I am always fascinated by sounds from real life, and love to forge sonic worlds for my songs to sit in. Having a chance to do just that in songs like “Chasing Thunder” using Ian’s own set of dedicated audio samples was inspiring and led to the creation of work that’s purposeful, intentional and in connection with a bigger story. It was one of my favorite aspects of The Outlaw Ocean Music Project.

The best stories always have an emotional impact — they make you feel something and compel you to make changes, be it internally or externally — and that’s the impact I always want my music to have on a listener. Normally as an artist, I create music that is inherently personal and based on my own experiences, and try to form emotional narratives rooted in that. In the case of The Outlaw Ocean Music Project, the context of creation was different and provided an opportunity to compose works from perspectives vastly different from mine. It was challenging, but also refreshing, and allowed me to tell other’s stories, which was humbling and fulfilling for me and will hopefully be incredibly powerful for others.

ShiShi