IF YOU BELIEVE IN DREAMS... TGWDE EP

THIS IS MY STORY.
Ever since I can remember I have been dreaming about a life in music. Little did I know it would be one of the hardest yet most fulfilling aspects of my life. I've been in a band since the age of 15 and spent most of my teen years idolizing the band Imperial Teen who inspired me to achieve great things! I went on to accomplish many small dreams with my former band Bella. But as life happens the band came to an end. I never thought about being a solo artist until I was lucky enough to place a song in a Hershey chocolate commercial a few years ago. About a year after, I sent some home demos I recorded in my parents bedroom to my ideal producer, Pascal Gabriel. He's worked with so many artists I've grown to admire, which some of you probably know: Blondie, Goldfrapp, Kylie Minogue, Ladyhawke and many more. Naturally working with such amazing artists I never thought I'd hear back from him. It was about a week later when I got an email from his management saying he was interested. Shortly after  he called me and we talked for an hour about our musical tastes and bands we loved. Before ending the call he invited me to come stay a week at his house in France and use his home studio. His wife was generous enough to cook every meal for me and I will never forget the opportunity I was given to not only record with him but to sit, share meals and reach into the mind of someone with so much experience and talent. The time I spent with him pushed me to take my solo endevours even further. The songs I recorded with Pascal lead me to many great opportunities however, being in a new country and not having many connections to anything turned out to be a bigger challenge than I had imagined. I had my ups and downs but I've continued to fight through all of them. While music is not always the most easy of paths, it is the only path for me. It's my life. I've faced many hardships following this career choice but I wouldn't trade it for anything, it's without a doubt what I was born to do and the reason I want to get up in the morning. Many times over the past two years I've wanted to give up because at times the road does just get THAT hard! But with recent experiences I know now that I must keep going no matter what obstacles I face.

It wasn't long ago that I was playing a show in a local club and got off stage feeling unsatisfied with my performance and was thinking the show meant nothing to anyone. I was sitting backstage on the couch alone but not because the room was empty, there were people crowding the area, talking, laughing, and carrying on... but I was disconnected from it all. I felt like a stranger to everyone in the room. It must have been about 15 minutes of alone time on the couch before I was approached by a curious guy holding a glass of wine. He walked up to me, said "Hola" and smiled. I waited for more but he just kept smiling. My first thought... WEIRDO! He began enquiring about my music and seemed quite interested. We talked for some time and finally he mentioned that he also played in a band in the City. I asked the name and a small humble voice came out him...

Our conversation continued and I asked why he was hanging out in such a small venue and town, naturally thinking he'd have much better plans then to be standing in front of me! He told me that before he went out he was not expecting anything from the night and in fact he didn't want to come out but he received a call about my soundcheck and was told he just "had to come down and see this girl". He went on to tell me that he was blown away by my songs and performance and wanted to hear more. We exchanged phone numbers and one day in a moment of desperation, I messaged him. I wanted to meet for coffee, talk and possibly pick his brain. See if he would be interested in giving me some of his wisdom. One thing led to another and not long after he decided he wanted not only to produce my album but he was going to help with the advance, which he has done and I consider myself to have been given a miracle.This whole journey has been some what of a "pay it forward" experience and I hope to return the favor to a musician like myself one day. His generosity comes from gratefulness and humility. He has been in my shoes before all of his success, his bank account has been in the negative and in fact he didnt even start in his band as an actual member but merely the driver of the tour van. It goes to show that the small things do lead to the big things.
I know my new EP is one of those small things, leading me to the next chapter of my career.

I'm not one to ask for money and I've tried to do it all myself for the past 10 years but I've reached a point where I just can't anymore, it's beyond me and I need a helping hand. And so I've learned from experience that sometimes all you need to do is ask for help.

Thanks to Julian I have been fronted all the money necessary to make the recording with addition help from Santos & Fluren (the blind joes). But now Im reaching out for the second part of this process. The remainder of money needed will help to complete and launch the EP. I'm looking for support in the remaining areas.

