One of the greatest gifts and skills an artist has is the ability to tell a story that connects to the hearts of the audience. Pretty much from medieval times to the dawn of recorded music, music was a way to tell stories and deliver messages from far away places. This ability to deliver news through narrative travelled from Europe with the minstrels, to the birth of rock n roll through American Roots music.
The role of an artist to tell a story through either a painted canvas or musical notes takes incredible skill. Some artists are amazing storytellers from the folk likes of Bob Dylan & Harry Chapin to rockers like Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam to rappers like Eminem and Tupac.
I could not even begin to understand what gives an artist the ability to tell a story that communicates and connects with millions of people over airwaves. When I have spoken with artists who are able to tell a story in 5 minutes or less through verses, repeated choruses and refrains they say it’s because they feel like they are outside looking into the surroundings of what is happening either around them directly, within their communities, their nation or the world around them. They also say it is because they are able put themselves in the situation of the subject matter.
As an avid meditator, I would say these artists have an ability, at the time of songwriting, to be present with the surroundings, to breath in what is happening and breath out the emotion that the story evokes. No doubt there will also be the emotional embellishment to make the timing work and the story to flow but overall the storytelling artist has an incredible ability to be present with one’s surroundings, to have the presence of mind and heart to communicate it through lyrics, melody and rhymes.
Being present with emotion isn’t only left to storytellers it is also so beautifully put into practice by the poetic and more tangential artists who use lyric and emotion to create a mood. One of the most beautiful expressions I have heard of late is from one of my new favourite European artists called Be The Bear. Be The Bear is a Swedish artist and producer named Christina Wehage. She is uber talented with a great voice and a great producer. Be The Bear wrote a song called “Erupt” which very well could be Christine’s theme song, a love story about growing, erupting into the magnificence that we are. Yet because it’s lyrics are more poetic they are open to interpretation which is what Volvo did with their beautiful Winter Story Commercial telling the story of an adventure seeking person who loves the mountains, nature, winter driving, volvos and surfing the cold and rough northern European sea. It works beautifully, the visuals are as epic and expansive as the song. Check it out and see why I love Be The Bear and recommend that you will too:
I look forward to hearing more music from Be The Bear.
Rishi Deva is the CEO of Kupid’s Play Records. With two decades of experience in the music industry, Rishi has been nominated for numerous marketing awards and earned a Gold Record in the music industry for management.