“if you would have told the 12 year old me, awkward and sitting at a microphone in the living room recording my first song, that one day my music would be heard by millions, I wouldn’t believe you. not only because that sounds ridiculous, but also because I had no intention of ever playing my music for anyone else but myself. I wrote songs about a very lost boy dealing with depression and not knowing where to turn for peace. I wish I could go back to that little boy and tell him how it all was going to turn out. that it’s ok to be depressed. to keep writing.

but honestly, I don’t need to go back and tell that little kid anything, because I did exactly that – I kept writing. I ended up finding a great therapist. I stayed alive. I found a deep obsessive love for creating music. expressing my inner most feelings through lyric and melody. I wrote nearly a song a day for decades. Thousands of songs. Honestly, thousands. The far majority of them will never be heard, and that’s perfectly ok with me. My only hope is that the few that are heard help some other kid feel less alone. help them understand that it’s ok to be depressed or feel lost. you can still find power in your sorrow. you can turn your pain into art. and if you truly love something enough and believe it you can make anything happen.

when you work every day at something tirelessly and put in the time, it will become a part of you. and it will help bring light to the dark. this song is about exactly that. stay alive. X”

— From the release announcement email, and also the ID X (Twitter) account.