. I have no idea if this song was written for a certain person or if they meant it as a general promise for humanity but I'm banking on the second options ;) I certainly feel this way for those of you who listen to the music I'm creating. I hope I can be here for you through the sounds I send out into the world. Listen when you need me. LOVE, Cha 🍍

we have a track list

FRIDAY, SEPT. 6 2019

• this week’s video is a highlight reel of my life in August 2019 (scroll to bottom)

• I've got the track list of the songs that will be on the next album! Here’s a sneak peek from my journal (see below).

• I want to release the album by the end of the year - maybe for New Years! This goal can be achieved if I'm able to produce a song every two weeks. The songs are already written and can be played on piano and performed acoustic live. Now I'm producing the electronic versions of them, bringing them to life.

• I'm exploring my style -- I'm still relatively new to making music so we're experimenting with faster tempos, slower tempos, using my own voice for percussion, recording acoustic instruments vs. using samples I find online, making the songs very complex vs. very simple.

• One year ago, I was learning to make music on the computer for the first time and it felt sooo hard. I was literally crying with a headache forcing myself to learn all the buttons. Now, I fly around the program fast and joyfully, expressing feelings in the form of sound. Music has become my #1 most effective way to describe/show how I'm feeling. It's so accurate. Music literally is how feelings sound. I can play something for you and show you this is exactly how I feel... not just talking about it in words but actually showing you, giving you the feeling. It feels wonderful and liberating to be able to express myself so clearly.

• I've started playing guitar again (I took a break for a couple months) and I'm touching the piano most days and singing into the microphone at home. I've learned it is ESSENTIAL to play these acoustic instruments daily. When I only make music on the computer I start to feel stale, robotic, drained. When I play acoustic instruments, my body is involved and I feel alive and connected to the sounds....duh, they're coming from my body and not just from my head.

• That said, the electronic music on the computer makes it possible for me to articulate my feelings precisely, as I explained above. I can create ANY sound which means I can express ANY/EVERY feeling. Guitar just can't do that. It can't give me the sound of a bird squawking as it dives through the air and splashes into water....cuz ya, there will be a moment when my soul feels exactly like that bird and thank god for Abelton (my computer music software) when that day comes. I can bring that sound of my soul to life!
  
  :) cha

lightening strike in summer

I made a music video for my new song! It was Davey Browne's idea to use video game visuals after he heard me brainstorming how on earth I was going to haul my camera equipment up a mountain and film myself up there for my music video. It was my vision and Davey's solution was genius and I had sooooo much fun making one morning at Starbucks (instead of roughin' it National Geographic style lol). I saw people waiting for their coffee and peering over my shoulder, wondering what I was doing. Fun secrets. This project opened up a whole new world for me --- the beautiful art of video games. You can look forward to more of these video game music videos; can't stop me now. Enjoy!

SONG: "Lightening Strike in Summer" by Cha Wilde
Spotify | iTunes | Soundcloud | Buy/Download

VIDEO GAME FOOTAGE: Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games
VIDEO EDITED by: Cha Wilde

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CHA WILDE
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❤ Cha