[00:00] Speaker 1: (music) Have you ever wondered how sound can heal, inspire, and transform your life? What if the vibrations around you could unlock your true potential and guide you to a deeper sense of harmony? Welcome to Sound Pathways, the groundbreaking journey into the healing power of sound, creativity, and connection with your host, Dr. Karen Olson. In each episode, she explores the profound link between your mind, body, and spirit from composers and musicians to sound healers and visionary leaders. She'll dive into captivating conversations that reveal how sound shapes your reality, heals our wounds, and helps us manifest our dreams. And guess what? You're part of the conversation. So call in and ask questions and experience personalized sound healing live and let your sound be your guide to the life you've always dreamed of.

[01:18] Speaker 2: Welcome to Sound Pathways, where we explore music and sound as pathways to healing, creativity, and a more meaningful life. I'm Karen Olsen, and I am so excited to welcome Emily Dranen today. We're talking about her amazing voice, being so versatile, and the inner thread that connects all the rich areas of her life. She's a Grammy-nominated artist whose exceptional career spans major concert halls, orchestral solo appearances, recordings, and creative collaborations and producing. She's been a featured soloist at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Hall, and so many more amazing places across the country more than a hundred times, and she helped bring the Grammy-nominated recording projects to life as both a performer and a producer. Emily, it's such a pleasure to have you here. Thank you so much.

[02:17] Speaker 3: Absolutely. I'm, I'm delighted to be here. Thank you so much for having me.

[02:20] Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. So let's begin at the beginning. What first drew you to music, and who were some of the strongest influences in those early years?

[02:30] Speaker 3: Oh, goodness. I mean, certainly my parents, uh, were my biggest influences. You know, they, they grew up, they were high school sweethearts, and they met because of music. Uh, my mom has perfect pitch. She's a very prolific composer, of course, and we've now worked together quite a bit. But, um, my dad was a hotshot trumpet player in high school, and his sister said, "You should meet Patty Hayes," and Patty died now, but she said, "You should meet her." And he said, "Ah, she can't be that great." And he met her and said, "Oh, she's definitely- " Oh " ... much better than I am." Um, so they, they played, you know, they grew up and went to college, put themselves through school making music, so whenever they had me, it was just a given that music was in our household constantly. I grew up listening to so many different styles of music. It was just a, a language that we spoke from the very, very beginning.

[03:23] Speaker 3: You know, we listened to classical music, we listened to Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66, we listened to Motown. Um, so I just grew up always singing harmony, always listening to lots of varied sounds, and so it was just a natural progression for me to kind of start singing and at least be within the music realm. I, of course, studied piano, and, um, I think it's, it's a really important, uh, not necessarily skill, but an important practice to have, uh, just being immersed in music, whether you're playing an instrument, whether you're singing, whether you're listening, because it gives such a different aspect to your life. Um, I think it's really important for children to grow up surrounded by music and have access to music, whether they want to pursue a career in that or not. Um, I think it really just amplifies their wellbeing, and also enhances their ability to learn in different ways. So I was really lucky, uh, to grow up with that foundation.

[04:22] Speaker 3: And, of course, my brother, you know, was an All-State sax player, so our whole, our whole house had a lot of music growing up. Um, but I was in my mom's choir, um, and so I ... She was a high school music teacher, so I would sing

[04:35] Speaker 2: Cool.

[04:35] Speaker 3: ... in her choirs. Um, I would help play warmups different times, and, um, it was a really wonderful and safe space to grow up. A lot of my, a lot of my high school friends actually are still dear friends of mine today.

[04:48] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.

[04:48] Speaker 3: 'Cause we were in show choir together and church choir, things like that. And so it was always just such a, a, a, a part of who I was, just music always was. Um, but I ended up, my high school year, uh, of, of, you know, school, I applied for something that was called the National Foundation for Advancements in the Arts, um, and it was where you sing different songs and you apply to win this big award. And, um, there were 8,100 applicants, and they chose two in pop vocal, which was my category.

[05:21] Speaker 2: Wow.

[05:21] Speaker 3: (laughs) And, you know, one of them was me. Um, and so it, it was a very special moment for me, because I think I knew I could sing, but at that moment, I think other people outside my, you know, family were saying it. So with that, actually, I, I went to, you know, I, I went to the White House, I sang at the Kennedy Center, um, and I had a full scholarship for five years, um-

[05:47] Speaker 2: Wow.

[05:47] Speaker 3: ... in Oklahoma for that as well. So it was, it was quite a catalyst for me to say, "Hey, maybe I should pursue this." And, you know, it's funny, I even, we didn't even know that I won until I was on the front page of the paper.

[06:00] Speaker 2: No way.

[06:01] Speaker 3: (laughs) Yes. I was...... my parents came in. And of course-

[06:04] Speaker 2: Wow.

