1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:06,139 ♪ Opening theme music ♪ 2 00:00:13,346 --> 00:00:17,884 Hello and welcome to this episode of ArtsAbly in Conversation. 3 00:00:17,917 --> 00:00:20,153 My name is Diane Kolin. 4 00:00:20,186 --> 00:00:25,892 This series presents artists, academics, and project leaders who dedicate their 5 00:00:25,925 --> 00:00:32,031 time and energy to a better accessibility for people with disabilities in the arts. 6 00:00:32,065 --> 00:00:37,637 You can find more of these conversations on our website, artsably.com, 7 00:00:37,637 --> 00:00:42,942 which is spelled A-R-T-S-A-B-L-Y dot com. 8 00:00:44,144 --> 00:00:49,282 ♪ Theme music ♪ 9 00:00:56,623 --> 00:01:01,928 Today, ArtsAbly is in conversation with Andrea Benham, a singer songwriter 10 00:01:01,961 --> 00:01:04,831 and a Grammy district advocate. 11 00:01:04,864 --> 00:01:09,536 You can find the resources mentioned by Andrea Benham during this episode 12 00:01:09,536 --> 00:01:12,839 on ArtsAbly's website in the blog section. 13 00:01:15,575 --> 00:01:19,279 ♪ Walk Away by Andrea Benham ♪ 14 00:01:31,224 --> 00:01:33,893 Tell me something I don't know 15 00:01:33,893 --> 00:01:37,931 cause you keep saying you'll change but you're blowing smoke 16 00:01:37,931 --> 00:01:42,735 I've been planning to leave but I can't let you go. 17 00:01:46,439 --> 00:01:49,242 Cause you're coming home late at night 18 00:01:49,242 --> 00:01:52,912 and when you slip into bed it doesn't feel right 19 00:01:52,912 --> 00:01:59,118 but you touch me babe I forget all the thoughts. 20 00:02:01,421 --> 00:02:04,357 I need you to know 21 00:02:04,390 --> 00:02:07,594 that I can't do this alone 22 00:02:07,594 --> 00:02:11,264 so you need to leave yeah you need to go 23 00:02:11,264 --> 00:02:15,134 cause I know I'm better off on my own 24 00:02:15,735 --> 00:02:19,072 I need you to walk away 25 00:02:19,072 --> 00:02:22,742 so caught up in the games they play 26 00:02:22,742 --> 00:02:27,013 cause you say you love me but it doesn't show 27 00:02:27,013 --> 00:02:30,817 you keep me lonely but I know 28 00:02:30,817 --> 00:02:34,320 if you don't leave me I'll just say 29 00:02:34,354 --> 00:02:37,590 so I need you to walk away 30 00:02:37,590 --> 00:02:41,361 walk away 31 00:03:10,456 --> 00:03:16,930 I've been tossing in my sleep wondering who you've been with why it isn't me 32 00:03:16,930 --> 00:03:22,735 I get so jealous sometimes that I can't breath 33 00:03:24,704 --> 00:03:28,474 don't you say that we're fine and it's all in my mind 34 00:03:28,474 --> 00:03:32,412 but I don't think that you care you're ignoring the signs 35 00:03:32,412 --> 00:03:37,817 so you need to leave yea you need to go 36 00:03:40,587 --> 00:03:43,523 I need you to know 37 00:03:43,556 --> 00:03:46,659 that I can't do this alone 38 00:03:46,659 --> 00:03:50,430 so you need to leave yeah you need to go 39 00:03:50,430 --> 00:03:54,667 cause I know better off on my own 40 00:03:54,667 --> 00:03:58,271 so caught up in the games we play 41 00:03:58,271 --> 00:04:01,908 that I can't seem to walk away 42 00:04:01,908 --> 00:04:06,145 cause you say you love me but it doesn't show 43 00:04:06,145 --> 00:04:09,782 you keep me lonely but I know 44 00:04:09,782 --> 00:04:13,586 if you don't leave me I'll just say 45 00:04:13,586 --> 00:04:16,789 so I need you to walk away 46 00:04:16,789 --> 00:04:20,493 walk away 47 00:04:24,364 --> 00:04:28,067 walk away 48 00:04:31,971 --> 00:04:35,675 walk away 49 00:04:39,545 --> 00:04:43,249 walk away 50 00:04:47,153 --> 00:04:50,857 walk away 51 00:04:57,297 --> 00:05:00,833 Welcome to this new episode of ArtsAbly in conversation. 