GRAY is making a record!

The Making Of “Lone Wolf” By GRAY
This campaign has been created in the hopes of helping me finish my very first full-length album, “Lone Wolf”. Most of the recording process has been completed but in order to finish this record and promote it properly, I need a little help. 

Getting To This Moment
Making a record as an indie artist involves so much more than writing strong songs, and focusing on creating a product you believe in. I would say that it’s closer to 21% art, and 79% “how the heck do I steer this thing?!” For me, the art has been the easy part, while the other 79% has definitely tested my belief in myself and my dreams. Up until a couple months ago, trying to complete this album felt a lot like yelling into a hollow chamber while climbing up a mountain, barefoot, in the snow, while carrying a giraffe, a pigeon, and a pineapple on my back. Most days, getting to the top of this mountain felt like an impossible task, but giving up has never been an option and I’m excited to say, I can finally see the top. I’ve only got a few steps left to go, but I need your help. I’m reaching out to you today in hopes that you will support me in reaching the top, so I can release new music into the world. 

My Story
My name is GRAY and I’m an alternative pop singer-songwriter from Toronto, Canada.
Many of you know my first EP “Rewind” and some of you were even instrumental in it’s release back in 2014. Since it’s release some songs off “Rewind” have received International attention and have lead to some pretty amazing opportunities. The first of several amazing moments came in 2014, when my song “No Good” landed me a finalist spot in The Next Big Thing competition, put on by 102.1 The Edge in Toronto. That contest lead to radio play on The Edge, a spot at Edgefest opening for high profile artists like Mother Mother, KONGOS, and Scott Helman, and multiple opportunities with the radio station. Thanks to a random conversation with a TV producer in a swimming pool here in Toronto, my song “Oh No!” ended up being used in the ABC show “Conviction”, and also gained attention in several international writing competitions. I’m incredibly proud of “Rewind” and the opportunities it opened up for me, but by the time I had competed in The Edge Next Big Thing contest in 2014, I had already evolved as an artist and songwriter, and was actively working on new music and a new sound with my musical partner in crime, Devrim Eldelekli. Together we have settled into a unique sound which we are calling Alternative Synth Pop. According to Canadian radio stations this means that we are too pop to be alternative, too alternative to be pop, and too slick for CBC..haha.

Back in October of 2015, I released an unmastered demo version of our song “CRZY” through social media, as a means to gain feedback on this new direction and style. Although "CRZY" was only a demo version, it received airplay on 102.1 The Edge, and was featured on several Toronto blogs, including Exclaim! and AUX.TV. It was also named one of the winners of the Pop category of The John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Since then we have been working away non-stop on new songs, but have been stuck without the necessary funding to make this album a reality…that is until now!! 


How You Can Help
Recording an album is a very expensive endeavour.
From production fees, to studio time, mixing, mastering, pressing CDs, session musicians, artwork design, radio promotion, marketing, the list can seem unending. After many sleepless nights and rejected grant applications I can happily say that I have received financial funding from FACTOR (Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings) to help with this project. Their help, along with my own funds, cover most of the upfront cost of this album, but I still need your help to take the final steps necessary and make this album a reality. 
I’m hoping to raise $10,000 with this campaign, with all funds going directly to the creation and support of this project. In return for your sponsorship and support, I am offering a number of different “rewards” as a thank you for believing in me and this album. All the rewards are listed on the right hand side of this page and I hope that you find something that interests you. 

I promise to keep you updated on my journey and, if all goes according to plan, “Lone Wolf” will be released before the end of the year. 

If you find yourself unable to support, but still believe in this project, please think about sharing this page through email, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. If you tell even one person about this campaign today, I would be forever grateful!

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thank you for your support!!!

GRAY

www.musicbygray.com
www/facebook.com/musicbygray www.youtube.com/musicbygray www.instagram.com/musicbygray www.twitter.com/musicbygray 

*** fundraising video photo credits***
Photos 1 & 4 - Bobby Singh 
Front of House photography (https://www.facebook.com/FOHPhoto/ )
Photos 2 & 3 - Derek Lewis (also wicked tattoo artist) Lewis Family Tattoo Company (https://www.lewisfamilytattoocompany.ca )


FIRST UPDATE!!! 
Thank you Thank you Thank you to everyone who has donated, clicked on the link, or shared this campaign so far. I thought I would share one of the songs that will finally be released on "Lonewolf". "LIGHTS" is one of the first songs my producer DV and I worked on together a few years back. Although it has been played quite a bit on CBC Sonica stream, it has never officially been released.  Here is the lyric video I made with my resuce pup, Tucker.  I hope you like it!!