cloud collecting #6: Christine Byrd

listening to our interior voice + expressing what comes naturally

cloud collecting includes 3-question interviews with women and gender-expansive artists discussing their creativity. I'm excited to have musician, Christine Byrd share a few insights into her process. Her ethereal vocal work in Hammock’s discography has been a huge inspiration to me for many years, as well as her debut solo album, ‘All Around My Head’, released in 2022. I am grateful to have had this opportunity to connect with her.

Radiant with cool and stylish energy but with love and longing at its heart, Lumenette’s debut album ‘All Around My Head’ crosses between the realms of memory and dreams, morphing the past into alternate realities where new perspectives and divergent storylines emerge. From Nashville-based composer and singer Christine Byrd, whose breathy vocals linger over a mix of driving beats and ethereal washy ambiance, ‘All Around My Head’ harnesses the cinematic beauty of bands like This Mortal Coil and the blurred longing of shoegaze greats like Slowdive, wrapped in a pop-forward approach. With a remarkable sense for hooks that grip both the ears and heart, Lumenette’s debut is an immersive journey through life’s trials and surreal blisses that will echo long after its final notes fade to silence.

~ Christine Byrd ~

1. Your ethereal vocals have served as a source of inspiration for so many of us and have notably influenced my music. When did you start identifying as a singer and how is connecting to your voice currently a part of your day-to-day life?

I began identifying as a singer as a young child.  I actually have recordings that I made on a cassette recorder when I was around 8 years old.  Music was always a defining part of me.  To be honest, it is a real challenge for me these days to connect to my voice.  I have a lot of demands on my time that have nothing to do with music.  I am spending a lot of time lately trying to connect with my interior voice - the voice that speaks about who I am and what I have to express.  I am an introvert, but I also have a lot to say :-)  The connection with my singing voice will hopefully find me again during the summer when I'm not working.

2. What creative lessons have you learned over the last several years + what words of wisdom would you pass on to your younger self if you could?

Be yourself!  It is always best to bring your deepest self to your creativity.  Do not censor, do not copy, do not try - allow yourself to express whatever comes naturally.  You can always edit later in the process.  

3. How do you cloud collect (connect to childlike wonder) in your creativity?

This is an easy one to answer.  In my regular day job, I work with special needs children, so I am surrounded by childlike wonder.  Even on the days when I feel disconnected from anything, it only takes a moment of staring into the eyes of a child unencumbered by existential angst.  I have the opportunity to be creative in a completely different way.

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