52 00:05:00,867 --> 00:05:05,772 I am today with Andrea Benham, who is a singer, songwriter 53 00:05:05,805 --> 00:05:08,574 and a Grammy district advocate. 54 00:05:08,574 --> 00:05:10,009 Andrea, welcome. 55 00:05:10,043 --> 00:05:12,211 Thank you so much for having me. 56 00:05:12,245 --> 00:05:14,080 Thank you for being here. 57 00:05:14,113 --> 00:05:17,150 Okay, so I wanted to start this episode 58 00:05:17,150 --> 00:05:21,688 by asking about you. Could you present yourself? 59 00:05:22,055 --> 00:05:23,089 Okay. 60 00:05:23,122 --> 00:05:25,692 My name is Andrea Benham. 61 00:05:25,692 --> 00:05:29,595 I started songwriting when I was seven years old, and I could play 62 00:05:29,595 --> 00:05:33,766 the clarinet, piano, guitar, 63 00:05:33,766 --> 00:05:36,736 clarinet, I sing, I write. 64 00:05:36,736 --> 00:05:41,441 So that's pretty much a little bit about me. 65 00:05:41,474 --> 00:05:45,311 And you started music at seven years old. 66 00:05:45,345 --> 00:05:46,879 What made you start with music? 67 00:05:46,913 --> 00:05:51,217 Is that something that everybody else around you in your family was doing, 68 00:05:51,217 --> 00:05:54,320 or was it just like, oh, I want to start music? 69 00:05:54,987 --> 00:05:59,058 Yeah, my grandmother played piano by ear, 70 00:05:59,058 --> 00:06:03,529 and my great uncle has a Grammy. 71 00:06:03,563 --> 00:06:08,935 And music was very influential in my life. 72 00:06:08,935 --> 00:06:12,071 And it was a great outlet for me as a kid 73 00:06:12,071 --> 00:06:16,743 to start writing how I was feeling and to work on the melodies. 74 00:06:16,743 --> 00:06:18,511 So, yeah. 75 00:06:18,511 --> 00:06:20,079 Where did you grow up? 76 00:06:20,079 --> 00:06:24,951 I grew up in Hillsborough, New Jersey, in the United States. 77 00:06:24,984 --> 00:06:26,085 Very good. 78 00:06:26,119 --> 00:06:32,458 And so did you wanted to go for musical studies after that or jump directly 79 00:06:32,458 --> 00:06:36,963 in a musical career as a young person? 80 00:06:36,996 --> 00:06:41,467 When I was three, my mom put me into dance class, 81 00:06:41,467 --> 00:06:46,072 and my dance teacher was a Rockette for the New York Rockettes. 82 00:06:46,105 --> 00:06:49,609 And my mom always kept me very active in dance class. 83 00:06:49,642 --> 00:06:54,280 And then once I got into school, I started learning how to play the clarinet 84 00:06:54,313 --> 00:07:01,921 and piano, and I was in choir, so I kept very, very, very active as a child. 85 00:07:02,655 --> 00:07:08,461 So from that period of being young and being active in the arts 86 00:07:08,461 --> 00:07:12,665 in general, what happened next? 87 00:07:13,699 --> 00:07:14,500 Let's see. 88 00:07:14,500 --> 00:07:19,038 When I was in college, I got an internship at Billboard magazine, 89 00:07:19,071 --> 00:07:22,341 and I ended up meeting all - 90 00:07:22,341 --> 00:07:28,514 I ended up seeing the business side of music, and I really loved it, and 91 00:07:28,514 --> 00:07:35,454 I just wanted to create amazing dance music and to make people's lives better 92 00:07:35,488 --> 00:07:41,360 for three minutes a day or with remixes it's now - sometimes it's 15 minutes. 