‘Give It To Me Straight’ was something that was not anticipated or planned (like much of my life). I had been frustrated with my current circumstances in love, life, and music and could sense things coming to an end in my new relationship and in my musical partnerships. In each case the individuals seemed to be more distant and not communicating as clearly or as often until one day the only response I received was radio silence. This silence left me with a multitude of unanswered questions leaving my mind to wander and come up with only the worst conclusions. Even if the reasons for these relationships ending were the worst of my conclusions, I would rather have somebody tell me straight up, then leave me suspended in a place of uncertainty surrounded by a whirlwind of negative thoughts and unanswered questions. I kept returning to a conversation I had with a friend when she was trying to decide how to tell a man that she was not interested in a relationship with him. The conclusion that was drawn from that discussion was that “clearness is kind.” There’s no way to let someone down easy, but if you are clear and firm in your approach then it leaves the individual to grieve and move on without hope or delusion prolonging the process (in most cases at least).

With all of this in my mind and ready to burst out of me, I headed up to my computer, opened GarageBand and started singing to a loop of the gamelan. I am not a producer by any means, but I am a musician, and I have a strong drive to create - especially when full of emotions. I started with a loop of the gamelan (what most people will identify as the bells that start off the song) because of a recent fascination with ragas that had developed out of my music history studies. While I love to write pop music, I am also currently studying classical piano in order to finish my pedagogy and become a fully certified teacher. During a history and harmony class, I learned about a melodic framework in Indian music called a ‘raga’ that commonly uses an instrument called the gamelan. After this I heard a program on CBC radio 2 playing ragas and I couldn’t get the sound out of my head.

Although the gamelan was the initial inspiration for the start of ‘Give It To Me Straight’, the song quickly took on a life of its own. I was full of frustrations, energy, and attitude, and what better way is there to express that then some soulful, unfiltered funk! I’m not an expert in funk by any means, but I played trumpet in a jazz band in high school which introduced me to the genre. There is nothing like grooving to a funk beat and letting the music lead you. This is precisely what I did in the making of this song. It’s not an expertly crafted piece by an experienced producer, but it’s full of soul, attitude, and a love for musical exploration. I hope it inspires people to explore more types of music and, of course, DANCE!