[06:04] Speaker 3: ... a typical high school senior, they came and it was like 8:00 AM on a Saturday morning. And I'm sleeping, I'm like, "Ugh," you know, "Don't wake me up." And it's like, "You won, you won this whole thing." And the first thing-

[06:13] Speaker 2: Oh my gosh.

[06:13] Speaker 3: ... I said, a typical teenager was, "Ugh, I can't believe they used that picture."

[06:18] Speaker 2: (laughs)

[06:19] Speaker 3: (laughs) Which is so silly, now it's like, "Oh goodness gracious." You know, but um-

[06:23] Speaker 2: That's right.

[06:24] Speaker 3: ... it was such a wonderful, wonderful moment. And so then it, it helped me kind of transpire throughout college. I did not study music, um, I, I studied business actually. Um, so I-

[06:35] Speaker 2: Wow.

[06:35] Speaker 3: ... I ended up tu- earning two degrees and four minors in a lot of varied studies.

[06:40] Speaker 2: Wow.

[06:40] Speaker 3: I kept singing of course, I knew I wanted to be-

[06:43] Speaker 2: Wow.

[06:43] Speaker 3: ... singing, but wanted to be able to work in the music industry. And so my first degree is actually in economics, my second degree is in Spanish.

[06:51] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.

[06:51] Speaker 3: And then I earned min- minors in finance, marketing, international business, and Latin American studies, um, (laughs) which has got- which is kind of wild but, but the music industry is a business and so I wanted to be able to-

[07:04] Speaker 2: Oh.

[07:04] Speaker 3: ... work within the music realm and understand contracts and, and all of that while still pursuing music, but also have opportunities to work in other fields if, you know, music didn't work out. And so, uh-

[07:18] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.

[07:18] Speaker 3: ... it was, it was, you know, kind of a plan that my dad had kind of help put into place, um, but it, it really fit me and kind of how, how I kind of think about things. My, my parents are both, um, my mom is very right-brained, you know, she can write a song, and she did with the Grammy nominated Requiem, she wrote that in seven weeks.

[07:38] Speaker 2: Wow.

[07:38] Speaker 3: Which might take somebody else seven years. (laughs) You know, so she's-

[07:40] Speaker 2: Never. (laughs)

[07:41] Speaker 3: ... she's just that person who, um, is very right-brained, and my dad of course was very left-brained. He was an engineer, had several degrees, an engineering and an attorney.

[07:50] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.

[07:50] Speaker 3: And so my brother and I are actually right in the middle of that spectrum of right-brained and left-brained. And so-

[07:56] Speaker 2: Mm.

[07:57] Speaker 3: ... it really worked well to study all the business facets, 'cause that served a lot of my type A-

[08:03] Speaker 2: Wow.

[08:03] Speaker 3: ... left-brain mentality, but then still be able to sing. I'd sing the national anthem for the football games, I was the vocalist for the jazz band, and the concert chorale, so it was, it was a really perfect marriage of kind of those both realms of thinking for me, and I was at Oklahoma State University, and it was, it was a wonderful, wonderful place, um, to really learn and to grow as a person, as an individual, and a- also as an artist.

[08:29] Speaker 2: Wow, that's so beautiful, I've, I just admired it so, it's such a honor and gift to know you-

[08:37] Speaker 3: Oh you're sweet.

[08:38] Speaker 2: ... generously in every way and just to have watched your life and the ease that you go through all your roles, that, that's, when I was thinking about you, that's just so powerful and unique and you're, you have such high energy and brilliance in addition to everything else-

[08:53] Speaker 3: (laughs) .

[08:53] Speaker 2: ... in your heart. So I, I thought of the theme of One Thread because some people trying to do many things would be scattered and they, they would get off course like with my ADD maybe I'd get on this track-

[09:06] Speaker 3: (laughs)

[09:06] Speaker 2: ... and not remember to go back to that one and-

[09:07] Speaker 3: Yeah.

[09:08] Speaker 2: ... I always think it's a gift when you have both, balance of both brains, but if you think about it, I mean, is there anything that comes to mind of how you can just flow? I guess what you just said is one of the reasons, 'cause you had it so young and it's so natural and you cultivated it, but is there anything else that comes to mind that, the c- the commonality (overlapping speech)

[09:28] Speaker 3: You know, I, I, I do think being very organized has been very, very helpful.

[09:32] Speaker 2: Mm.

[09:32] Speaker 3: Um, I've, I've always been pretty task-oriented and, um, that, that practice and, you know, I, I like a schedule, I've always had, you know, a devotional every day, going to the gym i- is something I do r- very regularly. And so even in the gym, you know, I, I've, I've been going to the gym like six days a week for-

[09:54] Speaker 2: Oh. (laughs)

[09:55] Speaker 3: ... a long time. (laughs)

[09:56] Speaker 2: You're really raising the bar. (laughs)

[09:58] Speaker 3: I know, but, but, but it's something that, that sets me. So I, I don't drink coffee or things like that, but it's, I set, I start my day by going to the gym, having a devotional, and kind of centering myself that way. And so if I didn't have that, I think I might be more scattered. It sets my day, it kind of sets the schedule, it helps me kind of get my body awake and alive. And so I think that has, has really helped and, you know, I have a prayer time during my devotional, I, I just kind of try to focus my mind in at that point and then get ready for the day. Um, but yeah, it's definitely something that if I miss it, I feel a little bit of out of sorts, um, but it's, it's something that definitely is a stronghold of my life, even, I'll tell you this, with, uh, with my first child, my water broke while I was on the elliptical climber. (laughs) So.

