Being an artist is the greatest gift in my life and I am grateful each day for the ability to not only create, but to also have that work reach many people and provide great meaning to those incredible people that are on my professional team and my personal squad. However, it often seems like if an artist doesn’t have Grammys and millions in the bank, they are met with scrutiny and doubt. I’ve been on a one-track path for the greater part of my life, because I believe to be an artist, you cannot have a plan B. You have to go all in and really live and breathe for your craft and aspirations.

I think a lot of people get consumed with the outcome and have no patience or respect for the process. Other careers don’t seem to be met with as much of that. For example, you cannot be a lawyer without going to law school and learning the law and putting in the hours. You cannot perform a surgery without years of school and refinement under your belt. In that way, you cannot win a Grammy or play stadiums without learning the craft of writing good songs, and spending hours and years in the studio, and in the rehearsal hall perfecting them live, and in meetings doing market research to see where your art can have the most positive impact. However, this artist development aka grad/law/med school for artists is often not respected or taken seriously by others because it cannot be measured by conventional standards. As an artist, you cannot let that deter you from believing in yourself and putting in those development years and paying your dues. The only one that can possibly stand in your way is you and you are much too badass to do that, right?!

Hey Chasers!

We are all creative and unique beings and there are so many ways to create in this world. I am constantly in awe when I see beautiful paintings, an amazing play, a photograph, read a book, or meet a make up artist etc! Creativity is not just rooted in the arts; you can be creative in how you organize your closet, or cook your meals, or make business reports.

For me, it has always been music that has been my main creative pull, but I constantly try and get inspired through other mediums because nothing is more freeing than creating something out of nothing.

I have started to get into photography a little bit and while I am still very much a novice, I like the challenge that it brings. With music, I am inspired subconsciously, but with photography, I am literally looking at something in front of me and creating a picture and telling it’s story.

People always say they wished they played an instrument or painted or took up a sport and the only thing in their way is them. So don’t be afraid to tap into that part of the brain that we all have, and make something out of nothing in whatever way you desire. The more creativity in this world, the more connected we all become.

I think a lot of times the notion of volunteering or working with different charitable organizations can be overwhelming for people and you may not know where, what, or how to make a difference. The important thing to remember is that just thinking about getting involved in some way is a step in the right direction. The intention will set the path for you and you will decide what you feel you can contribute.

For me, I have always felt compelled to try and help those less fortunate than myself and it has always been such a grounding influence. I have volunteered doing many amazing things: working with troubled youths at an inner city juvenile detention, after school tutoring, music/art therapy with patients with cerebral palsy, and providing food for the homeless through Share a Meal in Los Angeles.

It is so easy to get consumed with trivial matters when all of your basic needs are met, but when they are not there is no such thing as a trivial matter. This is so important to remember, that just because someone’s circumstance is different, at the end of the day we are all human and all bleed the same.

Any small amount of time. money, or both makes such a huge difference. For me, doing this kind of work has enriched my life and soul more than anything else and has inspired my creativity even more.

I would love to hear about whatever service work you guys enjoy doing and hopefully down the line, we can really do a lot of good.

There are certain records that define a generation and redefine pop culture. Miles Davis’s “Kind of Blue,” The Beatles “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” Fleetwood Mac “Rumours,” Guns N Roses “Appetite for Destruction,” Nirvana’s “Nevermind,” Adele’s “21,” and so on. I believe Taylor Swift’s “1989,” whether you are a fan or not, will go down as a game changer and a pivotal musical and pop culture moment.

It is an album full of slick production that marries so well with her great hooks, pop sensibilities, and her honest story telling. However, it wasn’t until two weeks ago, that I fully understood and grasped the magnitude of these songs. Ryan Adams, one of my favorite songwriters and singers, just released a reimagined version of the entire “1989” record. His haunting and raw take on these songs really hit me as a songwriter and made me tip one of my many fedoras off to Ms. Taylor.

My favorites on Taylor’s album have always been “Blank Space,” “Clean,” and “Shake it Off.” On Ryan’s, I’m really into his versions of “Bad Blood” and “How You Get The Girl.”

Ryan breathed new light into a record that is played nightly to 50,000 plus people that have embraced the era of Taylor and the enormity of her music. Her music fills stadiums, but Ryan’s take on these songs fills a unique emotional space within us that feels like we are part of the song narrative. We hear the desperation, and in that, it makes total sense that Taylor’s “1989” has resonated with the entire world and has become a phenomenon so vast because if you strip away any of the production, and you just give Taylor an acoustic guitar and ask her to play these songs, they are really, really good songs. Ryan’s stripped down take really brings out the quality of both artist’s crafts, but has really set the stage for “1989” to go down in the books.

Birthdays are one of those universal things we all experience. They can be joyous celebrations, quiet reflections, days of utter fear, or really anything in between. I’ve always had a lot of emotions surrounding my birthday and wrote them off for many years, because they were not a happy time for me. Last year I decided to rewrite that narrative and get out of my own head; replacing any of the sad or bad feelings of my birthday with the gratitude. As I pursue my lifelong dream, an experience many never have the chance to do, I am so thankful, happy and healthy.

