Hit play to hear what inspired my song Perfect and what I hope you get out of it. And be sure to share this video with those who you think need to hear it!
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Perfect: The Story Behind The Song
Influence: The Story Behind The Song
Hit play to hear what inspired the song Jarmel Reece and I wrote together called Influence and what we hope you get out of it! And be sure to share this video with those who you think need to hear it!
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The Mess Around: The Story Behind The Song
Hit play to hear what inspired the song Chela Mancuso and I wrote together called The Mess Around and what we hope you get out of it! And be sure to share this video with those who you think need to hear it!
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Pain: The Story Behind The Song
Hit play to hear what inspired my song Pain and what I hope you get out of it! And be sure to share this video with those who you think need to hear it!
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Creed and Vision: The Story Behind The Song
Hit play to hear what inspired my song Creed and Vision and what I hope you get out of it! And be sure to share this video with those who you think need to hear it!
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H.O.P.E.: The Story Behind The Song
Hit play to hear what inspired my song H.O.P.E. and what I hope you get out of it! And be sure to share this video with those who you think need to hear it!
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New Singles From Chris Swan Every Month!
Yep, you heard that right. Starting May 1 2018, I will be releasing a new single every month up until the release of my new album in November. Oh yea, I have a new album coming out in November! I'm so excited for you to hear it. It's all about the simple joys and complex heartaches that we all go through in life. This album is me talking to you about the struggles I have as well as the moments of victory. I want you to know you are not alone. And I want you to know that there is always H.O.P.E.!
I know you will find peace, comfort and encouragement in these songs just like I do. And with the power of music on your side, you are destined to live the amazing life you deserve!
H.O.P.E.
The new single from Chris Swan
Coming May 1, 2018!
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So, Now What? Life After A Big Launch.
We did it! We made it to launch day and we made it on time! Everything got done. Everything got released. We are up and running! What a crazy couple of months it was! I don't think I have ever been that busy in my entire my life. And you know what? I loved every single minute of it.
Ok. So. Now what?
It's weird how you put so much into one day. I'm guessing it is very similar to the feeling a newlywed couple has after their big wedding day. They must think "That was a whole lot of work for one day. For one party. But now what do we do? Where do we go from here? Sure, we get a honeymoon but then what? We have to get back to real life. What is that going to be like?"
I for sure have been experiencing some of those same feelings over the past few days. Launch day was amazing but honestly now is the fun part. Now that the company is established and we have our first release of music out there, we get to build. We get to find our people and grow our tribe. We get to meet people who need to hear that they can change what they don't like about their lives. We get to go out there and really share our message of hope. Change lives. This is what it's all about!
What To Do After A Big Launch
1. Set new goals
2. Make a new plan
3. Get to work!
The day after the launch I slept. A lot. But then the next day, I got up and fine tuned my goals moving forward, especially for the next 3-6 months. And then I created a plan of action to achieve those goals. Just because you are heading towards a huge day, that doesn't mean life stops on the next one. Set some goals, make a plan, and get onto the next phase! And that is what we are doing now...
So what's up next for Soul Motivation Records? We have lots in store. Check out our recent What's Next blog post to see all that is coming up. And be sure to sign up for the email list so we can keep you posted on all the haps. Here's to the honeymoon and to the amazing journey that follows!
This is going to be fun.
Chris Swan
Founder and CEO
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#WIYSM
So where did Soul Motivation Records come from? How did it begin?
This is a cassette tape.
I love music. I have been a musician my whole life. Since my first gig at the age of 12, I was hooked. Even when I was still in single digits, I loved recording songs off the radio onto a cassette tape (remember those?) and I would play the tape over and over and over again while I sat at the piano and picked out the chords one note at a time. Then once I figured it out, I would go in my room and record my own version of it onto my 4-track cassette recorder (remember those?). After doing that for a few years, I started writing my own songs. I got so excited by the creation process! To think I could make a song that said exactly what I needed to say out of thin air. It was amazing. And I knew I was going to be doing this for the rest of my life!
Or so I thought.
