(Photo credit Carla Fosalba)

By Shelley Thomas

Each of us is born with innate gifts and wisdom. As time goes on, we forget…our loveliness, our confidence, our light; we forget who we are. This life is filled with adventure, certain pain and uncertain dreams. It is up to us to reclaim our joy in the face of suffering. To choose to shine brightly and unabashedly. To accept the fullness of who we are and transcend the paradigm of competition, separation, and scarcity that our societal narrative perpetuates. Only you can claim your heart’s wishes for this life, and bring them to fulfillment.

Art is engrained in my heritage. I’ve always been deeply creative, and always known that I would be a singer. Music has filled my life with meaning and vibrancy. It has allowed me to experience the divine through energetic vibration here on earth, and introduced me to the gorgeous cultures of this planet that each have their own nuance and splendorous style. I have traveled to nearly twenty countries and studied with over forty teachers of many musical traditions. I’m inspired by the diverse capacity of the human voice, by ornamentation, ritual, symbolism, and the spiritual qualities of music.

I am a singer, composer, and oud player. I blend elements of Balkan, Arabic, West African, Hindustani, Pop-Soul, and Classical music into a new genre called World Chamber Pop. I use microtonal string quartet, strong rhythmic drive, ethereal vocals and synth, and delicate textures of oud and qanun to create a cinematic, emotive style. It is music made for dancing and meditation, laughter and tears, dreams and action, connection and celebration.

As an acutely empathic person, I know firsthand the power that music has to unlock a human spirit. It has an empirically-proven capacity to heal ailments and illnesses including high blood pressure, autoimmune and neuromuscular disorders, substance abuse, anxiety, dementia, Alzheimers, depression, and a broken heart. It affects our respiration, pulse, and brain waves; reduces tension and increases endorphins. It is present in crucial rites of passage — weddings, funerals, and every moment of life in between. It is metaphysical, mathematical, multifaceted, and humble, never asking to be glorified for what it is — the soundtrack and energetic bed of our lives.
It blesses the performer and listener alike through moments of elation, intense sentience, and inspiration.

The most incredible part of composing is that each work has a life of its own — it wants to come through me, in spite of me. Each song has a personality— heavy, lighthearted, hopeful, intense, ecstatic, mysterious, exuberant, punctuated, jagged, joyful, broken, unified — that is reflective of the specific life experience it channels. The songs that I love the most contain the deepest experiences of love within them. Everything that I’ve felt is sourced from life and returned through my sound. It is an obvious secret: my entire soul is bared in my music, and on stage, I give all of who I am. After the show, I am empty, yet complete in my purpose and in my joy.

In the mornings as a child, I used to throw my arms up wide and say, “I’m AWAKE!” with an infectious zest for life. It takes diligence to retain that enthusiasm alongside life’s jading rejections and tragedies, but as we strip away judgement, insecurities, and baggage, we can soften, find fullness in each moment, and feel free in our creativity. I find that a sober lifestyle helps to facilitate this by gifting me with clarity, energy and presence.

We all have the capacity for finding joy, creativity, and meaning through our unique life path. We each have songs, ideas, stories, creations of all varieties that will not exist if we don’t give birth to them. As Oliver Wendall Holmes says: “Many people die with their music still in them. Too often it’s because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it time runs out.”

Let us not, for one moment, forget our very real and impending deathbed which asks in the last breaths of life: Did I fully live? Did I step into my purpose or dither in apathy? Did I make myself small or embrace my own magnificence?

And my soul implores:
Please choose to give your all to this precious life.

Music is an incredible gift that heals, uplifts and unites us. It brings moments of immense beauty amidst sorrow, connecting hearts with buoyancy through hardship and isolation. It reminds us of our shared humanity and infinite potential. It serves as an alchemical vessel, transforming pain into purpose that transcends all suffering. Since antiquity, music intimately accompanies humankind on its journey towards self-actualization. I am but one artist in a long lineage, choosing to joyfully create, embrace the journey, and surrender daily to the creative essence with humility, optimism, and love.