Love's legacy

Hello, I’m Stephen Murray. I’m 71 years old, and today happens to be my birthday.

For most of my life, I was a husband, a father, a builder, and an artist. But eight years ago, everything changed when I lost my beloved wife, Susie. The silence that followed was unbearable, so I reached for something I’d never tried before. I began to write poetry. Not for publication. Just to speak to her in the quiet.

What started as a private way to cope grew into something more. I’ve written nearly 250 poems since then. One day, my niece read a few and said, “These feel like song lyrics.” That one comment sparked something I didn’t expect.

I’d never studied music. I didn’t know the rules. But I started learning how to write lyrics, studying form, emotion, structure, and from there, I reimagined some of my poems, and the kind of music they might live within. I found an AI music tool, and suddenly, something incredible happened: I heard my words become sound.

That was the beginning.

Since then, I’ve written and produced twelve songs, each built on lyrics drawn from my own life. I used AI-generated voices that I carefully selected, refined, and even named. These aren’t just generic vocals. Each one carries a mood, a genre, a feeling, and, in its own way, a piece of my heart.

These songs were never meant to be a “music career.” I’m not chasing fame. I live on a modest state pension, just enough to get by. I don’t have the means to tour or promote. I never wanted to be a star. I just wanted to say something before I go, and maybe, leave behind something that feels true.

Making music, even with AI, isn’t free. Subscriptions, mastering, uploads, time, it all adds up. That’s why I’m asking for your help. I don’t want riches. I had my riches in the love I received. I just want to give these songs a life.

I’ve set a goal of £1,200, enough to cover the essential tools, mastering, distribution, and a bit of promotion so these songs can live beyond just me. Every donation, no matter the amount, helps.

If you’d like to hear them, you can listen to all twelve samples here:

https://clyp.it/user/pmskkg3n

Each one started as a poem. Each one found its voice.

To thank you for your support, I’ve created a special digital booklet titled This Analog Digital Infusion. It tells the story of how these songs came to be, about grief, creativity, and the strange, beautiful meeting of human truth and artificial tools.

If you donate £5 or more, I’ll send you:

The booklet (PDF)

A complete song of your choice (MP3)

To receive your thank-you gift, simply leave a message with your email address when you donate, or contact me directly if the platform allows. I’ll send it to you with care and gratitude.

The image you see at the top of this page was created using an AI art tool, then shaped by hand, by me, using the skills I’ve developed over 15 years painting with light. It’s symbolic of the whole project: a merging of memory and technology, feeling and form.

This isn’t about technology taking over art. It’s about a human being, like me, using new tools to speak when the old ways weren’t enough. AI didn’t write these songs. I did. But it helped me say what I couldn’t say alone.

Thank you for listening. Thank you for reading. And thank you, especially, for helping me turn grief into something that might last, not just for me, but maybe for someone else who needs it too.

With gratitude,

Stephen Murray