Being an adult is hard. Once I got out of college, I toured with my band LP Outsiders for quite a few years. But when that finally ended, I had to figure out how to make money. Instead of getting a "real" job, I decided I would do whatever it took to make a living as a musician. As it turns out, that meant learning a lot of other people's songs and playing them in bars for drunk people. Now don't get me wrong, I had fun for a few years. But after 15 years of doing that, I started to feel empty inside. What is the point of just playing other people's songs? Why am I not writing and performing my own music anymore? That is what I got into music for. It's weird how you can get to the point of feeling trapped very quickly and that's how I felt. Trapped. I was tired, depressed, fat and an alcoholic. See the only thing that made gigs fun after a while was drinking. So alcohol became my obsession instead of music. It didn't take long until I felt completely defeated.
Then I turned 40.
Wow! What a wake up call 40 was! I had lived on this earth for 40 years and had almost nothing to show for it. I didn't want any regrets on my death bed. I wanted to live. I wanted to create. I wanted to help other people who felt trapped. What was I doing?! It was time for a change.
And that is when Soul Motivation Records began. I knew I wanted to make my own music again. But I also wanted my music to mean something. I wanted to help people, inspire people. I wanted to be the musical Tony Robbins. I wanted to make motivational music that was dope music with an inspiring message. Oh man, I could do this! I could make a living creating music again! Once I started to believe that, there was no turning back!
Starting a company is really hard. Starting a music company is almost impossible. All your friends will tell you why you can't make a living with music anymore. Everyone will tell you it's way too much work. People won't understand when you have to stay home to write a blog post instead of going out drinking with them. You have to be ready to go against the flow. Everyday. But do you want to be like everyone else? Miserable. Doing what they think they are suppose to do. Drinking every night so they have something to enjoy.
What Is Your Soul Motivation? - EP
Nope. Not me.
Now I have a company that helps people everyday. I get to spend my days making awesome music in my studio. And on June 1 2017, I got to release my first album of new material in over 14 years! It's called "What Is Your Soul Motivation?" and I can't wait for you to hear it! It's all about overcoming negativity and finding your purpose in life. I'm so excited that I get to share this music with the world. I also get to meet people who are hurting and help them find their soul motivation. And when you get to see people start to see all the possibilities in their life and the sparkle come back into their eyes, well, that my friends is what it is all about. I am so proud of Soul Motivation Records and so excited for the future. We are just getting started so come along with us for the ride as we heal the world one song at a time! #WIYSM
Chris Swan
Founder and CEO
P.S. "What Is Your Soul Motivation?" EP is available now! Download your copy HERE!
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New Beginnings
Starting over is hard. Starting something new is even harder. But what would life be without these new beginnings?
Photo by Abbie Takes Pictures
Hi. My name is Chris Swan and I am the Founder and CEO of Soul Motivation Records. Getting here was quite a journey and I am going to tell you my story over the course of many blog posts. But let's start here...
I love music. Ever since I was a little kid, I have been singing, making songs and entertaining people. It is who I am. Music is what I was made to do. I have never doubted that for one second of my life. Sometimes, however, life takes us in weird directions. Somewhere along the way, music stopped being fun for me. I stopped creating and just gave in to playing other people's music for money. "Hey, at least you get to do what you love?" I would hear people say that all the time. But playing cover songs isn't what I love. I didn't get into music to play Brown Eyed Girl every night. What was I doing with my life?!
After years of playing other people's music and letting it keep me down and depressed, I decided enough was enough. I have to create the music of my soul. I have to share my music with people who need to hear it. I want to make music that inspires and motivates people. I want to make music that helps people who are being held down by their choices in life to see all the greatness that awaits them. All we have to do is decide to change. And that's what I did. I decided to change and...
Soul Motivation Records was born.
I can't tell you how much this one decision has already changed my life. It is not easy to make changes. It is not easy to create a new company. It is not easy to tell everyone you are going to do something that they all tell you is impossible. But it just doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. I know what my soul needs. I know what the world needs. I know what I was created to do on this planet. And no one is going to stop me now.
So here is to new beginnings. Here is to making that decision to change. And here is to finding the motivation of your soul. I believe in you.
Chris Swan
Founder and CEO
P.S. Good job making it all the way to the bottom of this article! Reading is hard, isn't it? As a reward for all your hard work, click below for some free music!
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