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I could not let this day pass without acknowledging the song that is ‘I’m Trying’ produced by @maxcyrusmusic and featuring @sonofnoise_uk and myself, released today. . . When Max Cyrus first played me the instrumental it sparked something in me. I could feel the depth, the darkness and the weight of the track, which was only expressed further by the verses of Curoc. All that was left for me to do was write the chorus which came to me in minutes. . . Telling the story of growing up in a broken home and a broken society Curoc takes you on a journey highlighting the painful story that belongs to so many of us. . . Check out the track now and please go one step further to download it if you can. Thank you for your support. . . #music #maxcyrusmusic #black #independentartist #musicproducer #jazz #hiphop #rap #blackisthenewblack #storytelling #london #romanharris #musician #soul #blackartist #blackmusicians #culture #tidal #spotify #applemusic

Come Around Death. It’s a hard thing to get your head around. So much so that we do everything we can to not think about it. The world presents us with so many illusions to get lost in just so we don’t think about the inevitable. But what happens when you’re confronted with your mortality? When you’re given a timeframe on your life? How do you escape the thought of death then? . . . Upon hearing of a friend’s leukaemia diagnosis these are the questions I asked myself and in order to write ‘Come Around’ I had to attempt to put myself in his position. . . . We all think we have time. I’ll do it later, maybe tomorrow, or next week, but we don’t know how much time any of us have, which is why it’s important to do the things you want to do, see the things you want to see and most importantly, be there for those you care about, especially when they’re at their weakest. . . . As an artist I try to capture an emotion and create something that resonates with people. I find that I’m most successful at doing this from positions of sadness, which I guess says something about my character. Maybe I’m more of a glass half empty kind of guy, a realist, because let’s face it...either it’s full or it isn’t.

Upon a Lifetime She was from the other side of the world and we met in the UK. I was black, she was white, I was born and raised in the city, she was born and raised on a farm, but for a chance night out and alcohol we probably would have never met. But we did and it was beautiful. . . . If the story ended there then ‘Upon a Lifetime’ would never have been written, but like many of life’s stories it did not end on a wondrous high, but on a low, because the differences in our lives became too much to overcome distance being the deciding factor and just like that...it was over. . . . I went on to do what us artists do, I sat and composed what would go on to be ‘Upon a Lifetime’. I poured my heart out in song and from the depths of sadness I was able to birth this piece of work. . . . Recently I was speaking with a friend of mine and I explained to her that I am emotionally stunted when it comes to feeling things for people but not when it comes to art. She asked me why and I replied because people can hurt you, deceive you and let you down, but art will never do that to you.

‘Get Me Got Me’ I’m not known for writing many upbeat songs, so I surprised myself with this one. What’s even more of a surprise is that this song was inspired by a break up. I know…who would have thought it? . . . You see, I’m not the easiest guy to be with. I can be high one minute and low the next, I can be a rock and a support to you one minute and the next I’m nowhere to be seen. I lack consistency when it comes to relationships and am also rather unpredictable which makes being with me a bit of a rollercoaster, but against all odds, I found a woman that could deal with my ways and accept me for who I am and it was wonderful, until it wasn’t and we ended up going our separate ways and I ended up writing ‘Get Me Got Me’. . . . It’s a song written from the perspective of a man who knows no one will be able to tolerate him the way that she does and because of this he’s willing to go the extra mile for her, but ultimately he can’t change who he is. . . . Whenever I sing this song I am never filled with any sadness. It’s hard to feel sadness when singing such a chirpy tune, instead I feel full with positive emotions, because this feeling is one that we all want, to find someone that accepts us, that stays with us even when we get under their skin, that genuinely…dare I say the L word…Loves us.

The Smell of Heather . . . We never know where inspiration will come from, when it will come, or what emotion will cause it to spark. Will it be joy? Pain? Happiness? Sorrow? Or maybe inspiration will come from another’s work of art. In the case of ‘The Smell of Heather’, it was just that. . . . This song started it’s life as a poem. A poem written by Vivian Anglin about a chance meeting he had one night with a mixed race prostitute. They went on to develop quite the relationship and from the time they spent together an entire book of beautiful poetry was born, entitled ‘Heather’s Book’. You can find this and other works by the author on Amazon. . . . Upon reading the poem ‘The Smell of Heather’ I was inspired to turn it into a song. So I picked up my Guitar and I began to strum…G major, C major…it seemed like those were the two chords I needed to begin telling this story. I cannot remember how long it took me to complete this song, but I imagine it wasn’t long, especially since the chorus was already written for me, as they were lines taken directly from the poem and so ‘The Smell of Heather’ went on to be my first solo single. . . . I met Heather once, maybe twice, but definitely once, it was so long ago I can’t confidently recount the circumstances. I recently received word that she passed away due to COVID 19, which is very believable since sadly she was an addict and also diagnosed with HIV. I know a little about her life, the sadness of her upbringing and the situations that lead her down the road she travelled, it’s almost as though she never stood a chance in this world. So this song is my tribute to her and also a tip of the hat to a beautiful poem written by Vivian Anglin. May she rest well. . . . #rip #music #studio #creative #producer #singer #songwriter #singersongwriter #guitar #guitarist #pop #recording #video #live #greatmusic #instadaily #grateful #inspiration #outnow