new year’s Reflection, upcoming releases, & Travel Plans
Wow, it’s hard to believe 2022 is over and 2023 is here. Last year was a huge year for me as an artist. Although I’ve been playing and writing original music for over 20 years, I’ve always kept it very private. But after surviving a severe illness a few years ago, I made a commitment to my art last year and started sharing my music publicly for the first time under the moniker Heartblood. And I am so grateful that I made the leap.
Here are some of my milestones in 2022:
- I released my debut single, The Waves Shoulder Me Under, a neoclassical piano solo that I wrote more than a decade ago when I was a teenager. (This is the start of my album project compiling songs I wrote during that time of my life as a way to integrate and heal.)
- I started a livestreaming channel on Twitch where I perform improvisation and original songs every week on Tuesdays at 11AM CEST. I can’t thank the community enough for the opportunity to practice, learn, and let my creativity run wild every single week in front of a supportive audience!
- I invested hundreds of hours into learning to sing and produce music, so I finally have the skills and confidence to materialize the songs trapped in my head. Special thank you to my teachers Valeska Rautenberg, Hugo Moroux, and Craig Lopez for all your advice and encouragement.
- I collaborated for the first time with multiple talented artists from around the world including kwichmann, WitchKing99, and The Missing Note.
Hidden among all these milestones is the greater outcome that I am no longer running away from the creativity that has always resided inside me. I am no longer hiding my light. I am trying to choose love over fear every day. And I have been rewarded by kindness, encouragement, and inspiration throughout the year to strengthen me on this journey. I feel incredibly grateful for everyone who has accompanied me through this process of opening up.
Speaking of connecting with others, I’m thrilled to be able to share my first ever collaborative release with The Missing Note, A Song for Jase, currently available on BandCamp and releasing to streaming services on January 27th (please support us by presaving here). I was honored to contribute vocals to this emotional cinematic ambient track, created to honor the songwriter’s dear friend Jase who passed away due to cancer. The track brought together artists from across the globe together including Dan Tremblay, MusiJB, and Adria. After this experience, I’m happy to announce that even more collaborations are on their way this year.
I’ve also been hard at work last year on several further tracks that will be coming out over the next few months, including Ash, a raw emotional ballad with piano and voice that I also wrote when I was a teenager. Recording such an old song now as an adult has been an exercise in emotional bravery that has allowed me to work through a lot of emotions surrounding that time in my life. After many tears over the year working on this super personal track, I finally was able to send off the stems to my sound engineer for mixing and mastering last week. I couldn’t be prouder or more excited to share this vulnerable piece of my soul with you all, so please look for further announcements in spring.
Finally, I’d like to announce that starting next week, I will be taking a long vacation! I’m traveling in Asia between mid-January and the end of February, so you won’t hear anything from me on social media or on my Twitch channel until early March. I decided to really take the time to disconnect so I have a chance to truly regenerate and recharge, coming into the springtime ready to tackle the next phase of my artistic projects and make lots of lovely music for/with you all.
So what are my plans for 2023 after I return in March? Here’s just a few goals:
- Collabs & creative services! If you’re interested in working with me, now is the perfect time to reach out. I am eager to lend my voice, keys, songwriting or production skills to your track at low-to-no-cost depending on the project.
- Expanded Twitch schedule–I plan to move to streaming twice per week instead of just once, including more cover streams in addition to performing originals & improv.
- Establishing a regular schedule for my YouTube channel with special stream highlights and YT-only content about music , my creative process, and healing through art.
- Connecting more with local musicians and creative communities in Berlin through my new friends at MusicBwomen* and more. If you’re a local musician interested in what I do, please reach out!
If you’ve gotten this far, thanks so much for reading and accompanying me on this journey. It’s because of people like you who care about art, self-expression, and authenticity that I am able to do what I do. You are appreciated and I wish you much strength and inspiration in the start of your own year!
Until next time,
Christine Roseann
a.k.a. Heartblood