93 00:07:41,394 --> 00:07:46,599 But it's been a lifelong dream of mine 94 00:07:46,599 --> 00:07:50,303 just to always make people's lives better. 95 00:07:50,303 --> 00:07:56,175 And it's interesting that you like sports that much because I think 96 00:07:56,175 --> 00:07:58,110 what you like is a rhythm. 97 00:07:58,144 --> 00:08:05,051 It's something that in your songs, it's - in your songwriting, it's dance music, and it's 98 00:08:05,084 --> 00:08:10,957 a lot of very energetic and happy music. 99 00:08:10,990 --> 00:08:14,727 And I think that one influenced the others. Right? 100 00:08:15,027 --> 00:08:19,866 Yeah. The lyrics are pretty... 101 00:08:20,500 --> 00:08:24,637 The lyrics face a lot of emotion and a lot of things that I've been through. 102 00:08:24,670 --> 00:08:31,611 But then the melody of the record will always become an earworm for people 103 00:08:31,644 --> 00:08:33,179 that they'll never forget it. 104 00:08:33,179 --> 00:08:36,716 And that's how I like to write. 105 00:08:36,749 --> 00:08:38,651 So let's talk about these lyrics. 106 00:08:38,684 --> 00:08:41,954 What's your process of creating a new song? 107 00:08:41,988 --> 00:08:47,159 And can you talk a little bit about what you write exactly, and what you - 108 00:08:47,193 --> 00:08:49,695 What your songs are? 109 00:08:49,695 --> 00:08:52,732 I mean, let's start with the first record, Reincarnation. 110 00:08:52,765 --> 00:08:58,037 Reincarnation is about my godfather, who was always supportive of me, 111 00:08:58,070 --> 00:09:04,210 and he passed away senior year of my high school. 112 00:09:04,243 --> 00:09:09,815 And so that record is about him. 113 00:09:09,815 --> 00:09:16,722 And then I have Overcome, which is on Kult Records, and it's all about overcoming 114 00:09:16,756 --> 00:09:20,393 any obstacle that life faces you. 115 00:09:20,393 --> 00:09:29,335 And then I have I Won't Cave, all about overcoming a messy relationship, you know, 116 00:09:29,335 --> 00:09:35,374 and then I have Walk Away, it's almost on the same thing 117 00:09:35,374 --> 00:09:40,313 that you're not going to stay in an abusive relationship, 118 00:09:40,346 --> 00:09:42,882 that you're going to walk away from it. 119 00:09:42,915 --> 00:09:47,086 And then you have I Got This. I Got This talks a lot about the accident 120 00:09:47,086 --> 00:09:50,923 that disabled me and that no matter what, 121 00:09:50,957 --> 00:09:53,392 I was going to turn the story around. 122 00:09:53,426 --> 00:09:58,030 And then you have Melt, which I wrote about one of my neighbors 123 00:09:58,064 --> 00:09:59,966 who lives in my building. 124 00:09:59,999 --> 00:10:02,702 And then you have Fences. 125 00:10:02,702 --> 00:10:04,604 Fences is a new record. 126 00:10:04,637 --> 00:10:06,072 It's technically not a new record. 127 00:10:06,105 --> 00:10:11,410 Fences was written in 2014 and was released, and then the label folded. 128 00:10:11,444 --> 00:10:16,482 So I went out and I rerecorded the record and I added some other lyrics 129 00:10:16,515 --> 00:10:21,420 and Fences about my best friend who passed away in 2014. 