Today we’d like to introduce you to wren.
wren, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Getting to where I am today has been a journey to say the least. I began singing in 7th grade, after my aunt was the first person to actually encourage my passion for music. I sang in the choir for about five years after that, but have since parted ways with organized religion. However, I do feel spiritual and connected to some larger energy and I respect what it means to be devoted to a faith.
My acceptance into the University of Southern California is definitely the greatest turning point in my life. That was the catalyst for the past four years of growth and rebirth within myself. Scholarships and a great financial aid package from USC afforded me the opportunity to focus on who I wanted to be, and what I wanted to do. Growing up low-income didn’t necessarily provide the best space to develop a strong sense of self beyond what I had to do to survive, so this freedom was new to me.
In these past four years I have been able to develop myself as a musician. I’m at a place where I am producing my own music, crying at the guitar and instead of simply having a vision, I have developed the skills necessary to articulate that message.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Things have not been the easiest, but I definitely recognize the privileges that I do have as a white person maneuvering this world, and I want to acknowledge that.
For 18 years, my biggest concern was hiding my sexuality. 3 years later, I am in the best place I have been with my self-identity however. I feel fluid, unbound to any expression. The various performances of gender are mine to play with, and sexuality is a spectrum that I’m happy to travel wherever my mind, heart and other things lead me.
I’ve had to learn how to get myself out of manipulative relationships and while that was probably the hardest time of my life, it showed me how to be dutiful to myself and my own needs. But to do that, I had to take some time to figure what pieces of me I wanted to nourish and what parts of me needed to be worked on. Therapy and my friends are my go to sources for personal reflection and development.
People often take their health for granted, I know I did. Suffering from TMJ has caused me to become acutely aware of pain, and what chronic pain can do to your mental health. I’ve found monumental relief on that front through chiropractor visits and using a jade roller however.
As for music, the greatest challenges were allowing myself to suck for a little bit. At times I let myself become discouraged by my own shortcomings. I’ve learned to turn those shortcomings into motivation however, and self-teach or seek out the information that can turn those shortcomings into skills. I feel the most independent as a musician that I ever have.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
Currently I am focused on producing and collaborating with others, maintaining and re-discovering my own authenticity and being a positive light for those around me. I want to input feelings and experiences into music. Now that I have better skills, my focus has been able to expand past the technicalities of what I’m making, and think about how it is relaying the emotion that I am trying to express. It feels good to let myself experience my emotions and then directly try to articulate them. I hope that it connects when people hear my music.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My plans are to keep releasing music and visuals. I have a single coming out the week before Halloween. It’s influenced by the spooky season and a *special* room at a rave I went to in DTLA.
I also hope to start writing songs for other people. One genre I would like to write for is country. I grew up on it, and love singing/writing it, but honestly I would love to be a songwriter for any genre. I just want to create.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @worldwarwarren
- Twitter: @cumgetyalljuice
Image Credit:
Samantha Wainwright
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