Hey Our Basement,

I’m Ian Lake, a singer-songwriter, and most importantly, a storyteller at my core.

The lockdown of 2020, combined with some big regrets, and a lot of deep personal work, inspired my debut album, What It Is. I started writing it at a real low point and, through its evolution, found a great deal of courage, resolve, hope and acceptance. Which is ultimately the message of the record.

“More” was the last song I wrote for the album, and easily my favourite. I wanted to write an upbeat sounding love song, that’s actually about loneliness. The song came from the discovery of what it feels like when two people just don’t want the same thing. I wanna be around you more, more than you wanna be around was the starting point: it was something I jotted in my journal when I finally came to terms with the reality of it.

The eight-song album is a journey starting from an emotional rock bottom, summoning some encouragement and hope, letting out a little bit of frustration along the way, and ultimately arriving at acceptance, and embracing the truth: That it is… What It Is.

I know a lot of us have been through big personal challenges in the last two years, and I’d like for listeners to recognize their own journey in the songs, and some of the power of knowing they aren’t alone.

Thank you for listening,
Ian Lake

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