July 28, 2020
When presented with some extra time as a result of the pandemic quarantine this spring, this teen completed her first album of original music and published it on Spotify! Grace Lundeen tells us about the genesis of her song-writing; her story of composing and recording an album; and her experience putting these songs out into the world.
Guest
Grace Lundeen
I have with me today my first under-18 guest, Grace Lundeen, who just finished her junior year of high school. Grace has an older sister who has been a long-time piano student of mine, and just graduated from high school and is leaving me to go to college out of state; and Grace has a younger brother, who has been good friends with my son Erik ever since they were in preschool. So I have had the privilege of getting to know two of Grace’s siblings down through the years, but I have not had the chance to get to know Grace very much. So I was really intrigued when Grace’s mother just happened to casually mention that Grace had just published a 13-song album on Spotify this spring! Of course, I wanted details! And Grace’s mother, Julie, told me: “I honestly had nothing to do with it. You’ll have to ask Grace!” So Grace, thank you so much for agreeing to answer my questions and tell us about your experience writing and creating these songs and putting them out into the world.
Notes
- Grace’s Spotify album is titled, “Broken Expectations.”
- Grace tells us about:
- her musical background prior to writing her album;
- the instruments she plays;
- the equipment she uses to record;
- her experiences auditioning for The Voice; and
- her grandfather’s contribution to her first recorded song.
Connect/Other Resources
- Grace’s Spotify album: Broken Expectations
- YouTube
- Grace used TuneCore to host her songs
- For more on the wonders of the ukulele, check out Ep. 5: Why is the Ukulele So Popular? with Ukulele Ambassador to Michigan Ben Hassenger
- We mention the book, “What Music Means to Me,” by Richard Rejino. It’s a wonderful collection of pictures and answers to that question from a wide spectrum of people.
- Grace’s friend Ian Anthony also has an album on Spotify
Coda
Grace tells us about the first song she recorded, “Headlights.”
Thank you for having me!! It was really fun to sit down and have this chat with you!
It was great to hear the story of how this album came to be — I’m so impressed with how you used your extra quarantine time! Keep it up!