[10:45] Speaker 2: (laughs) Oh, no.

[10:47] Speaker 3: It wasn't, it wasn't a (overlapping speech)

[10:48] Speaker 2: That's really multitasking. (laughs)

[10:50] Speaker 3: It is, it is, but I was, I was 38 weeks and I thought, "Hmm, I think this is..." You know, it wasn't like in the movies or anything like that, but it was, even up until my pregnancy i- because it's such a part of who I am-

[11:00] Speaker 2: Oh.

[11:00] Speaker 3: ... it really just helps kind of sets, set me and set the tone for the day and it just kind of reminds me that you get the energy in your body m- moving, you get it in your mind and the blood flowing and it, it just helps a lot of different things.

[11:13] Speaker 2: The mind, body, spirit.

[11:15] Speaker 3: Absolutely, absolutely.

[11:16] Speaker 2: How they help you flow.

[11:16] Speaker 3: It's, it's all interconnected. All interconnected.

[11:20] Speaker 2: I, on this program I really like to focus also on the creative process 'cause I believe that carries us through so much, and you can talk about being stuck or you could say, "Well, I'm not an artist or talent or a musician or whatever," but we all are. So when you start a project, could you share possibly a tip or something that, do you, they say sometimes if it isn't written down, it won't happen, do you start just brain mapping or do you just, the ideas start coming in, or h- could you think about that and share?

[11:52] Speaker 3: I- yeah, it kind of depends on what the type of project is. Is, if it's a song, if I'm writing a song, I generally try to, uh, I generally will go with the lyrics first.

[12:03] Speaker 2: Mm.

[12:04] Speaker 3: ... because I think that's where the inspiration generally is derived for me. But I know for some other people, it might just be a melody. And, and I, I promised myself a few times, if I get any type of a lyric or any type of inspired melody or chord structure, I write it down. Whether it's the middle of the night, whether it's just a voice memo or whether it's an email that I don't even necessarily come back to, I promise myself, "Maybe that is the start of something."

[12:29] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.

[12:29] Speaker 3: And instead of just saying, "Oh, it's nothing. It's nothing. It'll come back to me," I say-

[12:32] Speaker 2: Yes.

[12:32] Speaker 3: ... "No, maybe this is something. Let's write it down. Let's just sing it into a voice memo. Let's just put it down onto paper, because that's when it starts to become something else." And so, if I'm doing other projects, if it's something for kids or if it's something more business-related, putting it down onto paper absolutely I think helps solidify where you want to go and where you don't want to go. Um, journaling is something that I think really, really is helpful to be intentional with your mind and your thought process and to really siphon out what you're thinking, what you're not thinking, and where your struggles are. Um, I think a lot of things can kind of swim in your mind, but if you put it down into paper, then you can kind of organize, "Okay, this is what is stopping me here. This is where I need to start. This is where there are gaps," or, "This is what I already have kind of in practice.

[13:23] Speaker 3: Let's kind of go a little bit further into those areas." Um, I definitely think putting something down on paper just helps visualize see s- and see something, and really help it move to the next level.

[13:37] Speaker 2: Oh, that's beautiful. I think creativity is like a river. It just, it flows. And it's true, it doesn't come back again, cer- certainly not in the same way.

[13:47] Speaker 3: Absolutely.

[13:48] Speaker 2: And, and sometimes it's a whisper. It, it just, you just quietly have these thoughts and, and how they... To think back, uh, how your projects have become so amazing and then the sharing of it, all your skills helping you to, to, um, reach a lot of people, it's beautiful.

[14:09] Speaker 3: Yeah. Well, and you're right, it is often a whisper. It is that faint little voice, the faint little something.

[14:16] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.

[14:16] Speaker 3: And there's so much noise that we hear, um, literally and figuratively, you know-

[14:21] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.

[14:21] Speaker 3: ... in today's society and social media and screens. And so it's the little whispers that I think are the strongest things that can propel you to other avenues of creativity a- and really, really engaging with something that can be really powerful.

[14:38] Speaker 2: Yeah. That's beautiful.