130 00:10:21,420 --> 00:10:26,559 So I really write from a lot of emotion, a lot of things that I've been through personally, 131 00:10:26,559 --> 00:10:32,231 but I like to twist it, even though it's such an emotional 132 00:10:32,264 --> 00:10:35,101 and such a heartfelt thing for me. 133 00:10:35,101 --> 00:10:40,272 I like to write lyrically and melodically that people 134 00:10:40,306 --> 00:10:43,442 will always remember the lyrics. 135 00:10:43,476 --> 00:10:48,481 And in these different records and songs 136 00:10:48,514 --> 00:10:52,685 you've written, five times you've been - 137 00:10:52,718 --> 00:10:55,054 You submitted Grammys, right? 138 00:10:55,087 --> 00:10:57,757 Yeah, five times I've submitted. 139 00:10:57,790 --> 00:10:59,658 I submitted for 140 00:10:59,658 --> 00:11:03,896 You Might Be The One, Walk Away, I Got This, 141 00:11:03,896 --> 00:11:09,635 Fences and Love You and Melt. 142 00:11:09,668 --> 00:11:12,405 Yeah. I was never up, 143 00:11:12,438 --> 00:11:15,674 I never grasped, I never quenched a nomination. 144 00:11:15,708 --> 00:11:19,378 I was up for your consideration. 145 00:11:19,378 --> 00:11:20,413 Okay, great. 146 00:11:20,446 --> 00:11:23,115 And you always work with collaborators, right? 147 00:11:23,149 --> 00:11:25,785 DJ's or producers? Always. 148 00:11:25,985 --> 00:11:29,188 Can you talk about your team? 149 00:11:29,221 --> 00:11:34,360 Well, the Klubjumpers, they're based in San Antonio, Texas, and 150 00:11:34,393 --> 00:11:41,434 their remix on Reincarnation had gotten me signed in 2006 to MisWax. 151 00:11:41,467 --> 00:11:45,538 And then working with John Kano. 152 00:11:46,939 --> 00:11:51,110 I've known John since I started interning at Billboard. 153 00:11:51,110 --> 00:11:54,280 So I've known him for a long time. 154 00:11:54,313 --> 00:12:00,553 And I would say the base of this industry is really not 155 00:12:00,586 --> 00:12:02,688 what you know or who you know. 156 00:12:02,721 --> 00:12:07,159 It's really how you develop these relationships. 157 00:12:08,494 --> 00:12:11,430 So how did you start working with this team 158 00:12:11,430 --> 00:12:14,100 and develop these relationships? 159 00:12:14,100 --> 00:12:19,805 Well, I was introduced to the Klubjumpers by a gentleman named David Jurman. 160 00:12:19,839 --> 00:12:26,312 And I met Dave at a club in the city on the Lower East Side in 2005. 161 00:12:26,345 --> 00:12:30,182 And Dave at the time was working under Clive Davis. 162 00:12:30,182 --> 00:12:36,255 And we sat down, we chatted, and I told him about this record, Reincarnation. 163 00:12:36,288 --> 00:12:39,759 And he said to me, let me go home and listen to it. 164 00:12:39,792 --> 00:12:43,462 So he listened to it and he goes, oh, I know the perfect team 165 00:12:43,462 --> 00:12:45,965 that will do the remix for you. 166 00:12:45,998 --> 00:12:49,268 And that remix got me signed. 167 00:12:49,301 --> 00:12:52,738 That's very nice. And you've been working with this team since, right? 168 00:12:52,738 --> 00:12:55,040 Yeah, yeah. 169 00:12:55,074 --> 00:12:58,577 Very good. Okay, so... 170 00:12:58,577 --> 00:13:04,250 I think we're going to share on ArtsAbly's podcast and channel, 171 00:13:04,283 --> 00:13:09,088 and also the resource page that will go with your interview, all the links 172 00:13:09,121 --> 00:13:12,792 so that people can hear that on Spotify. 173 00:13:12,825 --> 00:13:18,564 Also, you have a YouTube channel with nice videos that I recommend. 