Author: emmanoonanmusic

On New Year’s Eve, I made a commitment to write and record one song a month throughout 2024 with the aim of dropping another album at the beginning of 2025. Typically, an album consists of 12 tracks, so this time frame made sense – especially as I needed to set myself a target that I could realistically work towards whilst managing my family, work and church life. As every teacher knows, managing a life outside of the classroom is not easy!

With 6 songs in the bag, one ready to go (July) and 1 week to go to write a song before the end of August, I am veering off course a little. I thought I would have heaps of time during the summer holidays to write; however, the holidays seem to have dissipated with the summer heat.

One of the challenges I have encountered is managing all the extra admin that goes alongside writing music, such as: releasing tracks along the way, marketing, advertising, keeping social media up to date, producing lyric videos etc. I was also thrown an unexpected curved ball last week when my music and personal Facebook accounts were disabled as they had been linked to an unauthorised account (It appears I had been hacked). Trying to resolve this issue has been excruciatingly problematic as there is absolutely no way of getting in contact with anyone from Meta… unless you pay! I spent the best part of the day online to find out how to get support. The best advice I found (it seems that there are are heaps of people who have been in the same situation) was to pay a £9.99 monthly subscription fee to get a verified blue tick on my music instagram account in order to access the Meta support team. So, I am now sporting a blue tick on my Instagram account and have had some fairly lukewarm, almost robotic, communication with Meta Support, who have apparently escalated a review of my accounts … that was last Thursday. One week later, I still do not have access to my Facebook accounts! This is a huge problem on so many levels. Firstly, I will be releasing ‘Extravagant Dimensions’ on Friday 13th September, so am unable to use this platform to advertise my music. Fortunately, I don’t rely on my account for income and I don’t have heaps of followers, so it is a small inconvenience in the grand scheme of things; however, my personal account is a different matter entirely. It has made me realise just how much I rely on social media to keep me connected with friends and family. If this account is taken down permanently, which is a real possibility, I will lose years of memories and there are a lot of friends that I will struggle to re-connect with. It also appears that I may be unable to create another Facebook account as I have apparently ‘violated the community standards on account integrity and authentic identity’. I actually feel like some kind of detestable con artist who has scammed a whole bunch of vulnerable members of the community. It doesn’t sit well with me and I feel as though I am at the mercy of an organisation who have the power to wipe out an entire existence in seconds. It feels like some kind of Spiritual attack, so I am desperately praying for a breakthrough.

Aside from this particular low point, there have been a number of high points. I am currently working on a collaborative instrumental worship project with a Christian marketing manager and recording artist in America. One of my other passions, aside from contemporary vocal worship, is more ambient instrumental worship that combines piano pieces with soft textures and interesting soundscapes. I find this particular music can support quiet reflection, Bible study and prayer. It also helps declutter our minds in order to make space to encounter Jesus. So, between us, we have collaborated on a collection of music, which we will be releasing under our respective music labels. It has been a real pleasure to meet with him via Zoom in order to discuss album design and marketing strategies etc. It is amazing how modern technology can be used to bring two worlds together. Despite my frustration with the destructive power of social media, the internet can be used to create as well as share the love and word of God. It was great to get an insight into his life and hear his testimony, which is truly remarkable. It was also great to pray together and meet his wife and children briefly. As we work on this project, I am reminded of Romans 8:28 ‘and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose‘. I firmly believe that God has connected us to share the Gospel and enable people to meet with Jesus through the gift of music.

As part of this project, I am currently writing a collection of ambient instrumental worship music based on Genesis 1, which evokes 12 aspects of The Creation story. I will be releasing the first track ‘Shaping the Void’ on Friday 30th August under a different label: Ambient Worship Collective. You can follow my progress on Instagram and Youtube:

https://www.instagram.com/ambient_worshipcollective/?hl=en

The debut single can be pre-saved on: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/ambientworshipcollective/shaping-the-void