Writing listen kid as a deeply personal song

Listen Kid was released on 17 July as the first song from our second album 'Cate Cafe', and I have been excited and anxious about it because it is the most personal song that I have written to date. How it came about has been quite a journey.

Adult life for us is a complicated thing. Let's put it straight. Most of us aren't doing well, whether it is the economy, politics, or just the ebb and flow of life, and we cannot deny the truth about the bills that need to be paid, the rich kid who is doing better, or the overly competitive classmate from your school who got everything she wanted and some more.

And then our minds tell us how unlucky we are or how less beautiful our life/world is.

But when life was simple and you were just a kid, you never once thought about how mundane your life was or how many fewer toys you had compared to someone else. You were just there, in the moment, without too much external influence. What happened at school never bothered me after the end-of-the-day school bell rang; it was as if every hour the slate of my mind was wiped brand new.

Maybe it was in my mind for an hour or so, and then I forgot about it and never carried it over to the next day. We were so focused on your life, and happiness glowed from within. Some say that it is the magic of childhood that you cannot carry into adulthood, but I disagree because we are still the same skin, bones, and DNA: it is impossible not to be who you once were.

“Can you remember who you were, before the world told you who you should be?” - Charles Bukowski

I forgot who I was for a very, very long time and started believing average things in life when the person that I was raised to be (and that everyone is, as a child) was anything but average in terms of experiences, worldview, talent, and happiness.

What a shame that the world tells us that we are average and we believe it.

Because the only thing I believed when I was a kid in Leh Ladakh was that I was a brave little girl. That bravery is the most beautiful thing I possessed as a 7-year-old. I would cross feeble bridges across rivers, throw painted rocks in the river, and be raised by people who told me that they believed that one day I would do something great in my life.

And I grew up just forgetting the magic of this beautiful childhood, carved with love, honesty, resilience, and bonding. I did not have an easy childhood (I lived in remote places and moved every other year), but I was easy on myself. Now that I have an easier life (in technical terms), I am so harsh on myself.

Forgetting the magic of being you is the biggest betrayal of your mind. It is untrue and unkind.

In the moment of forgetting who I was, I went back to the old tapes for 2003 that my brother sent to me (which also forms the footage for the music video for Listen Kid)

https://youtu.be/_tDXplK4uRk?si=MzEgyrKlSYeGAP_G

Wherein my parents followed me around with the camera for a while. I saw a fearless girl, and she is still in me; I have just been hiding her a little. Writing this song made me say hello to that little girl and sit with her for a while, and I feel lucky to feel things so deeply. My advice is to remember everything beautiful, positive, and nice that was said to you. Maybe look back at the photos and videos that you might have. Like for me, someone said:

'Listen, kid, you always pull through because you've got it in you.'

And in my moments of struggle, I remember those words and repeat them to myself, saying, "Listen, kid..."

Stream Listen Kid