Dear Baby

Dear Baby is a project that came completely out of the blue. I wrote the title track back in 2024 and never intended to release it. As I became more immersed in the music world, I wanted to create something that showcased my passion for songwriting and my commitment to pursuing music. I had plenty of ideas for a project, but none of them ever felt quite right. It wasn’t until I experienced heartbreak that I found the inspiration for this EP. Each song captures a different stage of heartbreak, beginning with pain and ending in acceptance.

I did a lot of writing while navigating that experience, and each song reflects a different emotion I felt along the way. The first emotions were hurt and frustration. I wrote 3am in the middle of the night because my thoughts were so loud that I couldn’t sleep. Just a few days later, I went into the studio and recorded the song with my producer, Reif Smith. I wanted to record it as soon as possible after writing it so the raw emotion would still be present in the vocals.

Then summer arrived, and I traveled to Nashville to attend a songwriting camp at the Country Music Hall of Fame. During camp, I wrote So Typical with my mentor, Paulina Jayne. This song explores the sadness and disappointment that often follow heartbreak. If you’d like to hear it live, you can find my performance from the Ford Theater on my Videos page.

After returning home to Chicago, I continued writing and eventually chose Did You Know as the next track on the EP. This is easily the most vulnerable song I’ve ever written. It focuses on feelings of insecurity, resentment, and heartbreak, making it the most personal songs on the project.

In the fall, I headed back to the studio and spent the next several weeks recording the rest of the EP with Reif. Working with him throughout this process was an incredible experience, and it was so rewarding to watch these songs come to life.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about the story behind Dear Baby. If you haven’t already, go give it a listen!