I am very very excited to announce my first single as a solo artist! It is coming out April 10th - of course you can preview it here already, but make sure you stream once it's out! So the story behind Hopeful Romantic... I thought this would be a better place than any to get into some details about it...
Quick note: Mahealane is my middle name, it's Hawaiian and means by the light of the full silvery moon. I thought it would be a nice distinction from my freelance/gig life.
August 2018 was my second year going to Burning Man, where I played lots of jazz music and enjoyed the culture of desert freedom. During that time I found a kindred spirit in a fellow burner by the name of Sparrow (you'll see the lil sparrow in the album artwork). We had a wonderful week, explored the playa and we were caught up in a dust storm on the Esplanade one night! Luckily we made it back to the Playa Jazz Cafe aka our burner home camp. Renewed and connected to love and life I returned home and started writing a song about our week on the playa.
I ended up finishing the song the next year after Burning Man - I tend to work on things for as long as the inspiration runs and then take a break till the song calls back to me. I brought this song to the amazing Michael Blum and after a few sessions had the track and vocals laid down. My friend and a wonderful drummer Efa (of Moonchild!) recorded live drums and we meshed them with electronic drums elements to create the rhythmic base of the track. The trippy part is an homage of sorts to the Burning Man vibe. This was such a fun song to produce out with Michael - he's the best!
I'm so very happy to be releasing this - I have many more songs waiting to be recorded/produced, so no worries, there won't be a shortage of music. I hope y'all are getting through quarantine alright, taking care of yourself, trying to work and keep focused without losing our minds is the name of the game!
