Itās been a while since I wrote a proper blog entry, and so much has happened the last few months since the lockdown started.
Letās start with the biggest thing thatās been going on with me and itās my YouTube channel. I made a decision exactly a year ago to revive my YouTube channel and in order to do that, I really took time to learn about filmmaking so that I could improve the quality of my videos. I think thatās the biggest thing thatās held me back from really expressing myself & making content that I could be proud of. That, and the fact that when I started on YouTube, I was super broke and couldnāt afford anything. Filmmaking can get very expensive.
Over the last year, I experimented with the kind of videos I could make that would be entertaining and provide value as well. I knew I wanted to continue making covers because thatās been my way of reaching music fans since the very beginning. I also knew that I wanted to be able to create music videos and visuals for my music, but that that would happen a little bit later as I get better. With that in mind, I felt like I needed to do a little bit more.
I looked at my YouTube channel and realized that, other than my music, there wasnāt anything that told viewers who I was. There was no personal connection. I thought about what I could do for people to get to know me better. I tried doing a talk show with my best friend and did a couple of covers, then around that time Taylor Swiftās album āLoverā came out and my brother called and said:āYou need to react to this album! Lots of people will be searching for that content.ā
After much hesitation, I decided to go for it. To my surprise, the video got a good number of views and I decided to do another reaction for Lana Del Reyās new album which came out a little while after āLoverā. That did well too. I did a series of reaction videos that were accompanied with a review and I titled the series āHonestly?ā because that was what I wrote on the thumbnail for the āLoverā reaction video and it stuck. The reaction videos were doing well, but I was just āhonestlyā š not very passionate about them. I realized why later.
During the lockdown, there werenāt any new albums coming out, so I got this idea to review older pop albums. The first video in this series (which I titled āRevisitedā) was Madonnaās āBedtime Storiesā album, and it was a review video, not a reaction. The reaction that video had was insane and I saw a level of engagement that I hadnāt seen before. That motivated me to review two other albums which were Britneyās āBlackoutā and Christina Aguileraās āBionicā. I found myself really enjoying making these videos and it hit me that I was revealing more of myself with them. These were albums that I grew up to. I was sharing my personal experience and revealing to my audience the kind of music that influenced my sound as an artist. It was a joy listening to these albums for the first time in years.
Just like that, I found my format. Iām crazy about pop music, especially pop from the 80s to the 2010s. Thatās my passion and where my heart is. Itās where I feel most at home. I decided that I was going to upload a new āRevisitedā review on a weekly basis (every Tuesday at 11 am ET) and āHonestlyā reviews for new albums by artists that I love.
Iām also uploading covers and vlogs every week. Covers because I want to show my audience what I can do as an artist and vlogs to connect with people on a more personal level.
In other news, Iāve been recording songs for the new Qattana album. I have 2 songs left! Iām also rewriting the bridge for the final song for my album which I think will be the first single. Iām so excited for you guys to hear it! Itās about time I put out some new music, itās been 4 years since RUSH came out. š
Iām going to upload a new vlog on Saturday and itās going to be a Q&A. If you have a question, make sure you drop it in the āCommunityā tab on my YouTube channel!
I hope you guys are doing well, Iāll catch you next time! ā¤ļø