Since my near death experience, I’ve celebrated the day of my accident as my new birthday as it was the catalyst that pushed me to pursue my passion and chase my dreams. If you too hate birthdays, my advice is to designate another day in your life with special significance. As long as we are healthy and living authentically, every new day is a birthday and an opportunity for us to be better than we were yesterday, last week, last month, and the year before.

In my previous post, I covered my typical songwriting process. The only song that I have written differently was Paris. As we lead up to my release of Paris and its music video, I want my fans to learn more about what made this song unique.

Paris came to me in the most organic and random way. On a day otherwise unremarkable, I remember driving home from somewhere and listening to some instrumental music on the radio. As I hummed along, as I tend to do, the lyric and melody of the first line of the song came to me: “I thought I left you in Paris….”. I have no idea why, but it was so odd to me that I went straight home and immediately set out to write this song that was starting itself!

I walked in and picked up my trusty guitar and “Paris” came out quickly and felt different than any other song I have written before. I hoped one day it might see the light of day and I cannot begin to tell you guys how excited and thankful I am for it to be released soon. The journey of “Paris” and to share it with all of you is a dream come true.

Hey Chasers!! One of my favorite things to discuss in interviews and elsewhere is my creative songwriting process. I feel so fortunate to be able to write songs as a means of expression and I always love learning about other artists’ processes as well because everyone does it differently. I write the same way I have since I was 13. There has only been one song written differently; that song was “Paris.” First, I will explain my usual process and then follow up next week with how “Paris” came to be in a little bit of a different way.

Let me break it down for you guys and describe exactly what happens when I compose a new song. A lot of artists have an idea in mind when they sit down (or stand up) to write a song. This could be a title, a lyric, a word, a verse, a chorus, a melody, a guitar riff or any other combination of things.

For me, I never sit down and consciously say, “Okay, it is time to write a song now!” I just pick up my Takamine acoustic guitar that I’ve written every song on for the last 10 years and start playing around. I’ll start strumming a chord progression, make a melody, and sing nonsense over it. Eventually, the chord progression will shift into a 3-part thing (verse, chorus, bridge) and the nonsense will start to make sense as lyrics. Once I have played it several times and memorized it, only then, will I write it down in my journal.

This process is typically very short for me and very raw. I fully believe that songs move through me and all I have to do is be tuned to the right channel to let them form. Songs tell you when they are ready to come out. For me, when they do it is an extremely focused, one-time session. I never write a singular verse nor do I create a melody without lyrics or vice versa. It all comes to live at once or it doesn’t come together at all. The mindset I’m in when I’m composing is fleeting and I won’t be able to tap into that exact state again; forcing me to write the whole thing in one sitting. A lot of other songwriters feel differently and they like stepping away and then constantly revising a song. Ultimately, it is all subjective and there is no right or wrong way to create great art.

Welcome to my new website and thank you for taking the time to check it out. Your support means the world to me and I am so grateful and excited to share so much with you all!! We cannot wait to release a whole lot of cool stuff with you all very shortly, from photos, to lyrics, to the “Paris” video, behind the scenes footage and much, much more. You can connect directly with me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube or join the Erica Chase community by signing up for my newsletter. Thank you again for your support and allowing me to chase my dreams. I hope you are all chasing your own as well!

Much love,
Erica Chase

Hey there Chasers! People always talk about how the journey is way more important than the destination. Well, I could not agree with that sentiment more. After being hit and nearly killed by a truck, I was quite literally pushed into my career path. As a result, I learned that the actual destination is not what I should be attached to; it’s the personal journey battling through old insecurities that dictates how I act and what direction my life goes. That internal struggle is where the true learning and golden moments have come for me. I have to let go and surrender, let my heart and gut point me in the direction of my passion. It is only after I do this that my life’s journey is paved with peace, serenity, and a new sense of confidence.

Having a near death experience has allowed me to have a second lease on life and I now live with constant gratitude that many have not survived their own brushes with death. That puts an internal pressure and obligation on me to make the most of my time here and to strive to be my best self.  Doing the right thing and coloring inside the lines doesn’t always go hand-in-hand with being in the entertainment industry, but at the end of the day, it is vital for me to keep in mind every single day.

I think we all have these epiphanies, whether big or small, and they can act as a catalyst that takes us out of our comfort zone and fear and into our true, authentic paths. Sometimes, we need to be shaken to our core. We need the breakdown to get to the breakthrough. That was certainly the case for me, but I also allow myself to be open to more subtle epiphanies that can still stop me dead in my tracks and force me to shift gears.

At the end of the day, the best lesson I have learned thus far is that it doesn’t matter what your profession is, what your bank account looks like, or any other surface level attribute. To truly be present and embrace this beautiful journey we call life, we have to just show up and allow these moments of awakening to stir things up in us. Discomfort means things are shifting and when you stay in it and make it through, man, it is beautiful on the other side. I appreciate you all for taking the time to connect with my story and my art and I hope you all are living your truths and enjoying each amazing, fleeting moment.