Taylor Swift is not my creative muse

Amanda age about 8 or so:
Tutus and foot positions no longer figure in my creative endeavours...

Taylor Swift has left the building — and this country. She completed her ERAS tour with three shows in Vancouver, the last one on Sunday evening. I have followed, with some bewilderment, the news pieces on this pop-world phenomenon who draws crowds by the tens of thousands and whose show requires about 90 trucks to transport the staging, (sequinned) costumes and other equipment from venue to venue. Taylor is adored, inspiring fans of all ages, and I am genuinely happy for those who have been able to see their musician hero in concert. It is, indeed, a thrill to hear favourite songs performed live by a beloved artist, surrounded by others who feel as you do.

That collective experience of a creative force is powerful and inspiring. I know that feeling. The impact of being in the audience that is feeding the artist’s energy and performance and witnessing the artist giving their all for that audience. It’s a rush.

I have my own close-to-home musician hero. Her name is Deborah Romeyn. She used to live up the street from me, we had many a fun time together at our cottages on Lake Winnipeg, and, quietly by example, we have inspired each other to be the creatives we are — she a singer-songwriter-performer, me a writer. Over the years, I have seen the belief Deborah has in herself and her music transform itself into live performances and tangible CDs for her fans. In turn, her appreciation of my writing has helped fuel my own belief in me.

With her seventh (!) CD recently launched, Deborah is a veteran of the creative process: ideas for songs transformed into lyrics then set to music (or maybe the other way round); the desire to perform her work translated into concerts; the wish to make her music accessible to a larger audience leading to the production of a CD and then a live concert to launch that CD into the world.

All of this takes time and energy, of course — and money, too. Every creative who wants to reach their audience knows the truth of this. Deborah self-funds the production of her CDs, because she believes in herself as an artist and in her music as both presence and connection in the world. I admire this about her and I aim for the same with my writings.

There is only one Taylor Swift, no question. But Deborah and I represent the hundreds and thousands of community-level creatives who pursue their art with no less dedication or satisfaction than Swift does. We just do it without sequins, global headlines or millions of dollars of profit.

Visit Deborah’s music via her website here and read my review of her latest CD, We Are Made of Stars, below.

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We Are Made of Stars
Deborah Romeyn
October 2024
Review by Amanda Le Rougetel

I love a story told through music and lyrics, so Deborah Romeyn’s seventh CD We Are Made of Stars does not disappoint.

From daisies to stars via blooming fields of prairie canola (“I Drive”), Romeyn’s songs tell stories of anyone and everyone who has lived and loved — and lost — and who finds peace and solace in the truth and beauty of the natural world that surrounds us.

Romeyn doesn’t shy away from heartbreak and loss or the ache of a life tied to the day-to-day, but she also embraces the sheer joy of a love found and a love reflected in the creative beauty of a hand-made quilt (“Every Night I Know”).

Her lyrics tell these stories across twelve original songs. Treat yourself to a copy of the CD to ensure you get the rich and beautiful sound of the gorgeous saxophone that accompanies the opening track “Pickin’ Daisies”, the twangy harmonica on the bluesy “On the Road the Blues”, and the guitar and keyboards on which Romeyn accompanies herself throughout the album.

The work that brought this musical collection to life is grounded in Romeyn’s commitment to showing up for her creative energy and giving it expression in music. She does this as much for herself as for her fans, some of whom have followed her musical career since the early 1980s. In fact, this latest album includes “Teacher’s Song” that dates from those early days and that Romeyn has never before recorded. At the album launch in early October, she explained why: “I always like to give the back story before I sing this song, as it makes real for the audience just how precarious the lives of LGBTQ2S people were back then — and, sadly, still are today.” Romeyn speaks from personal experience, as she is the teacher about whom she sings in the song.

That personal story-telling in her lyrics is a hallmark of Romeyn’s song writing and, I would venture to say, a major reason why fans like me are so delighted to have this latest collection of her personal yet also universal songs in our hands and on our players.

Purchase the CD or download the album through Bandcamp.