174 00:13:18,597 --> 00:13:22,601 And so your music right now is... 175 00:13:22,601 --> 00:13:24,570 Do you have projects to release - 176 00:13:24,603 --> 00:13:26,839 I know you just released one, right? 177 00:13:26,872 --> 00:13:28,474 I just released Fences. 178 00:13:28,507 --> 00:13:30,743 I released I Got This, 179 00:13:30,743 --> 00:13:33,712 and Fences was released the end of June. 180 00:13:33,746 --> 00:13:35,981 Okay, good. 181 00:13:36,081 --> 00:13:41,520 And so can you talk about, like, if you have any future projects 182 00:13:41,554 --> 00:13:45,891 or activities that 183 00:13:45,891 --> 00:13:49,295 you want to talk about that are happening right now? 184 00:13:49,328 --> 00:13:54,033 Okay, well, right now I'm actually in the running to be in Rolling Stone magazine. 185 00:13:54,066 --> 00:13:56,936 Right now. I'm holding the third position. 186 00:13:56,936 --> 00:14:04,410 I made it to the top 20, and then this coming Thursday, we'll go to the top 15. 187 00:14:04,443 --> 00:14:06,612 And I'm number three. 188 00:14:06,645 --> 00:14:09,415 I was holding the first spot for, like a full week, and then, 189 00:14:09,448 --> 00:14:11,917 then I got taken back. 190 00:14:11,951 --> 00:14:13,953 But I'm not worried about it. 191 00:14:13,986 --> 00:14:16,655 I'll continue to keep working on that. 192 00:14:16,655 --> 00:14:22,561 And it's really like the article is really about me overcoming a lot of obstacles 193 00:14:22,595 --> 00:14:26,332 in my life and being positive. 194 00:14:26,365 --> 00:14:31,170 And I'm very, very, very grateful for every day that I get, 195 00:14:31,170 --> 00:14:34,607 and I'm very grateful for the gift of music. 196 00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:41,313 Are you also on the top 20 of America's next top hit maker? 197 00:14:41,313 --> 00:14:43,616 Yes, I'm number three right now. 198 00:14:43,616 --> 00:14:44,884 Okay. So, wow. 199 00:14:44,917 --> 00:14:46,118 Congratulations. I mean, it's... 200 00:14:46,151 --> 00:14:47,086 Thank you. 201 00:14:47,086 --> 00:14:50,289 And how is the... There is a voting process 202 00:14:50,289 --> 00:14:52,791 and it's going to end when? 203 00:14:52,825 --> 00:14:56,895 Well, the top 15 will end this Thursday. 204 00:14:56,895 --> 00:15:01,367 And then I'm sure it's going to keep graduating into the probably top ten. 205 00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:03,402 Top five. 206 00:15:03,469 --> 00:15:08,874 Yeah. And so the prize is $10,000 and 207 00:15:08,908 --> 00:15:11,510 it's spread in Rolling Stone magazine. 208 00:15:11,543 --> 00:15:14,113 And then I would go down to Austin and I would be able - 209 00:15:14,146 --> 00:15:15,481 I would perform. 210 00:15:15,481 --> 00:15:16,715 Wow. Good luck. 211 00:15:16,715 --> 00:15:17,716 Thank you. 212 00:15:17,716 --> 00:15:20,185 Fingers crossed. 213 00:15:22,054 --> 00:15:23,956 Okay. 214 00:15:24,023 --> 00:15:25,524 I want to go back - 215 00:15:25,557 --> 00:15:29,795 Would you mind speaking a little bit about what you're overcoming right now 216 00:15:29,828 --> 00:15:32,097 or what pushes you to write. 217 00:15:32,097 --> 00:15:34,133 So you told me you had an accident? 218 00:15:34,133 --> 00:15:38,337 Yes. Yeah, I had an accident in 2015. 