[14:40] Speaker 1: (instrumental music) Are you ready to elevate your energy and awaken your dreams to their fullest potential? This isn't just music. It's transformative, intuitive healing, sacred frequencies channeled to shift your energy, dissolve blockages, and align you with your highest potential. It's your path to vibrant health, limitless dreams, and a life of purpose. Each note is harmonized to your unique frequency, unlocking profound healing, inner harmony, and a deep rejuvenating renewal. Discover the powerful tools of sound healing you carry with you. Visit karenolsen.com/events to sign up for the free webinar titled Release Stress and Find Inner Peace Through Sound. And explore personalized one-on-one sessions at karenolsen.com/services. The moment for peace is now. Don't wait. Embrace the healing you deserve.

[16:04] Speaker 1: (instrumental music)

[16:17] Speaker 2: I'm curious about how you can merge together your singing and your producing. Are they, are they just parallel or they just merge or do they feel like the same almost or...

[16:30] Speaker 3: (laughs)

[16:30] Speaker 2: I guess all your things come together when you produce but-

[16:33] Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah. I think sometimes it definitely... I think I'm probably a little bit different producer if I'm just producing versus if I am producing and singing.

[16:42] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.

[16:42] Speaker 3: Um, you know, certainly I'm a producer on all the songs that I have done, and I think I probably come at a different vantage point. I, I probably, I probably come at those more of an artist first because I want the music to speak first. And then from a production standpoint, I say, "Okay, I need to do this, this, and this to make sure that the artistry is what I want it to be." And I think I do that as well if it's a production or an album that I'm not singing on. But I think I probably approach it more from, um, a business standpoint and then make sure that the artistry is intact with what the artist wants. But I, I may be more focused on the budget and the timeline and things like that to make sure the artist can really be the artist and be what they want to be. Um, 'cause that's what the producer is. You want to bring the artistry to life and the story to life. And if we're not doing that, we're not doing anything.

[17:37] Speaker 3: And so whether you're, you're saving all the money in the world, if the artist isn't telling the story that they wanna tell, then i- it's for naught. And so I think the... What, what I'm doing in those is always trying to be a conduit of the story and of the artistry. And so my focus has to be with the artist, whether I'm the artist or if it's somebody else.

[17:59] Speaker 2: Mm, that's beautiful. I heard, um, I think Vito was, Riccoli was e- explaining it's like, um...... a mar- a, you know, a piece of clay, like Michelangelo, and then... and you chisel away 'cause you have this vision. The artist has these dreams and concepts, but you can, like, see the finished product and then the s- the steps going to it. So I was wondering, like, do you... Uh, how is it for you? Do you, like, focus in, like, very microscopic and then go back out and s- see the bigger picture and, and how it's flowing? And how does that work for you?

[18:37] Speaker 3: Yes, yes. Uh, I definitely get into the details and the minutiae of it all. So, you know, I might have a giant Excel document. (laughs) So I have lots of different-

[18:47] Speaker 2: Ah.

[18:47] Speaker 3: I have lots of different tabs. So you know, I have a Budget tab.

[18:50] Speaker 2: Wow.

[18:50] Speaker 3: You'll have a Songs tab. You're gonna have the Credit tab.

[18:54] Speaker 2: That's a good tip.

[18:54] Speaker 3: You're gonna have a tab for... Y- and you might even have, like, an exploratory tab of, like, "If money were no option, what do we want to do?"

[19:01] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.

[19:02] Speaker 3: And then there's a- another tab where you say, "Okay, money, of course, is an option. This is our budget for this. What can we tweak to still make this be this and this be that?" Certainly a song list, certainly an instrumentation, what you have, what you don't have. You also have then, "Okay, who do we want to be involved with this? Who are the players that we want to encounter, uh, that we want to hire?" A- a- and it... I think it really depends on the project, um, you know, 'cause we do smaller scale albums and much bigger scale albums as well. And so it's trying to always put something together where the artist can say, "This is what I did." Never, "This is what I did, but I d- I would have done this if I had a little more money, if I had a little more time." We always want that, that person to feel like they can walk in the door and say, "This is me. This is what I'm proud of.

[19:51] Speaker 3: I wanna share this with you." Um, so th- so we definitely get into the minutiae of booking the studios, figuring out the schedules of everything, schedules of everyone. There are a lot of puzzle pieces.

[20:03] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.

[20:03] Speaker 3: And you... It, it was really like a puzzle. You start with, you know, a thousand pieces and you say, "Okay, let's try to get the corners of this. Let's try to get at least to schedule the mapping of, is everybody gonna be in the same city in this month?" (laughs)

[20:17] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[20:18] Speaker 3: You know, you might start, you might start there. Do we even have all of the charts written? You know, do we have the scores written in completion? Do we need to modify the scores? Do we need to edit anything within there? You know, of course, because you don't have that first, you can't do anything else. And so it kind of starts top down and trickling and then seeing, "Okay, how can we plug this in? How can we plug this in?" But it, but it is, like, you're chiseling away at something and then sometimes you, you hit something, to continue with that metaphor, where too much chisels off or you chisel something else and you discover something else. "Oh, wait, we could also do something with this. How can we try to put that in here as well?" And so you have to also be flexible and amendable to change, which I think is really difficult, 'cause I think some people, particularly artists, get in one track where they're unable to change with, with new information.

