LAST WEEKS IN NYC - :(

YIKES: Ladies and gents, all the recording is DONE! Everything that will be on the album is inside the computer-universe now, and the guys are staying up ‘till 4 am mixing the tracks. I’m sooo proud of all of us, I had a good feeling about everything from the beginning, but I would’ve honestly never guessed we’d end up with such amazingness. Now that we have succeeded with the songs, it’s time for the tricky part: finding the right ways for promoting and marketing. This part is always a bit tricky, but especially because of the money situation, but, as we say in Finnish, “kyllä hätä keinot keksii” (which is something similar to “necessity is the mother of invention”), so I’m not worried. We’ve already a lot of plans for the fall, it’s just about getting a little bit of help and putting the pieces together.

And now, can’t believe I’m saying this, but in only 2 days, I’ll be kissing New York goodbye and will return to Finland. How could it be that the summer went by this fast?? As sad as I am to leave this magical place, even more than that I’m happy and grateful about having this chance to work here in the first place. And besides, even though this might be the end of the first chapter, this story isn’t over yet. And seeing where we’re at now, I’m more than excited to see what the second one might bring!

But still, to be honest, even writing about the fact that I have to leave without knowing exactly when I’ll be back makes me pretty sad… so I think I’ll leave this post where it is and hurry up enjoying this city while I still can! I’m super lucky to have a friend from back home to visit me during these last days, so I have also things outside work to keep myself busy, all kinds of cool tourist stuff! :D

See you (too) soon, Finland…

<3

Peppina

WEEKS 8, 9, 10 & The NYC bug

Wooow I know, it’s been a while. I told you guys things were gonna get crazy, right? Well they sure did! We’ve been making some reeeal progress, tracking down the strings, the guitars, the piano, the vocals… And it all sounds pretty amazing!! But I’m telling you, this vocal tracking is hard. Recording the main vocals for 5 songs in 3 days is not only physically challenging, but also extremely emotional, it really eats up all your energy. After singing We Can Go Back Again (WOOP yes, you heard it first, it’ll be on the album!!), I seriously felt like I was going to explode, with tears if nothing else.

To be honest, lately I’ve been feeling uncharacteristically emotional about a lot of weird stuff, which is of course natural because of all the crazy, new, challenging and at times a bit stressful stuff that’s suddenly a part of my everyday life. But I’m starting to wonder whether it might be something else as well.

I think I’ve been bitten.

You see, there are obviously a lot of bugs and insects in NYC that might bite you, and while most of them just leave an annoying itch that lasts a couple of days, this one bug is something else. It chooses its victims carefully. With some it attacks immediately, with some it waits for months, but when it bites, oh man. There’s no escape.

You won’t feel a thing at first, might not even notice it happened. But then, one day while you’re getting closer to leaving the city, you suddenly realise that something feels different and that it’s clear there’s no going back. The crowded trains, the Spanish Harlem weekend-parties, the homeless sharing a seat with the rich, the unbearable heat at the train station and the freezing AC inside the train, the busy business people crossing at a red light together with the equally busy artist kids… suddenly all this makes you feel strangely nostalgic, as if you were about to lose a very important part of yourself. All these people, all the smells and sounds that should have absolutely nothing to do with you suddenly become something very personal. And before anything else, it becomes clear that there’s no other place on earth that could make you feel this way.

In other words, if you’re planning to come see this city one day, be careful of the NYC bug. When it bites, this city turns into a powerful drug!

On that note, here’s to this Thursday, the last days of August and all things exciting and new. I’m off to enjoy them while they’re still around!

<3

Peppina

WEEK 7 - getting busy!

7 down, 5 to go. How did this happen, how can it be that it’s been SEVEN weeks already?? Unbelievable. Time sure flies when your brain is constantly exploding. And it seems that this adventure is getting crazier every day! Here are some photos from the past week to show you how...

Somewhere deep in Brooklyn... Guess what this place looks like from inside?

Yup, I didn't guess either! Prettttty cool!!

So last week we had all the live drums tracked down for the album, and not just by any drummer, but by none other than the great Shawn Pelton himself!!! If you guys don’t know the name, check out his wikipedia page here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawn_Pelton 

So yeah, the top drummer in NYC who, amongst many other projects, plays in the Saturday Night Live, stopped by and laid a couple of tracks for my EP. And my oh my was it amazing. That was another one of those moments where I suddenly woke up to the amazingness of being here, working with the people I work with. And to know it will only get busier from here, well, I have no doubt that the last 5 weeks I have will pass by FAST.

Which is why I must keep on trying my best to be as focused as I can so that I’ll be able to make the most of it. To be honest, it’s not always easy with all that’s going on here. This summer has sure been dramatically different from my usual lifestyle! But, like they say, if it was easy, everyone would do it, so I guess I’ll just have to prove to myself that I’ve got what it takes! 