219 00:15:38,337 --> 00:15:42,374 I was walking, and a guy went through a stop sign, and he hit me, 220 00:15:42,408 --> 00:15:45,377 and I lost my vision in my right eye. 221 00:15:45,377 --> 00:15:50,349 And so at the time, I was working for the state of New Jersey, 222 00:15:50,349 --> 00:15:57,723 and they didn't take me back to work, so I'm still legally not done with that case. 223 00:15:57,756 --> 00:16:01,560 And so a lot of things have been thrown at me. 224 00:16:01,593 --> 00:16:06,498 You know, I didn't get my job back, and it was really just figuring out 225 00:16:06,498 --> 00:16:09,234 how to turn this story around. 226 00:16:09,268 --> 00:16:15,607 And I had met with the surgeon who saved my life back in 2019, 227 00:16:15,641 --> 00:16:18,777 and he said to me, the hardest thing I had to do as a doctor 228 00:16:18,777 --> 00:16:21,680 was tell your mom I didn't think that you were going to make it. 229 00:16:21,714 --> 00:16:24,616 And then he went back to work the next day, and I was still alive, 230 00:16:24,616 --> 00:16:26,719 so it just wasn't really my time. 231 00:16:26,752 --> 00:16:29,054 And it's a lot of things that, like, I. 232 00:16:29,088 --> 00:16:34,093 That I like to sit with about, you know, how it's affected my relationships 233 00:16:34,126 --> 00:16:37,396 and how it's affected my music and 234 00:16:37,429 --> 00:16:41,333 how I'm just so grateful to even be here. 235 00:16:41,367 --> 00:16:49,575 And so that's what I would say, that a lot of that inspires the writing. 236 00:16:49,742 --> 00:16:54,780 Well, the proof that you have 237 00:16:54,780 --> 00:16:57,116 a lot of things to say through your music 238 00:16:57,149 --> 00:17:01,820 is that you keep releasing these songs. 239 00:17:01,854 --> 00:17:04,123 So that's great. 240 00:17:04,156 --> 00:17:08,060 And so you plan the next one, too, right? 241 00:17:08,827 --> 00:17:10,863 I'm in the midst of writing it. 242 00:17:10,896 --> 00:17:13,232 Okay, good. 243 00:17:14,466 --> 00:17:15,034 Okay. 244 00:17:15,067 --> 00:17:21,073 And so, for me, when you are working on some challenges 245 00:17:21,106 --> 00:17:24,977 that you try to incorporate in your songs, 246 00:17:24,977 --> 00:17:29,048 it goes to what I call accessibility arts, 247 00:17:29,081 --> 00:17:35,287 because, in a way, it's how to adapt your songwriting and your access needs 248 00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:39,892 and things like that to accommodate your own needs, your own rhythm 249 00:17:39,892 --> 00:17:42,928 that might be different from before. 250 00:17:42,961 --> 00:17:47,800 So what does it mean for you to work in that kind of environment, 251 00:17:47,833 --> 00:17:50,235 and how did you adapt to it? 252 00:17:50,269 --> 00:17:53,872 I think it's good to have, like, a great understanding as to, like, 253 00:17:53,906 --> 00:17:59,478 what I'm able to offer as an artist and that maybe I could change somebody's life 254 00:17:59,478 --> 00:18:02,681 for, like, three minutes or six minutes or 255 00:18:02,681 --> 00:18:06,018 any period of the day, that I'll get a message and it'll say, 256 00:18:06,018 --> 00:18:10,022 oh, your song totally changed my day, which I think is so important, 257 00:18:10,022 --> 00:18:14,326 and it's so uplifting for me as a songwriter. 258 00:18:14,326 --> 00:18:17,496 And it makes me feel, like, super motivated. 