[21:11] Speaker 3: And I think it, it's really vital to be able to adjust because the artistry has to be able to adjust to really tell the story you wanna tell. If you're so tied to it and not at a point of almost neutrality, um, I think sometimes it's a disservice to the art. You have to be able to flow within that.

[21:31] Speaker 2: I've been really fascinated in kind of focusing a little on the whole active performance and being on stage and off stage, like, the baggage we might ha- bring with us or what that could clear, really, for anyone. But have you ever had an artist kinda melt down, and how do you help them kind of move through that?

[21:52] Speaker 3: Yeah. Actually, uh, a lot of times in the studio, I think sometimes artists can get in their head, um, and really just think it has to be perfect in this moment and, "We're running out of time 'cause the studio's expensive," and th- and they start panicking. And so certainly, we, we always try to take a minute and say, "Let's take a break. Let's take a minute. Let's breathe for a second, and remember, whatever we do in here is not going to change what we're doing. We can always add more studio time. We can always add another day.

[22:22] Speaker 3: We can always-"

[22:22] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.

[22:23] Speaker 3: "... make it how you wanna make it," so there's less pressure. Uh, we do often say, "Okay..." We, we try to make sure we know with each artist, um, their strengths and their weaknesses.

[22:34] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.

[22:34] Speaker 3: And so we try to also... If some- if we know somebody might be veering toward that area, we kind of shift the schedule a little bit. Uh, or, like, we had one particular artist who was really getting into her head, but I know that she actually is also a dance instructor. And so I said, "For this one, I just want you to dance."

[22:51] Speaker 2: Ah.

[22:51] Speaker 3: "I want you to dance and sing when you're doing this, and we're not gonna record anything. Just have fun and do it." And of course we were still recording. (laughs) But we recorded it, and we got wonderful takes-

[23:01] Speaker 2: Ah.

[23:01] Speaker 3: ... because she was just in her body, and she was doing what she does. And so with- without the pressure of having to say, "This has to be perfect, I need to be this," you, you tense up your voice. You tense up your body. You tense up your mind. And, and the creativity stops flowing. And so getting into who you are, what you do, and what really is at your core, I think, just breaks free that tightness. And so we always try to know with our artists what that spot is for them, whether it's taking a break, whether it's dance, whether it's movements, whether it's telling a joke, where it's, "Okay, let's talk about your kids for a second. Let's do something else," and getting them out of that trajectory and putting them on a different path generally, generally helps.

[23:42] Speaker 2: Oh, that's beautiful. Reminds me, I- I'm... I have to admit, I'm not a salesperson, but I've heard, like, you find this little window in that, that someone would be, you know, kind of sparked by, and then you walk through that... You go through that window and then, then you have your path in. So with ourselves, (laughs) finding those little windows when we-

[24:00] Speaker 3: Yeah.

[24:00] Speaker 2: ... do notice we're getting stuck. And I think it's the being free from the criticism that's really a stopper of-

[24:07] Speaker 3: Absolutely.

[24:08] Speaker 2: ... so many things in life, certainly creating. How is it... Nowadays-So many times, people might just record on their own and just send the tracks in. Do you do anything to help people be in the same mental space as if they're, we're still in the same studio?

[24:25] Speaker 3: Yeah. We, we do. We generally, it, it, we do that on occasion and if we do, we try to say, you know, "This is what is happening in this piece," and, and let them listen to the piece before then-

[24:36] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.

[24:36] Speaker 3: ... and after then. Certainly even if you're patching in, like as a, as a solo vocal, if I were to patch in, uh, a part of something that I needed to fix or, or adjust, I would be singing prior to that and after that 'cause you still have a different phrasing, different breath-

[24:51] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.

[24:51] Speaker 3: ... different intention within that. You're never just singing that little snippet. You sing a little bit before, a little bit after, so it still has the same line. And so we try to do that as well and say, "This is the story that we're telling. This, in this moment, this is what we're trying to inhabit."

[25:06] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.

[25:06] Speaker 3: "So if you can put your place there, if you can think about that as well, sing a bit before, sing a bit after, um, then, then it generally kind of helps within what we're doing." But, um, I, I, I think it's always better to have the continuity of a full piece if you can just because it's never gonna be the same, but, but the storytelling is so much more vivid, um, whe- and wh- if it's piecemeal, it's not quite as vivid. Um, a- and we always are at the root trying to really tell the story and be truthful and honest in, in what we're telling, even if it's different each time.

[25:42] Speaker 2: Mm. Yeah. That's, that's so important. Um, you have so many amazing albums and projects, but if we were just to look at a few of them, I've been thinking about with it being spring and seasons and kind of the light and dark of the different seasons. So with your Two Way Street, there's a lot of emotional content and hope and heartbreak and openness and resilience and lights and shadows. Do you remember what you were exploring at that time and how it feels alive to you now?