Here's me, the team and Bryan from the studio showing you that we've got this.
(Naturally I forgot to take a selfie with the drummer star... maybe next time!)
Always working hard, but never without little bit of laughter!

In any case, I’m grateful I don’t have to get through all this alone. I’m so lucky to have so many wonderful, genuinely good people around me, guiding me through the challenges and helping me also give my mind a break when needed. I truly believe that, with the right mindset and support, there are no limits to what you can achieve.

So on that note, to everybody who’s feeling tired and reluctant to get back to work from holidays, YOU GOT THIS, we’ll keep our chins up together! ;)

<3

Peppina

WEEKS 5 & 6

Hope you guys have been enjoying these last weeks of July, I know I have, and this is because of four little things:

1. I’m in NYC!!! (surprise!)
2. The weather is finally showing some pity on me: for the first time since I moved here, I’ve felt like a human (and less like a puddle) for over a week!
3. The progress we’ve been making with these songs - I’m beyond excited, it’s amazing to hear how they come alive as we move forward with the production!
4. Aaaand, of course, MY MOM IS HERE!!

Having her here is obviously nice just because I get to hang out with her, but there are also plenty of other bonuses. Firstly, now I’ll have a reason to do some of the tourist stuff that I probably would never end up doing myself if she wasn’t here. It’s nice to be around someone who’s here on holiday - it gives you a lot of different kind of energy. But even more than that, it’s nice to have her here ’cause now I finally get to EAT! And by eating I mean Eating with a capital E, having dinners in restaurants and breakfasts in coffee shops, you know, getting a taste of the real NYC food culture. You see, there’s a side of this journey that I haven’t shared with you guys yet, probably because it’s a side that at times causes quite a lot of stress for me: money.

Everyone knows that living in NYC is not cheap to begin with, but when you add the fact that I’m paying for all the costs of this album release all by myself, that’s when it gets real. The reason why I chose to not even look for a label that could help me with these costs and other stuff, is that I don’t want to commit to anything long term at the moment, and this way I’ll be more independent and have more freedom to do this EP on my own terms. So I really am happy to pay, and besides, everyone I’ve worked with have been super flexible and extremely reasonable (a lot of exceptions have been made for me), so no complaints! But because of all this I have been living on a budget - so it’s nice to have a mom here to spoil me again! :D 

So I don’t know about you guys, but I’m off to pretend I’m a tourist in NYC and enjoy a day off with my mom!

This is what a happy daughter with the perfect breakfast looks like! (fear not - I did share it with my mom!)

<3

Peppina

WEEK 3: Progress and despair

While living in New York, you’ll definitely come across a bunch of stuff that’s new to you. This will happen no matter where you’re from, but especially if you’re a poor little Peppina from Finland making her first album release and living on her own. Although I absolutely love it here, I’d be lying if I said it’s only roses and sunshine! Here’s a brief list to give you an insight into some of the little things I’ll still need to work on:

Still learning…

• THIS HEAT: I. Am. Melting!!! Is there a trick for handling this? Will I get used to it in time?? Why does everybody just look at me with pity in their eyes and tell me: ”You don’t even know, just wait for August”???
• THIS COUGH: Very much connected to the problem above. The AC gives me a terrible cough that’s (figuratively) killing me, but I can’t turn it off for the night ’cause it’s still hot even when it’s on and without it I’d probably (literally) die. Am I the only one? Get me out of this vicious circle!
• ALL THIS CASH: Might not sound like a problem at first, but I’m not talking about huge amounts of money, I’m talking about huge amounts of paper. They all. Look. Exactly. The same. I’m telling you, one of these days all these damn one dollar bills (that never seem to end but are never enough at the checkout) will make me lose it for good.
• ALL THESE PEOPLE: Taking the subway in NYC during rush hour is something simply indescribable. That’s when you’ll truly feel the insane amount of people living in the city, and I mean that literally, on your skin, with your face in someone’s armpit!

But hey, you live and you learn, right? That’s what I try to do anyway, and now that some of this negative stuff is out of my system, here’s a bit more positive list about some of the little things that, after a bit of stumbling, I’ve actually learned to handle here!

Success!

• LAST NIGHT: Despite the earthshaking volume of my Air Conditioning, I was finally able to sleep trough a whole night without earplugs. The trick is to imagine it’s a waterfall!
• THESE STREETS & SUBWAYS: Everyone who knows me could tell you that, to say the least, I’m not the very best at navigating or finding my way to where I need to go. But just look at me in NYC after only 3 weeks: the other day a lady asked me for directions and I had the answer! I feel like I’m totally on the map and rocking the subways. It’s surprisingly easy here, even for a dummy like me!
• THESE BUGS: I am very pleased and slightly surprised to announce this; it appears I’m not scared nor specifically disgusted by cockroaches. I’ve met a couple already and didn’t freak out at all, actually, in my opinion, I handled the situations pretty smoothly!

