My Dad Two Thumbs Upped MY Song

I am a singer and songwriter who loves in Brooklyn, NY. I have been writing songs for a very long time. My writing journey started with poetry and since then, I have found myself dabbling in other genres of writing and songwriting seems to have become one of those things I fully immerse myself into the most.

My father surprised me the other day by telling me that he had been enjoying watching my YouTube Channel and that my original song that I penned, "Wherever You Are" is superb.

http://www.youtube.com/sj1and0

"Wherever You Are" is track number 5 off of my first ever musical release entitled Finally JNote. All lyrics, music, and vocals on the original tune are by Stephanie Jeannot and can be found on CDbaby if you are interested! 

It was so unexpected to hear such a warm compliment that just inspired me in so many ways; especially coming from my dad. What a blessing to have heard it! It is weird but compliments coming from my parents when my music or anything that comes out of my spirit is concerned, still makes me feel like that was the one word of confidence I was waiting to hear to know that I am doing alright! 

As I think about that, I wonder about my younger cousin who a few days after Christmas committed suicide and left us in mourning. Maybe all he needed was a good word of confidence to feel like he was okay. But, one never knows and yet, it is still hard to comprehend what he might have been going through. Wherever you Are cuz, I hope that you have found peace with yourself.

I did not expect people to enjoy "Wherever You Are" as much. This is the first song I have ever performed internationally and wherever I was singing it, I noticed people were singing along and it is always a pleasure to see people reacting to these lyrics. If you are interested in knowing the lyrics, you can check them out here: http://www.songlyrics.com/stephanie-jeannot/wherever-you-are-lyrics/#disqus_thread

I recently had the opportunity to perform this song with my band, The JNote Band, and as usual when performing with them, it was bursting with energy, great sound and a whole lot of fun. 

On bass was my twin brother, Mark Payne; I call him twin because we celebrate our birthdays on the same day. And on drums was Richie Johnson. On keys was Prrrl. On vocals we had Jazz E Matt, Chynnah Doll, Nico and me singing my lyrics to the song. The live music photograph from this performance was taken by Laurence Sparks. Our performance was at Shrine World Music Venue which is located in Harlem, NY.  


I invite you to please check out out this performance. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/OCw3KDKnguU 

I would love to hear what you think! Please leave me a comment, a good word, or even a song that you think might suit my voice that you think I should try. I always appreciate the idea of enhancing my awareness and knowledge about music. It was a pleasure convening with you today. Hope that we can do it again soon. God bless and thank you for stopping by my blog! 

One Skein At A Time

The art and love of crocheting took root in my heart and grew into love about a decade ago when I was sick and in bed with the mumps. I didn’t want to accept the truth that my perfect attendance record was going to be tarnished suddenly because I was caught up in the fire of an ailment. But it was becoming evident all around me that the contagious thing that took over me, was going to leave me bed-ridden and home until it withered away.  

What was an over-active lady supposed to do when so many tasks were clamoring for my attention while I was forced to be in hearty accord with my bed? The answer; rest.

I tried. I slept. I lied in bed with the television on. But I couldn’t alleviate this attachment to the opinion that I needed to be doing something other than. And so, I found something to do to keep me active. 

One Skein At A Time

I took out a crochet needle and started making hats. I saw an old coworker of mine getting crafty with a needle one day and the idea of gauging and skeining gained enormous influence over me. And so, she showed me the basics and thank God she did because as time kept stealing past me as I lied feeling defeated by my sickness, I crocheted and crocheted some more. The art of it enabled me to be at peace with where I was at that moment in time.

Changing the Needle 

Finally I got back on my feet and wanted to test what I made amongst my friends and co-workers. Who knew that I would sell so many of my hats that day that it would leave me convinced that I was supposed to be making hats. I started to enjoy the fruits of my labors even more when I started vending my crafts at street fairs.

At one particular street fair, a man approached me and told me that he wanted some hats for his store located in Greenwich village. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn. He told me he wanted fifty hats. I said that I could have them for him in a week or so. He told me he wanted them by Friday. 