[26:19] Speaker 3: Yeah. It's, it's so wild because it, uh, I, I released, that was my debut album, a double disc album, and it was over a ten year, it might be 14 years ago now (laughs) that I released it-

[26:28] Speaker 2: Oh.

[26:28] Speaker 3: ... which is, which is crazy, but it was such, um... You know, at the time, people were really not releasing albums at, at the ti- at the way that they do now. It was much more you get into a studio, you have a full band, you have all these people and pieces, and it was such a labor of love, and it was one where it was really exploring the light and the darkness, the heartbreak and the love, and how life encapsulates both of those, and a full life has both of those. It's not just one or the other. And at the time, uh, I, I wasn't even dating my husband now. He was a, he was an artistic consultant on the album for me.

[27:07] Speaker 3: (laughs)

[27:08] Speaker 2: Oh. (laughs)

[27:09] Speaker 3: We started dating out, after that actually, which is very funny. Uh, and we started our, our company at that point, Rock City Music, which produces the albums and things, because of that, because we realized in that moment too that so many people want to produce art, but don't have the business acumen to do so. And, and we realized that we could maybe assist and, and help people in doing that, and take care of the business side where somebody else could be an artist. But writing a lot of those songs, I was, I was going through some heartbreak at the time, and so there were more angsty songs within there, but there was still the light and the hope in darkness, which I think is an undercurrent of e- every song, I think. I, I don't know. I think that's just an undercurrent of, of my life.

[27:51] Speaker 2: And of life, yeah.

[27:51] Speaker 3: Of-

[27:51] Speaker 2: In your life.

[27:52] Speaker 3: ... you know, and of most people's lives. And so I think it was, it was a really wonderful time, you know, because we did these great photo shoots and, and, uh, it was just like the first time we could release something new and innovative into the world. And, um, it, it was really, really a wonderful time and a catalyst into the recording world and the recording industry that I hadn't really been a part of just yet, and so it was, it was really a wonderful, uh, stepping stone for me. Yeah.

[28:26] Speaker 2: Hmm. Wow. It's great for everyone to be able to experience that. And your Mother Daughter Christmas album, it's so much warmth and love and your family just bringing it all together with your amazing gifts, and I wouldn't even know where to start to talk about your family-

[28:48] Speaker 3: (laughs)

[28:49] Speaker 2: ... and how beautiful you are hav- Oh, I wish we had more time. Oh my goodness, I wish we had a lot more time.

[28:54] Speaker 3: No, no.

[28:55] Speaker 2: But it just flows, the light just is amazing. And what, what is that like working with your mom?

[29:02] Speaker 3: It's, it's wonderful. I mean, it's something, again, like we've had from day one. You know, I think our first duet, um, our first official duet I think was like in fourth grade at church. I was supposed to sing earlier, I think when I was like three.

[29:16] Speaker 2: (gasps)

[29:17] Speaker 3: So, to sing a Sandi Patty song at church-

[29:19] Speaker 2: No.

[29:20] Speaker 3: ... but I refused because they didn't have a pink pop filter on the mic. I was like, "There's not a pink mic. I'm not singing." Which my dad said, "Babe, don't push her. You know, we don't want her to like, resent music." And I think now with my kids I would've been like, "No. Get up there. We practiced this. We're doing it." (laughs) You know? I don't know if I would've, would've been as, as lenient. Um, but it's, it's funny. You know, we've just, you know, through high school, her being my teacher and, and creating music together, it's just a language that we speak. You know, even now, we're, we're working on this jingle for, um, a, a, a cochlear implant, uh, place in, in Oklahoma, and so we're going back and forth and just shorthanding, "No, change this, change this, change this," and we just read each other really, really well. Um, but, but working with her is, is incredible, and that's, that's why we did the Mother Daughter Christmas as well.

[30:08] Speaker 3: You know, we have a symphony show that accompanies it, but it, um, it's such a novelty to be able to work with your mom like that, that we wanted to make sure that we...... we created something that is lasting, that I can show my kids, we can show my grandchildren. You know, that we can put it down onto paper, as you will, you know. Um, that we don't forget the blessing that it is. And so, it's, it's really been an incredible trajectory of, of inspiration and a lifetime of love and, and creativity together. And, and certainly we also have the mom-daughter dynamic of sometimes she's like, "Mom, Emily, quit mothering me." You know? "I'm not doing that." (laughs) All of those, all of those things really.

[30:52] Speaker 2: Really?

[30:52] Speaker 3: You know? Yes. We're, we're, we have those mother-daughter things too, uh, with it. You know, we're silly and, you know, she makes the best Texas gold bars and all those things that a mom and daughter have too. And then you have Grammy-nominated mom and daughter, you know, aspect too. So it's, it, it's fun to be able to traverse in all those different worlds. Um, and it really is qu- it really is quite a blessing that a lot of people don't have the, the relationship, you know, with their mom that's a good relationship or, or a musical relationship. And so it's, it's something I try to remind myself not to take for granted, you know? Like so many things in this world.

