Music: Oceans by D.S. Bradford – Horsham, PA

Check out new music and Interview from D. S. Bradford “Oceans”
Why did you select this song as your current single?
“Oceans” is my debut single. I had written and recorded several songs, all during a rough time in which I was trying to find myself. I scrapped them all and went back to the starting line. When I reached the finish, I had “Oceans” This song means a lot to me because it was the first song I wrote that meant something real; something relative to how I’ll always feel about the subject, even if I performed it ten years from now
How does this single relate to the rest of the Album, EP or Mix-tape?
This song was meant to be a standalone track. As I am becoming increasingly inspired to write more songs, I’m realizing that this song will become part of a greater collection that will make up a future EP or album in due time. The cover art for this release goes specifically with this song. I am a visual artist, too, and I like to tell stories in that way, as I do with music. Ideally, every song I create in this series will have an accompanying art piece and when the project is complete, the pieces will come together to narrate a complete story – in music AND in illustrations. So, the relation to each other remains to be seen and I am excited to see how this evolves.
What was the writing process for the song?
The writing process usually begins with hearing a melody in my head. As I focus more on my mind’s ear, more elements come together, sometimes entire arrangements. “Oceans” was no exception. It began with one phrase that stuck in my head: “Let’s set sail for a while” I picked up a guitar, worked out the key and tempo, and the vocal melody came along. The rest of the lyrics blossomed from that one line. I am primarily a vocalist and guitarist and since I don’t record with a band, I wrote and recorded all of the parts. All of the technical aspects of writing and recording are fun, but the best part of this song for me are the lyrics.
What does this song’s lyric mean to you?
I wrote this song a couple of years ago after a turbulent time in my life. I recalled the feelings I had of almost losing everything, getting swept up in the wrong things and generally feeling like I had lost my identity throughout it all. I was fortunate enough to have a woman who never left my side and through everything has always supported me, and continues to do so. It is the mutual gift of love and that woman has since become my fiancé and the mother of our son. Just as life changes, evolves, has highs and lows, so do oceans. During the rough patch, towards the end, I closed my eyes and imagined myself in a peaceful place. To me, that was a beach. I thought about what I had done in my life, what my loved ones would think, and instead of writing a song with a depressive connotation, I decided to focus on a story of hope and escaping the warped version of myself. I will always see this song as the catalyst that gave me the freedom to be who I really am and is an honest artistic representation of my inner self. Certain lyrics meant different things to me in their inception than they do now. Most notably, during the chorus, “New life always brings a smile.” – originally represented the relief of becoming whole and realizing that love and people are the most important things in my life. Nowadays, it reminds me of watching my son being born, watching him figure things out and grow, and his smile. His joy makes me smile.
What would it be like to see you in person performing this song?
Loud! [Laughs] I perform with a lot of energy and passion. I like to have fun. This song has an upbeat vibe to it and if I played this live, I’d just like for people to have a good time and feel the music and the message. Music is all about being free and connecting.
Could your fans summarize who you are as an artist by this song?
I believe that fans could get a good idea of who I am by listening to this song. Those closest to me know what I’ve been through and there are people who can relate, I’m sure. However, as with life and creation, we continue to grow and change. I express myself in art and music. One moment I’ll play a rock song, the next moment – I may create an instrumental orchestral piece. We just never know what will strike our soul.
Is there a video planned and or completed and if so, what was the idea behind the video?
As of now, there are no plans to create a video for this song. I have a cover art video on YouTube. I’m mainly focused on creating more music in continuation of this project.
One last question, what is your motivation behind your music?
I can be motivated by lots of things. The reoccurring theme is inspiration from what I feel about overcoming adversity, love, a message to help others, and most importantly: my fiancéand my son. They are everything to me. They inspire me and motivate me in life. Being able to express myself with music and art is a privilege and would mean nothing without their love and support.

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