The Hollywood Music In Media Awards event is tonight at The Fonda Theater, and here I am at a friend’s home in West Covina CA, up since 6:30 am and longing for a cup of joe, mentally prepping myself for the event. And all I can think about is GRATITUDE.
My nominated song “SHINE ON” was written early this year, originally intended for an upcoming and very promising female singer and performer in NY, who approached me to write a song for her for a possible album project. I set out to write a song about positive change and hope, with the words and music literally coming out of me without much effort. On some level it seems like the song wrote itself.
I created a demo reel and submitted the song. Though it was well received, for some reason the recording project didn’t pan out as planned. So I continued to work on other projects, including a homecoming concert in the Philippines, the filming of a music video, songwriting collaborations, and other shows in between.
While the SHINE ON demo was gathering dust in my iTunes library, a part of me feels the song deserves a wider audience . I guess every songwriter feels that way about their songs 🙂
I’ve participated in the HMMAwards for a couple of years now, submitting songs that didn’t quite make the cut. And I remember thinking how I missed my opportunity to be a part of an awards event in Hollywood when my song REAL ME won at the LA Music Awards in 2006, and I wasn’t able to attend because of a gig commitment. I’ve often wondered if I’ll ever have another opportunity to have one of my songs acknowledged by an awards body and to experience being a part of such an event.
On a whim, I submitted the SHINE ON demo to the 2012 HMMAwards in early September without much expectations. Fast forward to today, and I find myself preparing for my very first Hollywood awards event, with SHINE ON being nominated in the Pop category.
Which leads me back to this – GRATITUDE. It’s been 6 years in between nominations, and I realized how rare such opportunities can be, and we got to make the most of them, if and when they present themselves.
I’m been so blessed with the opportunities and friendships that have come my way in my musical pursuits. Tonight I’ll be soaking in this entire experience of being at the HMMAwards, and tonight I’ll be honing in on one overriding feeling – that of being grateful.
Thanks for reading.
D
