Heather Van Gaalen is a singer/songwriter hailing from Florida who has been writing songs since she was nine years old. She has endured some hard times in her life, she fought anorexia as a teen, then had to become head of the household when her mother suffered a stroke. These life experiences have influenced her songwriting which has a strong emotional resonance and brings to mind Carole King and Joni Mitchell.
Carry On is a poignant and moving ballad that essentially consists of just Heather’s voice and a piano. She has a delicate yet powerful voice that suits the emotional nature of the song perfectly, with the lyrics depicting life’s struggles and the callousness of many people: “It’s making me wonder why the world is so unfeeling.. they don’t even try…”.
The chorus is memorable but deeply sad as she sings “I don’t know why, but I carry on…”. The music frames the words perfectly, with mostly minor chords but the occasional major chord signifying the glimmer of hope that things will improve and the resolve of the human spirit to endure adversity.
Overall, this is a heartfelt and deeply touching song that will move the soul of anyone who has endured hardship in life, or continues to. With so much mainstream music becoming increasingly frivolous and meaningless, songwriters like Heather Van Gaalen are so important as they give a voice to the many people who suffer and struggle with everyday life and who will take heart from the ultimate positive message of the song.
By Alex Faulkner
I’m 34 and a freelance music journalist, as well as a composer and producer. I’ve written reviews for UK newspapers and music websites. I run my own blog, reviewing the best new bands and artists . I’m very passionate and knowledgeable about music and that shows in my writing.
Exclusive Interview with Heather:
Exposed Vocals: How did you hear about Exposed Vocals? What made you decide to sign up?
I entered The Akademia Awards contest online and won for best pop/acoustic song “Carry On.” I had my reverbnation.com account on that award page, so I thought I should set up a Twitter account to maximize exposure. From there I started following and was followed by exposedvocals.com, and decided to give you guys a try.
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
I grew up in Cape Coral, FL, so I’ve been to Disney 50 times and I hate the beach. I didn’t really decide to become an artist; it’s not the easiest field to enter. But I wrote songs, and taught myself piano, and the songs just kept coming so I went with it and recorded my own stuff.
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
Well I haven’t changed my name, it’s Heather Van Gaalen, but there is an old story that my mom waited until I was born and listed off a bunch of names, and I smiled when she said Heather. It was probably just gas, but hey, I don’t mind the name. And I do love Ireland, though I’m not sure why. I’ve even been there.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
In the beginning I did just start passing out cd’s to get the word going, but after a while you gotta try to make something off of it. I may give a song away on a new radio station, just to get their attention, but I don’t make a habit of it. I think online music sharing is great and horrible; your songs get heard but you don’t always see profits or fans resulting from it. If people could listen to the song without downloading it, and then go buy it if they liked it, that would be ideal.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Well I still consider myself small potatoes. But I have noticed from my online radio stations that fans are really important, not only for feedback but for self-esteem. The more you get, the more airplay will follow. And you should take any job you get, because you just never know.
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
Of course, everyone makes mistakes, and I am a horrible perfectionist, which is why at first I only let people listen to my cd’s! But I’ve learned that more than half of the time, no one else even notices your slip-ups, so I just keep going and put it out of my mind.
Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
I don’t tour, mostly for financial reasons, I’ve just been focusing on writing and promoting my music online.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Inspiration is random. I used to write songs about broken hearts and lost loves when I had never even been on a date. It’s all about the ability to put yourself in anyone else’s shoes, so that your songs have relatability. It’s also about not censoring yourself. If you are writing about a personal experience, just remember no one ever has to know it actually happened! I have never personally sat down at the piano and said, “I’ve got to write a song today!” Both the lyrics and melody usually come into my head at once, and I just write it down as fast as I can, saving the editing for later.
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
I have been using reverbnation.com/heathervangaalen. I like reverbnation because it allows you to not only connect with fans but other, often local musicians as well, so people can find you. I also have been playing several songs on Jango.com and have a bunch of fans there as well. They also give you feedback about song popularity.
Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?
Oh no…ok, “I Wanna Know What Love Is” by Foreigner, because I love to belt that song out when no one is around. Jefferson Starship’s “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” because, I don’t know, it just puts me in a good mood. And I think ABBA’s “Mamma Mia” is on there, but I should get it off because it gets stuck in my head.
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
Wow…I would pay off my house and car, do some travelling to Europe, maybe even by cruise ship, and buy all the latest equipment for my studio. Then I would help as many people in my family as I could, depending on how in debt all of them are!
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
I definitely need some new stuff. I was working with Mixcraft, but my desktop crashed and I lost all the originals to my songs. I plan to get a computer that works well with music programs, probably return to Mixcraft’s latest edition since I liked the way it was fairly user-friendly before, and get new microphone stuff, particularly a stand. I have a Yamaha Smart Media electronic piano that still does its job, so I will keep it around for a while.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
I enter as many contests as I can find, and keep pushing with websites like Facebook and Reverbnation. They don’t always translate to sales, but I have more fans now and more interaction as well.
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
Well I suppose I would say Ireland, since I’d love to go back, and Elton John. He was a huge part of my childhood, and I have almost all of his songs. To be on stage with him, each of us playing a piano, maybe a song we co-wrote…that would be my biggest dream.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Well I’m always releasing something somewhere. I try to do a new song on Jango.com as often as I can, depending on the reaction the song gets. And Reverbnation.com is always sending me notifications on promotions, and I will keep updating that website with new songs as well. I still have 20 recorded but unreleased songs, and 150 more songs sitting in my desk waiting to be recorded. So hopefully I will have a lot of music out there being heard.
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Teaching. I had thought about it briefly, but it’s a rough job with little financial reward. But helping kids, probably no older than middle school age, I think I would be good at. I’m creative, and patient, and always try to be mindful of how other people may take what I say. Kids are so open-minded and eager, it would keep me young and give me the satisfaction of feeling like I was actually making a difference.
Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?
I don’t remember the very first one, but I remember one of the first was Gloria Estefan. She had this song out back in 1991 called “Close My Eyes” and I remember thinking I had to have this album. The song was sad but beautiful, and I could sing along. I remember hitting rewind (yes, it was a cassette tape!) over and over again, imagining myself singing someday.
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
It’s very difficult, and often music gets nudged to the side when life gets busy, especially while waiting for the money to record. My 2-year-old daughter Greta obviously has to be my priority, but I want her to love music too, so as she grows up it will get easier, and she can maybe even be a part of it.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2015?
New songs, and a new musician Facebook page that I’ve been working on trying to create. I’m even thinking about starting to sing at weddings or other events, maybe even writing personalized songs, for something different. But in the meantime I am trying to keep as many fans as possible by keeping in contact with them, updating websites, and getting new music out there. You can never stop, because you can be quickly forgotten.