And, to keep things on the brighter side, as a grand finale of this post I’m very happy to announce that, after finishing 7 new songs in only 3 weeks, we now have all that we need and more for the EP and are ready to go into production!!! I don’t know about you, but to me that sounds like something to be happy about!

Stay tuned for more rambling, and check out my instagram (instagram.com/peppinamusic) for more photos! (Again struggling with uploading them on the computer… Me, my computer and my phone don’t really get along all the time)

<3

Peppina

WEEK 2: getting settled

So Peppina, what’s up with this blog, how come you didn’t post anything new sooner?

Well, dear reader…

Like I mentioned in the previous post, making an EP in NYC can make your days pretty eventful. So far, in 2 weeks, we’ve already written 7 new songs and started to sketch production for two of them. It’s been a loot of fun, but has also obviously taken a big bite off of my focus. But, what I didn’t mention was that life outside of work has been pretty colorful and different from my usual lifestyle as well. I was so lucky to be able to stay the first two weeks in the living room of these two wonderful girls, one of which I knew from hitRECord. Such generous, warm and lovely people! I had so much fun hanging out with them & other friends and, to be honest, I bet I would’ve felt much more alone during these first weeks if I had started this NYC journey by living on my own. However, not having your own space, your own place where you can go and get your thoughts together, it can be pretty unorganized and stressful.

With that being said, ladies and gents, I am very happy to announce that I HAVE A ROOM! For the next two months I’ll be living in Spanish Harlem, right next to central park… I’m super stoked, the place is great and the neighborhood looks lovely. No more using my luggage as a closet!!!

Also, in addition to all that, this means I’ll have more time, focus and energy to keep you guys posted on all the stuff that’s happening here! I already feel a lot less like my head is all over the place, after sleeping here for only 3 nights.

Now I’m off to celebrate the 4th of July for the first time! Happy Independence day, USA!

And finally, some photos for you all! :)

Working on the production with Michael & Jeff

Going crazy with Jimmy after a songwriting session...

... at Gibson Showroom!

Though I'll surely miss this rooftop view at the hitRECord hostel in Brooklyn...

... and will definitely miss living with these two (and eating Thai food on the floor with friends!!) even more...

... I can't complain about having this lovely room here!!

Stay tuned!

<3 Peppina

1ST WEEK: So wait - I'm in New York??

New York City. The Big Apple. The skyscrapers, the smells, the sounds and the colors, the ocean of people running, working, laughing, yelling, dancing… It’s an explosion, a dream, everything you see in the movies and hear in the songs. So much to see, so much to experience.

The first week? Like any other tourist, you’ll spend it with your jaw on the ground, head facing the sky, trying your best to adjust your brain to the energy and the size of the city and all its wonders. 

My first week?

Well, while the past days have been without a doubt full of everything mentioned above, I just simply haven’t had enough time or energy to fully realize everything that’s happening around me. It’s really amazing how, when you’re here to work, you kind of just adapt to the fast pace of the city. I arrived on Sunday evening, and the working started first thing on Monday. On my second day I was already busy enough to join the working newyorkers in crossing the street at a red light, having the morning coffee on a train and finding the slow tourists, who were blocking my way, very annoying - but I’m loving all of it! Sure it’s a bit stressful and new in the beginning, but it's definitely what I came here to do. A lot of songwriting which I looove, but also naturally a lot of planning and organizing and stuff... but the fuzz is getting clearer and clearer every day. I'm feeling confident!

Also, it’s so weird how the city doesn’t feel scary or too big, not even that strange (except for the climate, who knew it’d be this hot, like +35°C!?)… In fact, at times it actually feels, crazy enough, pretty familiar. How could it feel familiar to a girl who moved here from as far as Helsinki? The answer must be in all the amazing, wonderful people who have made me feel so safe and welcome. It’s all still so far away from home, so I’m reeeaally lucky to feel I’ve got friends here!

All in all, although there’s a lot of stuff yet to be learned and it might feel tough at times, before anything else this week has been a looot of fun, and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than here, doing what I love. And even if at times I might get lost in the hurries, there are still these little moments, at least once a day, when I look up and around and suddenly realize where I actually am, how crazy it is, and how lucky I am to be here!

So here's to the first week, still alive and very excited, can't wait to see what the next one might bring...!

<3

Peppina

(I'll post some pictures here as well, as soon as I figure out how to transfer stuff from my phone to this laptop - meanwhile you can go check my instagram (peppinamusic), I try my best to post frequently! :) )