Jack
Fuller

The inspiration came at a time where all I had to heal myself emotionally was the stage. I was very insecure about everything in my life — but most of all I questioned the level of my talent. “On the stage, one can’t hide.” That felt so important to my well-being. The inability to hide, the choice not to — the stage was always liberating. It helped me feel good about who I am. Weirdness and all.

The songwriting process tends to be magical. I’m not one of those songwriters who practices writing by forcing myself to create. I do better letting whatever message comes to me arrive naturally and becoming the vessel for that message to be delivered through song. To me, the act of opening oneself up is something you practice in everyday life. Besides “Encore,” I have a song called “The Build” that seemed to write itself.

I definitely improvised a bit in the middle and end. I love ornaments, riffs, melismas — creating interesting colors over an already existing picture. Whether I painted it myself originally or I’m “improving” on a classic. I don’t always improvise though. Songs like “With Every Breath I Take” from City of Angels have a melody that needs no new colors other than the heart of the performer.

To my fellow songwriters — remember what we do is something like a ministry. You’ve done your job if your song has touched even one person’s heart. To listeners — you don’t have to take only what you’re given. If you’re bored, go hunt for new artists or old ones you may not know. Realize there are songs in keys you’ve never heard, and it’s time you got hip. Love you all.