HOW DOES YOUR CONTRIBUTION HELP TGWDE?
(amount is in EUROS which is slightly more than US dollars)

*We have covered all recording costs for the studio and mixing. but the process is not done! Here's what we need help with:

1. MASTERING ( is the process of preparing and transferring the songs from the studio "final mix" to a CD)
700-900 euros


2. PRESSING AND MANUFACTURING (turning into a CD you can touch and hear) This includes sending it to the factory to be printed and made!
1,000 euros


3. DISTRIBUTION / PROMO (this means getting into stores, radio, mail outs and online media such as itunes, spotify, amazon ect.
250-300 euros


4. ARTWORK / PACKAGE DESIGN (design of cover and website)
250 euros


5. VIDEO TO PROMOTE ONE SONG AFTER CD IS DISTRIBUTED (250 euros)


TOTAL: 2.400-2,700 EUROS

I know that I can not offer much in return but my heart felt gratitude for helping me make my dreams a reality. Most of you have watched from a far as I pursue this dream and have always been there to support me. For that I can not thank you enough. xo, tgwde


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ESPAÑOL:
(scroll down for English)

Después de una larga espera, lágrimas, risas, Estrellas&Moritz, cafés con leche, noches sin dormir, conciertos vacíos, otros más llenos, sudores, tristezas, alegrías, frustraciones musicales: y esperanza para seguir adelante, después de casi tres años, éste primer EP ya está casi listo.

Un EP, que seguramente nunca hubiera salido a la luz si no fuera por la ayuda incondicional que he recibido durante todo éste largo camino, des de mis inicios en Bella, pasando por otras formaciones y hasta mi proyecto personal, TGWDE. Aunque el EP lleve mi nombre, el resultado final es COLECTIVO, y no se hubiera podido materializar sin la importantísima colaboración de tres personas de barbas gruesas y corazones infinitos. Julián Saldarriaga, el incredible producer que confió en mi música des del primer momento y Jerome Nelson JR (Fluren) & Santos Jackson, las dos brillantes mentes musicales encargadas de los estudios barceloneses Blind Records. Muchos han preguntado como surgió el amor musical entre Julián y TGWDE, y la respuesta es muy corta y sincera: casualidades del destino. Julián acudió por casualidad a la actuación que tuve en el Clap de Mataró dentro del Cicle de Cases de la Música, y una vez finalizado el concierto se acercó a preguntar sobre mi música. Des de ese instante que hemos trabajado juntos. Coincidencias del destino.

Ahora sólo quedan pocos días para que ustedes puedan colaborar en nuestro proyecto, y que así, podamos todos sacar éste trabajo adelante! Las aportaciones son un avance que sirven para financiar el EP, ya que es un proyecto AUTOEDITADO, sin la ayuda de ningún sello discográfico, y aunque ya hemos cubierto la mitad de los gastos, aun tenemos que financiar el resto. Así que ustedes serán nuestro pequeño banco ético, y en retorno les daremos nuestro reconocimiento, aprecio, amor y trabajo musical.

Quiero aprovechar para dar las ¡¡¡GRACIAS!!! a todas aquellas personas que ya han aportado su granito de arena, ya que significa MUSCHÃSIMO para mi, para todos los que confían en éste proyecto, y finalmente, para todos aquellos que creen en la financiación por medios independientes. ¡¡¡GRACIAS!!!

Español:
*Se trata de una traducción de Google, lo siento por los errores!



¿CÓMO SU DONACIÓN AYUDA?
* Hemos pagado todos los costos de grabación para el estudio y la mezcla, pero el proceso no ha terminado! Esto es lo que tenemos que ayudar con:


1. MASTERING (es el proceso de preparar y transferir las canciones desde el estudio "mezcla final" en un CD)
700-900 euros


2. PRENSADO Y FABRICACIÓN (haciendo el CD para que pueda tocar y escuchar!)
€ 1.000


3. DISTRIBUCIÓN / PROMO (esto significa llegar a las tiendas, radio promoción, envíos por correo y medios de comunicación en línea como iTunes, Spotify, Amazon ect.
250-300 euros


4. ARTWORK / paquete de diseño (diseño de portada y página web)
€ 250


5. VIDEO PARA PROMOVER UNA CANCIÓN DESPUÉS SE DISTRIBUYE CD (250 euros)


TOTAL APPROX.: 2,400 a 2,700 EUROS


Sé que no puedo ofrecer mucho a cambio, pero mi corazón se sentía gratitud por haberme ayudado a hacer mis sueños realidad. La mayoría de ustedes han visto desde lejos como perseguir este sueño y siempre han estado ahí par