[31:34] Speaker 2: Wow. Well, as we're coming to a close, one thing that's really touched me, and it just, it kind of sums things up, is your beautiful song, I Know Your Name, and it's about your father, and I'd love if you could share a little about that. And I just wanna say how the light of your family just comes through so powerfully through your boys, who are amazing superstars already.

[32:03] Speaker 3: (laughs)

[32:04] Speaker 2: You support and just, um, I hope everyone could follow you, because your posts just light up my day every day.

[32:11] Speaker 3: Uh-huh.

[32:12] Speaker 2: An- can you share how people can learn more about you and, and your events-

[32:16] Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah. Sure, sure.

[32:17] Speaker 2: ... and connect?

[32:17] Speaker 3: Uh, emilydrennan.com. Uh, you can find most things there. I'm on Instagram.

[32:21] Speaker 2: Wait, can you spell Drennan?

[32:22] Speaker 3: Sure, sure. Uh, so it's E-M-I-L-Y, D as in David, R-E-N-N-A-N. All Ns as in Nancy. emilydrennan.com. Instagram's EmilyKDrennan. Uh, Emily Drennan on Facebook. You can always email me if you wanna chat too. I always love chatting with people, emily@emilydrennan.com. You can also just Google that and (laughs) you can probably get a lot of-

[32:43] Speaker 2: That's amazing. I mean-

[32:45] Speaker 3: Yeah.

[32:45] Speaker 2: ... you're ... Like, this, I, I would, like I say, I, I hope you can come back (laughs) 'cause I wanna ask so many more things, but-

[32:50] Speaker 3: No, I would love to. I would love to.

[32:51] Speaker 2: Whenever I have, um, messaged you, just immediately the most beautiful, uplifting, personal messages comes through. You know, here I am, like a week later, "What should I write?" (laughs) You know?

[33:03] Speaker 3: (laughs)

[33:03] Speaker 2: And it's just amazing, everyone. I'm so happy that people could get to know you. And yeah, it's, oh. But if you could please share your story about-

[33:14] Speaker 3: Yeah.

[33:15] Speaker 2: ... I Know Your Name, and then we'll be able to play it after the interview.

[33:17] Speaker 3: Ab- no, absolutely. Um, so I Know Your Name is a song that I wrote about my dad. Uh, he was tragically killed. It'll be four years ago actually on Easter of this year.

[33:28] Speaker 2: Oh.

[33:28] Speaker 3: Um, and, you know, you've heard about his impact on my life and, and just how my parents, um, you know, they were high school sweethearts of 54 years, and just a beloved, encouraging, you know, wonderful person of, of, you know, again, another incredible blessing, um, in my life.

[33:48] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.

[33:48] Speaker 3: And so I wanted to write a song that spoke to all of that, the, the blessing, the thankfulness, the, but also the light and the darkness. You know, because so many people go through grief, um, and we don't talk about grief. We don't talk about it, and everyone will feel or be impacted by death of a loved one or someone at some point in their life. And so I wanted to give voice to that, and voice to a lot of those feelings, particularly in my circumstance where, um, it was because of the recklessness of someone else. So there's anger there. There is, um, frustration, but there's still love and loss, and it's just so many intermingled feelings.

[34:31] Speaker 3: And so I wanted to put a voice to that, literally and figuratively-

[34:35] Speaker 2: That's so good.

[34:36] Speaker 3: ... and say what I wanted to say, and also release, kind of, those feelings so I could move forward. And so I think it was really helpful for me in my grief journey, and it certainly was for a lot of people who reached out in their grief journey as well.

[34:52] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.

[34:52] Speaker 3: And I think it's just so powerful when ... I mean, anything that we experience in life, good or bad, when we put that down on paper and in our artistry, I think it has the ability to touch people in such a more powerful way-

[35:07] Speaker 2: Oh, that's so kind.

[35:07] Speaker 3: ... because it's real and it's genuine, and it's, it's our truth. It's our experience, and that's why we're here. We're here to share our experiences with other people, and them with us, and to help uplift other people through those dark times so they can also see the light and the darkness. And so that was certainly my goal-

[35:29] Speaker 2: That's awesome.

[35:29] Speaker 3: ... and, and certainly one that I aspire to do with, you know, any musical work or any endeavor, you know, in, in my life, if I can.

[35:36] Speaker 2: It's so powerful, the whole concept of how we, we live on and we live on through our love that we share, and your Requiem of Life, the Grammy-nominated album with your mom, it, it just, your, his presence comes through you and your gifts and will always continue to, and thank you for all the ways that it touches, touched me-

[36:06] Speaker 3: No, absolutely.

