Blair West With ‘All This To Say’

New York, USA based folk-pop singer/songwriter, Blair West joins us to talk all about her debut single release, ‘All This To Say’.

Influenced by artists such as Joni Mitchell, Jewel, and Taylor Swift, began her musical songwriting journey at the age of 5, with a background in playing piano, guitar and getting involved in musical theatre.

Developing a successful career in journalism and marketing in New York, Blair’s music took a backseat, however, the pandemic gave her the perfect opportunity to take the time to focus on her creative passion.

Having dreamt the concept up in her sleep one night, Blair West’s debut single, ‘All This To Say’ is the first track from her upcoming debut EP and was written in her apartment bathroom, as a way to find the space to play in a small New York studio apartment that she resided in with her now fiancé.

The song, featuring the strumming of an acoustic guitar, combined with sound of synth and strings, is about her experience in love, “having your partner accept every part of you, not just the pretty pieces.”.. The lyrics read as a love letter that contains the harmonious polarity of being uplifting yet pulling at your heartstrings.

This is a song that is sure to get you in touch with your own story of being in love.

You can listen to ‘All This To Say’ below:

Tell us a little about who you are in everyday life.

I’m lucky to live in NYC, with my fiancée.

Most days are spent in my little studio/office, where  I work and make music.

I try to gig around New York as much as possible after work and on the weekends.

Otherwise, you can find me leaning into my introversion and watching Bravo and knitting (ha)….or, to my extraversion, and bopping around the city.

What was it that first got you into music?

I’ve been writing music since I was a kid.

Growing up, I always knew music was a part of me, whether playing piano or acting in musicals or writing guitar melodies in the late hours during high school.

I dabbled in pursuing music professionally throughout my early adult life, but it wasn’t until several years after college that I realized there was no passion stronger than my passion for music.

It was something I couldn’t ignore anymore.

And I finally decided to “go for it.”

How would you describe the feel of your music?

My sound is a mix of folk-pop with indie influences… maybe if Joni Mitchell, Jewel, and Taylor Swift had a baby, it would be me? Ha!

I spent many years trying to ‘find my sound,’ and was so often caught up in what was the ‘coolest’ or most ‘sophisticated’ way to express myself musically.

These days, I remind myself to write songs that feel good to my ear.

I grew up appreciating the beautiful simplicity in folk music, and those traditional melodies, in my opinion, are often the hardest to create.

I always challenge myself to get back to the basics — agnostic of what’s trendy or musically cutting-edge.

If my great- great- great- grandchildren came across this song, would it make them feel something?

Would the message and melody give them a peaceful place to be for a few minutes?

If yes, then I’d be happy.

You have released your new single, ‘All This To Say’.. tell us a little about how this single came about.

I wrote this song in my apartment bathroom during the depths of the pandemic.

So often, my songs would evolve to express my feelings of sadness and melancholy (past relationships, heartbreak, personal turmoil).

To my earlier point, sometimes expressing the most simple sentiments, such as ‘I love you’ can be the hardest — it always sounds cliche, or indulgent, or obsequious.

I wanted ‘All this to Say’ to be a sort of love letter to my relationship —expressing the relief and joy that comes with being truly accepted by a partner — about the peace that comes with real love.

I started free-writing this love letter and, very unusually, the song and melody came out very naturally and quickly.

There was lots of fine-tuning in the production process, but the actual writing took me only a few minutes.

What does ‘All This To Say’ mean to you?

If the pandemic has taught me anything, it’s that there is no place to hide the dark parts of oneself from your significant other.

And Ben (my fiancée) lets me be the most ‘me’ I can possibly be. In this way, it’s a little polaroid snapshot of our life together in the pandemic, and seeing each other “in the light and in the dark.”

It was important to me that this song resonate with other people, but also include specific little details of my everyday life, like “that 1950s heater stops and starts.”

You had a lot of success with a YouTube acoustic version of the song.. what was your experience in sharing the song with your YouTube community?

It’s been so amazing.

People have reached out to me about the small little details like “I’ll keep all the tchotchkes you don’t want” or bigger concepts, like “you cuddled with my fears,” and honestly, it sounds cliche, but that just means the world to me as an artist.

If I can communicate with just ONE person on this scale, I’m so fulfilled. So if it’s more than a few people, then all the better.

What is your creative process like, when you are creating your music?

My songwriting process is never the same.

Sometimes I start with a poem or phrase I’ve written that feels dynamic to me, or sometimes it’s a beautiful melody or chord progression that calls me in.

Some of the songs I’ve written, like ‘All this to Say,’ took minutes to create. 

While others, well… those take months and months and will never see the light of day.

Has there been anything along the releasing process that you would do differently next time?

This is my first release, so I’m crossing my fingers but also keeping my expectations in check.

There are so many different ways to promote music so the process is so intimidating!

Hopefully I’ll get clarity on what works and what doesn’t work for next time.

What would success in your music look like to you?

That’s a great question!

There are lots of external benchmarks for success — monetization, following, streams, ticket sales etc. — but I try to keep my success within my own purview.

Improving my craft over time, being comfortable as a performer, and making music that I really, really love — that is the real success.

Is there any message that you would like to share with your audience?

Thank you so much for listening!

And please feel free to reach out to me on Instagram, would love to be friends 🙂

Where can people go to find your music?

My Spotify will be up Jan 7 with my first song!

Otherwise, on Instagram at @_blair_west