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Interested in learning more about Chris Swan's EP "What Is Your Soul Motivation?" Check out our Facebook Live video series by hitting the button below. Learn about the making of the EP (14 years in the making), stories behind the lyrics of the songs, the recording process, and much more! Hosted by Chris Swan himself.
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I am a product of the 90's. All my favorite music (ok, most of it) happened in the early 90's. That was my coming up era and I still turn to some of those forgotten songs of that era to lift me up.
Remember Joe Public? You may not, but I am telling you this song was a huge hit and for good reason. Funky. Happy. Hooky. And it has a great message. I love this tune. I hope it brightens your day just a little bit.
I hope you are living large today.
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Somedays it is so hard to find our smile. I wish everyday we all woke up with a big smile on our face, but that's not how it goes somedays.
This song is still a jam. One of the greatest sing along hooks of the 90's. Whether cuz of sentimental reasons or just cuz it's such a happy song, this tune always makes me smile. If you are having a tough day, take a couple minutes and let Shanice help.
Enjoy and don't forget to smile.
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You heard us right. You can now pre-order your digital copy of the upcoming EP by Chris Swan! The first album of new music released by Swan in over 14 years, "What Is Your Soul Motivation?" will be released at midnight June 1st 2017! This 6 song EP features the theme of fighting negativity and finding your purpose in life. Including the title song as well as tracks like "Start Again" and "Dreamer," this EP will lift you up as well as help you get down!
Did we mention you will save 20% if you pre-order today?! Don't wait another second to assure you get your copy first. This music is guaranteed to inspire you to accomplish the things you want to in your life. Life is way too short to waste anymore time. Grab your copy, listen, get inspired and start changing your life!
YOU CAN PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY OF "WHAT IS YOUR SOUL MOTIVATION" HERE!
HERE'S HOW A PRE-ORDER WORKS
After purchase, you will receive a coupon as well as confirmation of purchase. At 12:00am on June 1st 2017, you will be emailed a link to download your copy of the album. The link will be good for 24 hours. If for some reason, you are not able to get your download within 24 hours, you can just email us your coupon and you will be emailed a new link to download your copy. Be sure to whitelist chris@soulmotivationrecords.com with your email server to assure your link doesn't end up in your spam folder.
So what are you waiting for? Pre-order your copy today! #WIYSM
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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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Who says hip-hop can't be beautiful? Who says hip-hop can't be positive? Who says hip-hop can't be uplifting? It's songs like Blessings by Lecrae that I just want to take to every hip-hop hater and show them what this music can be.
I love this song. It makes me feel very grateful. And it makes me feel very proud to be a hip-hop artist cuz we can change the world with more songs like this.
Enjoy and count your blessings!
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Imagine having a song with YOUR name in it. A song with YOUR slogan in it. A song that SOUNDS and FEELS like you. A song that sets your vision to music. What would it feel like to be working out in the gym to a song talking about your specific goals and dreams. Or how about your new company theme song pumping up the crowd as you walk onstage to give a speech at your next event?
Sounds pretty cool, huh?
That is what we do. Our mission is to heal the world one song at a time. Our favorite way to do that is by supporting people who are a positive force in the universe, just like yourself, by providing them with their very own soundtrack of success. This is where you can take your vision to the next level and connect to your audience on a deeper, emotional level. This is where you can express your dream in a way you never thought possible. This is where we will craft your very own original song to say exactly what you want to say!
And from May 3rd until June 1st we are offering this service for an incredible discount of 50% off! Technically, our company doesn't even launch until June 1st, but we want to reward the people who want to be first in line for this one-of-a-kind service we will be offering! It helps you get an original, trademark song for you or your company and it helps us get a few more awesome examples of what we can do in our portfolio! It is a win-win!
So get ready. Get set. May 3rd we GO!!
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It's easy to be cynical and call a song cheesy just because it has a positive message. But once you turn off the cynicism and allow yourself to smile, that same song can change your life.
This is one of those songs for me. It's a great, catchy pop song. And it always makes me feel better.
Enjoy and keep your head up!