For the next five days until the time of our meeting, I sat up day and night, through my lunch breaks, on the buses and trains and during every free moment I could find, and I crocheted. Friday came and about an hour before our meeting time, I accomplished the fifty, only for him to ask me for fifty more for the following Friday, which provided me with additional time to adjust my sails and do what I was tasked to do and add signature tags to the new set of fifty that would hang in the Greenwich store's window display on West 8th Street.

I don’t crochet as much as I used to anymore, though when the rain and snows take over the New York landscape, I find myself on my couch skeining away. 

I’ve made hats. I've made bags. I've made baby booties. I've made bibs. I once made a queen-sized granny square blanket as a gift for my loved ones. I’ve made ornaments in bulk for baby showers and bridal showers. I have crocheted scarves and dresses and even teddy bears. 

But now with my same heavy hand that I write, it seems as if carpel tunnel is somewhat taking over it with the pain my wrist is anchoring to. But crocheting was a love of mine and still is which is why, I always did it with this joy in my heart that turned into love.

Crocheting Love Songs

Artwork by Ricardo Ricky Jean

When I write songs, I often use my experiences to tumble into the meat of the work. Crocheting was a passion and so it became the subject of a love song I wrote.

The title of the song is “Crocheted” and I moved through every stanza unrestrictedly over the music of Derrick Smith,  with all the aspects of the art of crocheting in mind and turned it into a love song; one skein at a time. 

Please check out my song and video here:  https://youtu.be/kjkGWjqJDvM

P.S.

Check out the website that features  some other things that I have crocheted here: http://melodiaz.0catch.com/hand-made.html

Happy to have vibed with you all. Thank you for reading my blog post. 

Wherever You Are

It was once seen as a motivational state for me when my guy would come over and we would get into the midst of creating music.

I had built a little studio in my basement and in the midst of my reality., it was one of the hottest creation stations in Brooklyn, NY. We would come together and in the nuance of emotion, conceive new music that would someday develop into a song worth sharing.

When lyrics storm, the droplets of words add a measure of fun into my world. If you do not know what I am talking about, during the spring, go outside in the rains of April without an umbrella and dance in it.

I liked him because he was a pretty, honest individual. We vibed together intellectually deep and it always added color to my dullness. We could spend hours together writing, playing the piano, grabbing the guitar and strumming in a new track to the bundle under the scaffold that would soon be built into a song. And then he’d leave. And as soon as he left my foyer area and I shut the door behind him, I started to miss him.

There are some things and people that I give narrow attention but he had all my focus. I would experience enflamed anxiety as if I had not seen him in months, though he was just with me 30 seconds ago.

If music is a compilation of human tears, then my song “Wherever You Are” is the pool that I was wading in for a minute and then drowned me into a new melody to sing. For it was on one of those occasions where he left and I started missing him that this song was written. 

The words illustrate the feeling which I experienced at that single moment. You can only imagine how good it felt to let my thoughts out with piano splashes on a blank track. The lyrics which focus on the basis of love came directly after.

If you liked the little performance clip captured in Novorossiysk, Russia of me singing my song with the Sergey Koronev Project, which was a moment of pure pleasure I must say, please add the full length tune to your Apple Music playlist here: https://itun.es/us/I2kLeb?i=1150594893

First Flashback Friday of 2015 - "Heaven Only Knows"

Happy new year to you and to yours. I hope that 2015 will be filled with many, many, many blessings.

We have arrived to our first flashback Friday of this new stretch of 365 days and it makes me think back to ten years ago.That was the year my cool grandfather passed away.

Everything in this world prompts a song to be written when it comes to my emotions. And so in response to his passing, I took off writing lyrics, a melody, and a track using Cakewalk Sonar; and the completed song was entitled "Heaven Only Knows."

My grandfather was my godfather which made it a special bond because that made my mom my god-sister which is an amazing blessing.

One thing that I learned to understand is that once you lose someone you love, time with them is no more, except for in memory. Blessings to all departed souls and to their families.

All lyrics and music by Stephanie Jeannot. I am not much of an engineer however, so the song is still in its original and rough format.


Please check out my song, "Heaven Only Knows" that was originally written in dedication to my departed grandfather back in 2005 that I would also like to dedicated to our former Governor Mario Cuomo who passed away on the 1st day of 2015. May he be in peace, eternally.

Here is the link: https://soundcloud.com/stephanay-jnote/heaven-only-knows