[36:06] Speaker 2: ... and so many people, and thank you. Thank you so much. So I wanna invite everybody, whatever this conversation stirred in you today, take a quiet moment to ask-What in your life deserves more alignment, more care? And think about a practical step that you could make with honest focus and attention. Maybe it's a dream that you've been wanting to pursue, or a relationship that you could be more present in, or whatever simple steps you could do to help support other people, and build your life in even bigger ways. I can't thank you enough, Emily.

[36:46] Speaker 4: Absolutely. No, this is, this is my pleasure. It's wonderful.

[36:48] Speaker 2: For everything. Your heart is so big. I know everyone feels that. And so, until next time, keep listening for what wants to come alive through your projects, your work, and your life. Blessings and love. I'm rolling.

[37:15] Speaker 4: (instrumental music) I wanted to say something about what happened and do it musically, not only for myself, but also for my family, and also especially for my dad.

[37:47] Speaker 5: I know his name. The one that took it all away.

[37:56] Speaker 4: On April 5th, I got the worst call that you can get. Uh, my mom called and said, "Dad was killed." Those were her words that will forever ring true in my ears. And it's of course one of those moments that you dread your entire life, and nothing can ever prepare you for that rip of your heart. And I think anybody who has experienced something like that would say the same thing. And in that instant, everything changed.

[38:36] Speaker 5: I know his address. I'd like to drive by just to say. That in that moment. He changed everything for me. His carelessness. And recklessness. Changed my reality.

[39:07] Speaker 4: Uh, my dad and I were extremely close, um, growing up. Uh, he was my greatest encourager, uh, the wisest person I've ever known. I had an amazing childhood with wonderful parents, and a lot of that was due to the relationship I had with my dad. I just sat down in a quiet moment and started writing. In the two verses, I wanted to really parallel the two men, the man that killed my dad, and my dad. So, in form, the verses are exactly parallel, they're exactly the same, but in context and in meaning, they're utterly juxtaposed. And I wanted that distinction to be really, really clear, uh, with not only the lyrics, but also with instrumentation. So, in the first verse, it's really hollow. It's empty, it's stagnant. It feels uneasy. Uh, we use open fifths, there are whole notes, but not a lot of harmony. Nothing is moving. It has that just uneasy feeling. And for the verse with Dad, uh, it's, it's totally different. It has harmony, there are eighth notes.

[40:24] Speaker 4: It's lush, it's moving, it's vibrant. So, I wanted to have the colorless and the colorful, um, to try to explain what happened and, and the two, the two men and how they were so different. I also wanted to try to articulate the deeply mixed feelings between anger and bitterness, but also the love and the hope that's there, 'cause it's all intertwined. With grief, it's all mixed up, and I wanted every single one of those present in the song. It is a little hidden gem, uh, for my dad actually. Um, he played trumpet and baritone for 55 years, and growing up, he, and my mom, and I at the end of like public performances would actually play a little phrase, a little lick to say hi to each other in the audience. It was just kind of a hidden wink that nobody else really knew about, and it's actually the Then Her lick. It's the da-da-do-do. So, I have the trumpet player, it's a solo trumpet playing that lick, um, so it's me saying hi to my dad, and perhaps he's saying hi back.

[41:39] Speaker 5: He can take away the memories. Of everything we made. He can take away the laughter. The music will not fade. He can take away the dreams. Of all we did and all we are. The pain is like a shadow. But there's beauty in the scar.

[42:11] Speaker 4: My favorite line that I wrote is one that probably came to me at the very end, and it is, "The pain is like my shadow, but there's beauty in the scar. Forever beauty in the scar, "Because with grief, it is like a shadow. The, the pain is there, it's ever present, whether it is big and in front, or it's just behind and, and underneath the surface. And so it's like a shadow, but there is beauty still in that scar. That scar is forever there, but there's so much beauty in the relationship that we had, and often there's so much beauty in a relationship that someone else had, that I wanted to try to articulate that in some way. A few months after my dad died, we found a cassette tape. It had written on it, "For Emily and Adam." And my brother's Adam. And we'd never listened to it, and it had been recorded 35 years before. And on it, he spends 25 minutes talking just about life and about different things.

[43:18] Speaker 4: And he made the tape, he said, in case the unimaginable happened, and Mom and he didn't come back from a mission trip. And we found this tape right after the unimaginable had happened. And in it, among other things, he says, "Don't be angry at God," and also to try to help other people who might be going through something similar. So I'm trying to do that.

[43:45] Speaker 5: The pain is like my shadow. But there's beauty in the scar. Forever beauty in that scar.

[44:08] Speaker 1: (Music) Thank you so very much for joining us on today's transformative journey. We're honored to have shared this space with you, and we hope you're feeling inspired and aligned with your highest self. For more insights, resources, and to continue your path of healing, be sure to visit karenolson.com, your gateway to deeper sound healing music and wisdom. Remember, Sound Pathways is here every other Wednesday at 9:00 PM Eastern, 6:00 PM Pacific, on BBS Radio TV Station 1. Until next time, stay alive, stay inspired, and let the magic of sound guide you.