The desire to sing has always been in my heart ever since I was a child, inspired by my mum’s love for singing and, over time, turning into a need to share music with others. Not for fame or fortune, but to share a passion which I know so many others have. To share the emotions that singing, and music can bring. To transform music into that tangible effect music has on people, when you strike the right vibrations and you can do nothing but live the moment, when the hairs on your arms stand up or you feel something reaching out to your soul, to your Warrior Within, and bringing out hidden feelings.
Which is why I have always wanted to create my own album. To create my own music, harmonies, and lyrics, to turn them into songs, to share the musical vibrations that come from them and, hopefully, touch souls and connect with emotions. The difficulty with heartfelt desires is that sometimes, bringing them to fruition takes time, and the time must be right.
It has been a long journey trying to get here. A journey of introspection, finding my own path and searching for what I wanted to convey. Learning, along the way, how to create music and the tools needed to make it possible. Ultimately, finding the right combination for all the tracks on this album. But it has not been a lonely journey. I have had the help of special people, supporting, motivating, and helping to create this album. And now you are here too!
So, if you want to listen to Warrior Within, or hear any of the tracks, you can go to various websites and purchase it through them. Alternatively, you can contact me via email and I can arrange shipping of the physical CD for €12.99, plus postage and packaging, according to where you are.
I’d also like to take a moment to pass on a few thank you messages:
SPECIAL THANKS to all the people who have helped make Warrior Within become a reality: Miki Kaneko for the paintings used for the artwork on the booklet’s cover, “All I Wanted” and “Breathe”. Aya Kaneko Xu for the contribution to the digital artwork for “Gold Dust” and the CD case back cover. Derek Cooper for the digital adaptation of my photo for “Warrior”. Maxence Giebel for the delicate work of mastering of the tracks and his sister Charline Janice for her precious advice to finalise the design. Ayesha Burrows, Laurence Martinet, Amélie Plet and Ines Gipponi for proofreading the texts. And to all my friends and family, you know who you are, who have listened to the tracks and provided valuable feedback.
VERY SPECIAL THANKS to Paul Humphreys for all the time and effort in arranging the songs; putting up with the never-ending enhancements to reach their final versions and composing two of the tracks; one of which, “Walk the Line“, helped make me a winner of a French vocal competition in 2016! Without you Warrior Within would never have happened, and my dream would have remained that, a dream.
Lastly, but not least, ESPECIALLY HEARTFELT THANKS to my husband Alistair; thanks for believing in me for all these years, for the time and energy spent spurring me on with your infinite positivity, unfaltering perseverance and, of course, for all your photographs on the album, their adaptations for the artwork and overall album design.
Kat Neilsen x