259 00:18:17,496 --> 00:18:21,600 I get a lot of things, like, even on my birthday, a lot of messages 260 00:18:21,633 --> 00:18:28,841 from fans or from family members saying how I motivate them and how I push them. 261 00:18:28,874 --> 00:18:34,279 My one cousin, she just finished chemotherapy for breast cancer, 262 00:18:34,313 --> 00:18:39,451 and she says to me all the time, I think of how hard my life is. 263 00:18:39,485 --> 00:18:45,424 But then I look at you and I think of how you really got through. You turned this whole story around. 264 00:18:45,424 --> 00:18:47,860 And I'm grateful that I'm able to do it through music. 265 00:18:47,860 --> 00:18:51,797 And she would say to me, oh, your music inspires me all the time. 266 00:18:51,830 --> 00:18:56,168 I always listen to it when I'm down, so I think that's really important. 267 00:18:56,201 --> 00:18:57,903 Yeah. And it goes two ways, right? 268 00:18:57,936 --> 00:19:02,641 When someone tells you, your music inspires me and motivates me, then 269 00:19:02,641 --> 00:19:07,379 you get motivated to continue what you're doing, which is nice. 270 00:19:07,379 --> 00:19:09,648 Of course. 271 00:19:09,681 --> 00:19:15,120 Speaking of inspiration, I was wondering if in your career 272 00:19:15,153 --> 00:19:19,992 and in your songwriting skills, 273 00:19:20,025 --> 00:19:23,328 if you have someone to think of who really 274 00:19:23,362 --> 00:19:29,101 accompanied you or inspired you in your path, if you have one or two persons 275 00:19:29,101 --> 00:19:32,104 to think of, who would it be and why? 276 00:19:32,137 --> 00:19:36,808 I would say the first person that definitely comes to mind is my godfather. 277 00:19:36,842 --> 00:19:41,547 My godfather, our last conversation that I had with him, 278 00:19:41,547 --> 00:19:45,484 he said to me, you never want to be 40 and look back and think, what if? 279 00:19:45,517 --> 00:19:48,887 If you want to sing and you love music, go for it. 280 00:19:48,921 --> 00:19:51,423 I always said to him, when I grow up, one day, 281 00:19:51,423 --> 00:19:53,725 I'm going to wake up and see New York City every day. 282 00:19:53,725 --> 00:19:55,694 And guess what? That's what I do. 283 00:19:55,694 --> 00:20:00,532 I wake up and I see New York City every morning, and I never take it for granted. 284 00:20:00,566 --> 00:20:04,503 And that will always stick with me, that conversation, 285 00:20:04,503 --> 00:20:07,973 because it was our last, and 286 00:20:08,106 --> 00:20:12,878 I was really head over heels with music. 287 00:20:12,911 --> 00:20:15,213 And then I got into the Grammys, and I just - 288 00:20:15,247 --> 00:20:17,783 I was so, so grateful for that. 289 00:20:17,783 --> 00:20:20,719 And then the second person I'd say would be Neil Diamond. 290 00:20:20,752 --> 00:20:25,891 Ironically, he is a pop, amazing, amazing songwriter. 291 00:20:25,891 --> 00:20:27,993 He's such a classic songwriter. 292 00:20:28,026 --> 00:20:30,295 And my mom would always take me to see him. 293 00:20:30,329 --> 00:20:33,599 I've seen him in concert about 35 times. 294 00:20:33,632 --> 00:20:37,202 And the last time that I saw him was in 2017. 295 00:20:37,236 --> 00:20:41,173 And a few months later, he announced that he had Parkinson's. 296 00:20:41,173 --> 00:20:45,477 And I had never gone to a concert by myself, but it was my birthday, 297 00:20:45,510 --> 00:20:47,012 and I was like, you know what? 298 00:20:47,045 --> 00:20:48,513 Nobody wanted to go with me. 299 00:20:48,547 --> 00:20:50,249 And I was like, I'm going to go by myself. 