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We are now featuring a series of Facebook Live videos on our Facebook page called "My Journal." This is a series of videos where I read from my daily journal. It gives me a chance to share some of my thoughts on life, health and music. But most importantly, I share a lot of ideas that have helped me a lot in my personal growth and may help you as well. There are new ones coming out live every few days on our Facebook page, but if you haven't been able to catch one live yet, you can check them out at:
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Music is such a powerful tool. It can change our day in an instant. When you are having a rough day and need a musical reminder of how awesome life is, this is the place to go.
This is one of our favorites around here. You can't help but smile when you listen to this catchy jam by the great Kirk Franklin.
Enjoy and keep smiling.
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Soul Motivation Records is on all your favorite social media platforms! Come by, follow, like, subscribe, share and say hi!
Just click on the logo below to find us on that platform
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Why do we always assume the worst about people? Sometimes we don't even realize we do it. I know it sounds a little crazy, but I always assume people think the worst of me. I assume people think I am not "cool" or "savvy." I assume people don't believe in me. I assume people are laughing at me behind my back. Now, I am not doing this on purpose. I am not making a conscious decision to be paranoid. And I know that these statements are not true. But these thoughts are the result of years bad programming. Years of being too hard on myself. Years of not loving myself. And even though that has changed dramatically over the past few years, that old programming is still present in my mind. It lives deep in my subconscious. It keeps replaying like that really annoying song that gets stuck in your head. If you like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain, then you know what I'm talking about.
So how do we change this old programming? How do we eliminate all these lies we keep telling ourselves?
The answer is you saturate your mind with truth.
I was determined to not let the negativity overcome me. So I started doing daily affirmations that spoke truth into my mind. I started reading books on positivity. I started listening to podcasts and YouTube videos that would bombard my mind with positivity and motivation. I started hanging out with positive people. And over time, the truth was revealed:
I am assuming people have the worst opinion of me. And this is making me miserable. It's time for a change.
So I asked myself "Self, what if I always assumed the best about people? Or what if I just assumed that everyone loves me? Or better yet, what if I just assumed that it doesn't really matter what people think? I can't read people's minds. That is not my superpower. So what if I started finding the courage to ask questions? To stop ASSUMING what people are thinking and start ASKING them!"
What a concept! I realized a lot of pain and suffering in my life has come from this one bad habit. I decided I needed to work on not making assumptions anymore. I need to have the courage to ask questions and to express what I really want. What I really need. And wouldn't you know it, things started to change when I did this. I started waking up happier. I started worrying less. I started finding amazing opportunities right and left. I started making music again! The list of changes is endless and I know it isn't finished yet.
Am I fixed? No. I am a work in progress for sure. But I don't think that is the point anyway. The point is to become aware of the thoughts that are making you miserable and do the work to change them. And in that work, true happiness is found. So be strong. Be confident. Be honest and you will get the things you want out of life. The universe told me so. :)
What is the universe telling you right now? Please share in the comment section below!
Chris Swan
Founder and CEO
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I want to be perfect. Like really bad. I want to be a machine. I want to eat only the perfect foods, exercise every single day without missing a day, and I want my music to be the best music on the planet. I strive for these things every single day. And then one day it hit me...
Dangit. You know how hard that is to hear when you are a perfectionist? I think I went through all the steps of grieving after realizing this, especially DENIAL. It took me years to finally believe and understand that I would never be perfect. But what took me even longer to digest was that it's ok to not be perfect! It really is. You can still be great and not be perfect. As a matter of fact, we are meant to be flawed. It's what gives us character. It's what makes us interesting. And it's what drives us to be better. Can you imagine a world of only perfect people? How annoying would that be?! When you really think about it, that sounds awful. That is not the world I would want to live in. So why do I expect myself to be perfect?
Instead of perfection, I strive for greatness. I strive to learn every day. To grow every day. To surround myself with great people every day. To me, that is perfection. That IS the world I want to live in.
So I have learned to forgive myself when I make a mistake. To laugh when I say something "stupid." To learn from criticism instead of giving up. And all these things truly make a perfect life. And I think that is what I really was striving for all these years anyway. I love my flaws. I love the funny little things that make me me. I love laughing at myself. And I love the opportunity to grow every day. I've truly come to love being perfectly imperfect.
Now THAT is perfection. :)
Chris Swan
Founder and CEO
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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...
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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