Becky Boyland Talks To Fanbase Music Magazine About Her Incredible Inspiring Journey Of Health Issues And How She Is Grateful To Be Able To Still Do Music & More

Interviewed by Duzzy Clayton

 

Hi, Becky welcome to Fanbase Music Magazine, Let’s start with where you are from and where you grew up.

Hi, Duzzy! Thanks so much for having me! I am from the Chicago area in Illinois USA, but I grew up on the Buffalo side of New York State, and am still a massive fan of my favorite sports team: Go Bills!

What is your earliest memory of getting into music and knowing this is what you want to do as a career?

 

I connected to music really early as a small child, so I couldn’t wait to be old enough to start taking music lessons, and that happened with the trumpet when I was 9. Playing trumpet in the school band and other ensembles quickly became my favorite thing, so I dreamed for a long time of becoming a professional symphony player, but ultimately took a different course of study and discovered guitar in college. From that point on, I was all in on singing and playing guitar and started writing my first songs. I was already studying for Christian ministry so music as a focus was the perfect complement, and has been a huge part of my journey to this day, as I branch out with more original music and my own productions.

Who are some of the bands and musicians that have inspired you musically?

 

I was introduced to folk music at an early age, including the Carpenters and Dan Fogelberg, and always loved the female-fronted bands of the ’80s like the Bangles, Go-Gos, Heart, and Miami Sound Machine (Gloria Estefan). When Tiffany, Debbie Gibson, and Wilson Phillips came on the scene, I couldn’t get enough of their albums, belting out not only the soaring melodies but also the harmonies. Later, as I discovered worship music and Christian artists, I’ve been impacted by Paul Baloche, Darlene Zschech, Brooke Ligertwood, Mandisa, Sara Groves, Christy Nockels, and legends like Phil Keaggy, Rich Mullins, Amy Grant, and Steven Curtis Chapman. Some of my favorites today are vocal powerhouses Carrie Underwood, Adele, and P!nk.

How would you describe your sound and genre?

My music is primarily guitar-driven acoustic pop or alternative, with lots of guitar layers, strings, and a variety of organic percussion styles. I also have an electronic side project called Somedayish that is a fun playground for new and different sounds that sometimes sneak into my acoustic music.

 

When I received your press release it said ‘From vocal cord paralysis to hitting the high notes again’. Can you explain this for our readers and tell us your journey with struggling with this?

Yes, I had suffered a neck injury in high school that progressively caused constant pain radiating through my spine from my neck to my back, and even causing nerve problems in my fingers (a nightmare for a guitarist). After many years of suffering, it suddenly got even worse, and an MRI showed 3 out of 4 discs in my neck had to be repaired. Ultimately it was decided that 1 would be fused and 2 would be replaced with artificial discs. My surgeon told me that after surgery I would be “a little hoarse” for a little while, but that there would be significant immediate pain relief. And that was definitely true—obviously it’s a huge surgery so there was much physical recovery but I did have some immediate relief from the chronic spine pain. But there was a complication: I suffered vocal cord paralysis. I had no idea if it would be temporary or permanent—thankfully temporary—but I lost my voice for 6 weeks. I could only whisper and even that was really difficult and uncomfortable. When I regained some of my voice, it was my speaking voice range. My high notes were still gone for quite a long time. It took almost a year and a half to get my singing voice back to a really good place, and just over two years later I’m still experiencing tremendous improvement. It was incredibly challenging to go through but I truly gained a lot through the difficulty and it makes me incredibly grateful to be able to do what I do—sing and create music.

How has this inspired you to write your latest track, Waiting for Wisdom and what is the song about?

 

I wrote “Waiting for Wisdom” with Nashville Hall of Fame songwriter Sharon Vaughn (who is incredible, and I’m so grateful to know and work with her!). As we talked about story ideas, a few concepts came up, like “imposter syndrome” and how at any age we’re still sort of figuring life out. Even before my surgery, but especially since, I’ve been investing in my mental wellbeing and mindset, and learning more about my own life and family experiences so that I can be the “me” that I’m meant to be as an artist, leader, and entrepreneur. So this was a great theme to play with in this song: “Maybe I am growing up, but still waiting for wisdom.” It’s ok to not have all the answers, as long as we’re open to finding them.

Where was the track recorded and where and how was it recorded?

I recorded my lead and backing vocals and guitars live in my home studio, and produced, mixed, and mastered the whole track myself.

When you wrote this song did you come up with the lyrics or music?

I had a chord progression idea saved in my phone’s voice memos, and a little bit of a melody idea. I’m not even sure that melody made the final song, but Sharon and I worked collaboratively on both the lyrics and melody. She’s such an experienced pro… often I would try to articulate a concept in a few words and she’d come up with an incredible lyric that fleshed out the idea and fit the melody and meter. We bounced ideas off each other and it really feels like a song that is filled with both of us. Such a joy working with her!

 

 

You also do music in worship. Can you tell us about doing that as well as how this has helped you in your life musically perhaps?

Yes, I’ve been in music ministry for a few decades now! From a musical standpoint, it’s helped me in so many ways, like playing in and leading bands, solo performance, connecting with audiences, and playing with click and backing tracks. And from a personal and spiritual standpoint, it’s connected me with my calling and the One who has called me to use music to bless, encourage, and connect people—including connecting them with God.

Can you tell us about any other music you have coming out in the future?

I have several songs in my queue, and some exciting collaborations I’m working on, but specifically my plan is to release a new song every couple months. I’m wrapping up production on my next song to release in late June.

Do you play live or plan to play your music live and if so what is that experience like?

I still serve a local church so I play live every Sunday morning. That does mean that late gigs on weekends would be tough, but I’m definitely open to scheduling live performances of my original music!

Thank you for doing this interview, do you have any last messages for our readers?

Thank you so much for having me! I’m grateful to have this opportunity at a later point in my life to pursue my music and share it with the world. And so I definitely want to encourage other artists (music or otherwise) to not be afraid to pursue their dreams at any point in their lives. And it doesn’t have to look like quitting a job and moving halfway across the country—or the world. There are lots of ways to make your dreams a priority until they one day get to the top of the list. The world needs your art!
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