300 00:20:50,282 --> 00:20:51,383 What do I have to lose? 301 00:20:51,416 --> 00:20:53,852 And I went, and, you know, when you go to a Neil Diamond concert, 302 00:20:53,852 --> 00:20:55,821 everybody knows the lyrics to the songs. 303 00:20:55,854 --> 00:20:59,758 You know, Sweet Caroline, you know, Hello, 304 00:20:59,758 --> 00:21:01,860 everybody knows the lyrics to all the songs. 305 00:21:01,893 --> 00:21:04,162 So it's one big sing along. 306 00:21:04,196 --> 00:21:07,232 And I was so happy that I did because that was the last time 307 00:21:07,266 --> 00:21:10,769 I would ever see him perform. 308 00:21:10,802 --> 00:21:17,009 I did go to his Broadway show in December that opened and he was, like, 309 00:21:17,042 --> 00:21:19,478 right in front of me, which was amazing. 310 00:21:19,511 --> 00:21:24,116 But I would say my godfather and Neil Diamond. 311 00:21:24,149 --> 00:21:27,519 Very nice. Neil Diamond. Wow. 312 00:21:28,253 --> 00:21:31,823 Not a dance artist, but a classic songwriter. 313 00:21:31,823 --> 00:21:34,726 Yeah. Very nice. 314 00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:37,963 I have a last question. Really last one. 315 00:21:37,963 --> 00:21:42,134 If you have a piece of advice to give to our listeners right now 316 00:21:42,167 --> 00:21:44,436 who are, like, struggling with - 317 00:21:44,469 --> 00:21:49,007 I would love to go to songwriting, but I don't know how. 318 00:21:49,041 --> 00:21:52,144 I don't know if I have the courage or I don't know if I have the guts 319 00:21:52,177 --> 00:21:55,914 or I don't know if I have the money. 320 00:21:55,947 --> 00:21:59,317 What would be this piece of advice? 321 00:21:59,351 --> 00:22:03,722 I would say, I mean, when I started, I started at seven years old, 322 00:22:03,755 --> 00:22:08,560 so I just started writing poems. 323 00:22:08,593 --> 00:22:12,597 And then I started working with the melodies as I got older. 324 00:22:12,631 --> 00:22:16,268 But I'd say poetry is a really good way to start. 325 00:22:17,135 --> 00:22:21,306 Okay, well, thank you so much for this conversation 326 00:22:21,306 --> 00:22:27,512 and I wish you all the best for the next periods of votes. 327 00:22:27,546 --> 00:22:30,582 And maybe we'll see each other at the Grammys. 328 00:22:30,582 --> 00:22:32,284 Of course. I hope so. 329 00:22:32,317 --> 00:22:38,824 We share the fact that we are both RAMPD Pro members 330 00:22:38,824 --> 00:22:44,763 and a lot of pro members are also going to Grammys to support the other artists. 331 00:22:44,796 --> 00:22:47,332 And so I hope to see you in person over there. 332 00:22:47,365 --> 00:22:51,770 Of course I was able, I was fortunate to go in 2019, 333 00:22:51,770 --> 00:22:58,477 and I went to the Dolly Parton MusiCares Person Of The Year's party. 334 00:22:58,510 --> 00:23:04,783 And when I had my accident, MusiCares, they donated a lot of money 335 00:23:04,783 --> 00:23:07,385 that really helped my survival. 336 00:23:07,419 --> 00:23:10,622 So I'm super grateful for it. 337 00:23:10,622 --> 00:23:15,394 Okay, well, have a great day. Thank you, you too. 338 00:23:15,427 --> 00:23:16,661 Bye. Take care. 339 00:23:16,695 --> 00:23:17,996 Okay, bye. 340 00:23:19,131 --> 00:23:24,269 ♪ Closing theme music ♪