Holy "Cow"rites

WOW! What a busy week! I had 3 co-writes with 3 absolutely amazing/incredible/talented (you get the point?) Musicians this week.. I just can't get enough of this stuff. 

In the works with Jessie Kaye
We both discussed how much we dislike it when girls are fake. Come on be yourself! There is no need for all the make-up, gossip, or big productions. We are all human, it's okay if you get a zit..we all do, that's life..unfortunately! The song is going to be an anthem to the girl that thinks putting on a facade makes you beautiful. It doesn't..it only make me wanna knock you down a little (into a soft foam pit of course). I live in a community full of barbies and fake eye lashes. Yes, you girls are beautiful on the outside but getting to know the girl behind the plaster makes me proud to say..I have no idea what half the products in your make-up bag are for. It also makes me question how you get such a nice tan..in the middle of January..I know there isn't much snow but for some reason I don't think you are across the street swimming at Seven Peaks. I know I'm not the only girl that's had to deal with "mean girls" but you'd think that stuff would end after high school (grow up?). I can't wait to see where this song ends up but I know these "southern Bel's" are just [The Help] i needed to write another song.


David Oliver my partner in crime
This 10 hour co-write almost had up in hand-cuffs..joking. David came to me a few weeks ago with an idea for a song. Rejection, something everyone is familiar with. I've been rejected numerous times and David wanted advice on what to do so it won't happen to him anymore. This was an interesting subject for us to work on together because (apparently) a year ago David met me and I rejected him (The Story: David was visiting his friends and they introduced us, he wanted to ask me on a date but was to scared and didn't..therefore I never had the opportunity to reject him). So him being the Rejectee and me being the Rejecter. Perfect, right? So we (I) started writing, writing, writing and came up with the idea of him always being shut up or locked out. LOCK OUT went into my brain and out came words like Criminal intentions, Double Jeopardy, Guilty, Crime, solitary confinement..Watch out girls cause David's on an investigation to get justice for our wrongful doings.

Austin Jones+Chantel Lauren= Country Strong
Best Co-Write yet! This kid is the best. We decided it would be fun to start our co-write learning a cover song and just messing around to get a feel for each others musical personalities. Once we started singing we just couldn't stop..Duets in the future? I think so! Austin started playing a few chords and asked me how they made me feel. The first words to come to my mind were "running away" It was like someone is trying to get away from a situation as fast as they possibly can, leaving their past behind. BINGO..the song started to take off. We came up with this story of a wife leaving her husband after finding out he had been cheating. It wasn't the first time this had happened but it was definitely going to be the last. This Woman has power, that's for darn sure. Think of a Miranda Lambert/Toby Keith vibe and you'll get my latest song, Gone.

Notice Me

So I've recently started re-writing a few songs I've already "published". The story of the song is exactly where I wanted it to be but the delivery wasn't perfect. I'm taught the only way to write a Hit song is to be completely honest with yourself and your audience. So here is the Story of an old song about to make a new Debut in a few months. 

The Story:

It had been almost 7 months since my ex-boyfriend had completely tore me apart. I was ruined and I thought things could never be the same. I knew I didn’t need a boy to live my life, so I spent the next 7 months of my life focused purely on my music and treated men like dirt. I rejected their calls and offers left and right. I strung them along and tore them down just the same way I had been because, apparently, I thought I could change the male race. Then one day I woke up, I decided that maybe it is possible for me to forgive and let someone into my life again. So I signed up for an institute class at school, the only reason people really take those classes is to mix and mingle. I walked in and my eyes when straight to his. As he sat in the front row, he looked up at me and I asked if I could sit next to him. He seemed quite and it was intriguing for some reason. He was awkward and shy but at the same time captivated my attention with just a smile.

            As the semester went on I couldn’t wait to go to my institute class, just 50 minutes a week was all I saw him but it kept me constantly thirsting for more. He found out I was a songwriter and asked me to write him a song, I told him I can’t because I only write mean songs for boys and he was too nice. He laughed. He was so adventurous and I was seeking something new in my life. He snowboards, rock climbs loves the outdoors and had such strong faith. He was everything I was striving to become. For some reason I wanted to be with him all the time. I had only felt this once before and I knew how terribly that ended but it didn’t seem to matter. After much waiting and trying to hint that I thought he was something special he asked me on a date to go rock climbing. I was so trilled all my hard work paid off but the timing was wrong. I had a singing performance that night and I had to turn his invitation down, I was devastated. It had taken him almost 2 months before working up the courage, I guess, to ask me out and I had to say no. Then later than evening after my show I texted him to see if he wanted to do something else. He replied inviting me over to his house to watch a movie. I quickly got dressed and drove to see him. I was so excited! Everything was going perfect, we had great conversations and I could really see myself being good friends with this kid. After that evening I had to wait a whole week to see him again in class, it was miserable. But when I did nothing had changed, I was still just another girl. No more invitations came to hangout that weekend. I was so confused, had I done something wrong? But then in April, the last month of class he asked me out on another date to eat sushi, I was nervous because I had never had it but I went anyway. It was such a trip, needless to say I had a difficult time eating it but I pretended I liked it anyway. On the way home from that evening festivities we were listening to Jack Johnson and John Mayer.  He told me how he loved the song Stop this Train because of the relationship it shares between John and his Parents. He also asked me if I would tell him id he had a good voice, he sang for me better together by Jack Johnson. I died; it was the sweetest Tenor voice. I would have listened to him for hours.  After that evening I was officially hooked! There was no turning back I had a huge Crush on this boy. He had managed to make all the pain and sorrow disappear. It was like my heart had been healed again and that I can love.

            Well there were only 2 more classes left and that was all the time I got to spend with him. He never asked me out again but I was head over heels and I wasn’t about to let this one get away. I knew that earlier that year as a joke he had asked me to write him a song. And I knew that if I wanted him to know how I felt that is exactly what I was going to have to do. I knew this was a big risk. I could get totally rejected and heart broken again or have a fantastic movie moment to tell for years. The night before the last class I wrote a song, a Great song. My pen just danced on the paper. The words seemed to just flow out so naturally. The music came to life and everything was just perfect.

            After class we walked to the library where our final goodbyes would take place. Once we started to part I worked up the courage to stop him and hand him the CD. He was in total shock that I had actually written him a song. He gave me a huge hug then proceeded to walk away. My stomach seriously dropped at this moment. What was I thinking? People don’t do this in real life! But I couldn’t go back now. 5 minutes later, he texted me. I was nervous to check my phone but I eventually did. “Chantel, you’re song was Amazing!” When I read those words I being to shake and cry. He liked my song! But did he like what I said in the song? I replied, “Thanks! It was really nice getting to know you this semester” leaving it open for him to ask me out again or answer back to my song. He said, “It was nice meeting you too”. That was it. He never talked to me again.

            Life is funny sometimes, this story could have been a romantic fairytale but instead it turned out exactly how reality does, sucky. We don’t always end up with the hotness monster or any boy in fact. Sometimes we have to step back and look what we really gained from these silly life situations. I didn’t land the boy or even another date, but I did get a new song, which has opened many doors in my music career. Most importantly he helped me open my heart again. Yes, he turned me down and I could have taken that negatively and went right back to the dark whole I was in, but I knew I never wanted to go back to that place. I just wanted to be happy again. And for that I thank him. Because someday, somewhere, I’ll meet a boy and he will appreciate me for who I am, I wont have to try and impress him or change my lifestyle to fit his. Because things will just happen naturally and only good can come from that. There is a boy just waiting to notice each one of us, we just have to be open to the danger of getting hurt and let him in.