I want to tell an abridged version of my song Versailles’s story and why I’m glad to share it with you.
Versailles: Inspiration
With a song title like Versailles, I’m sure you can assume that my inspiration is the Palace of Versailles in France. And that assumption would be correct.
I visited Versailles for the first and only time (so far) in the late summer of 2016, shortly after my 21st birthday.
I went with friends from a study abroad program and one of my best friends from USC.
Inspired would be an understatement; more overwhelmed by the beauty of the place.
I also felt extreme sadness as it was a catalyst in the death of the people who lived there. The French Revolution brought a lot of necessary and positive change to France, but thinking about it can take you out of the romantic fantasy of visiting such an incredible Palace.
Post-visit
The next morning, I had the song’s original version stuck in my head.
“Versailles, you fell in love with her that night.”
I did go out that night in Paris, and during that time, I had visions of being back in Versailles and dancing the night in the traditional 18th-century attire in a modern crossover.
Overtime changed to “Versailles; we’re going to fall in love tonight” because it felt more hopeful and faithful to what I was trying to say.
Versailles: The Journey Through Development
After I wrote it, I didn’t think much about it. At that point in 2016, I had different priorities and dreams. I had written plenty of songs and kept them to myself or a small group. So nothing happened for a while.
When I was sharing it, the song came from this angst I was feeling, and it wanted to be a love song, but it came from a place of desperation. At that point, I hadn’t felt the love I needed for this song to feel authentic.
So as you can imagine, I scratched the project for a while.
During the pandemic, I learned how to produce music. I said I would never do it because I thought it was too hard, but at some point, you have to learn to push yourself outside your comfort zone.
Over time I was able to hone my skillset in production. Am I an expert? Probably not, but I got myself good enough to make songs I felt confident about sharing, which was pretty cool.
Working in the studio, I played a beat that ended up being the basis for Versailles. It was years later, so the song was deep on the shelf. I hadn’t forgotten about it, but not top of mind. When writing to the beat, I started to sing the lyrics I had written for Versailles; they fit the vibe so well.
I was like, oh my! Okay, that’s what the song has been missing.
Then it was about molding the song like clay, rewriting each moment, and tailoring the track to fit the energy and hopeful vibe.
False Releases
The song has been in some form for a while, but I never put it out.
I was supposed to debut it at the Miracle Babies Gala late in 2021, but it didn’t happen.
Then I got to sing it publicly for the first time at a LOVEthirteen holiday party. It was well received, which was exciting, but I wasn’t happy with how the track sounded. It needed a lot of production work, and I didn’t notice it until I got the song in front of an audience.
After that, it was back to work to make the song shine.
It took a lot of learning and effort, we’ve done over 20 versions of the song, but I couldn’t be prouder of the result.
If you believe in something, even if it’s as simple as a song, never give up on it. You might not have the right tools or network to make your vision a reality today, but as long as you stay positive and motivated to achieve it, you will get there.
Versailles: The Release
The song comes out on September 30th on all streaming platforms.
I am self-releasing it through Distrokid, an online music distribution company.
I am calling this part one because there’s still a lot of work to be done. Now it’s about sharing it with the world and watching it take on a life of its own. It is no longer my baby but for everyone, which is exciting.
I plan to continue making content around it and get my next song ready.
Thank you for letting me share part one of the story of my song, Versailles.
I hope it inspired you to keep working on the ideas that are important to you.
I’m excited to see where it goes and can’t wait to share it and perform it for more audiences.
All the best,
Ariel
You can pre-save the song here.
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