Today we’d like to introduce you to Brett Lionheart.
Hi Brett, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve been writing songs since I was a kid, but the real story starts around 2019 when I made a decision that changed everything:
At the time I had felt cutoff and hidden from the world for years, like the real me was in an abyss somewhere totally cut off and disconnected. I’ve been through a lot in my life and still, I’d say it was the worst feeling I’ve ever felt.
I started going to an open mic night every week. I thought I was already a relatively confident person so I didn’t expect the encouragement of everyone there to affect me so much. I could really feel in their eyes that they genuinely loved my music, they weren’t just saying it to be nice. When you see that your music can move people, it starts to change something in you.
Every week I’d go back to the open mic, even if the past week had taken me back into some kind of awful mental health space. I would force myself to go and as soon as I got there what astounded me was that everybody was the same, they hadn’t crashed emotionally that week like I had, they hadn’t given up on me like I had, they were exactly the same and they were just happy to see me. Before the open mic every week I was like when a Looney Tunes character has been hit on the head and a huge raised lump comes up, with birds circling their deliriously wounded face, and then when I saw everybody there he was like the character shook his head back-and-forth and made a burbling noise and the wound and birds promptly vanished 🤣
After many weeks of this I took on the extremely intimidating project of recording my first album. I didn’t know who to hire, I didn’t know how to do any of it, I didn’t have demos prepared, I didn’t know anything. all I knew was I had to finish it, show up, have the courage to climb the mountain every day of getting it done. and that’s what it felt like, every day I knew I could follow the fear I felt and turned back and run away and avoid it or distract myself and do something else, and in hindsight I really don’t know how I did it, the fear seemed so incredibly strong in me, I was so intimidated, but I was unemployed at the time so I just worked all day every day and just try not to think about how much I didn’t want to say yes to the fear. I just tried to be fastidious and put that out out of mind and just stay focused and grind
After three months I had picked out my favorite songs I had written and had created complex beautiful arrangements of them in GarageBand
For the following six months I went into consult with the producer, record and then edit. I was going to finish an album no matter what it took. I spent nine months working on it every single day, which sounds romantic but was honestly one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I had nothing external to show for it yet, didn’t have an audience, any validation, any skills or knowledge of the process, just a conviction that the music was worth completing. When I finally released it something shifted and I felt like my feet hit the ground, and I would never again be in that awful disconnected place where my true self was hidden.
Everything was easier after that. All my friends and family and acquaintances knew I was a musician and I couldn’t hide my songs anymore.
I started performing out. I started a band with some friends. I lived in Nashville for a couple years and moved around to different cities. I started making music videos and found I have a real proclivity towards filmmaking.
Since then I’ve released a second album with Grammy-winner Will Russell, produced half a dozen music videos, got featured in a film festival, developed a lot as an artist, hosted dozens of jams in different cities around the country, and continued to do my favorite thing which is writing songs.
I’m still an undiscovered artist, and my biggest curiosity in life is if I’ll ever be blessed with an audience. I feel very fulfilled and I’m incredibly satisfied with the creative life I’ve built. One of the deepest most useful things I’ve learned in life is that the scientific recipe for happiness according to psychology research is to learn your character strengths (see “VIA Character Strengths” research framework) and center your entire life around them. For me, my greatest strength is creativity, and centering my life around it has felt like the best decision I ever made. I feel so greatful for all the days I decided to say “yes” and do the hard thing, and for all the people I’ve met along the way who have encouraged me.
My latest project is a community music collective called ABODES that’s about creating space for artists to collaborate, perform, and grow together. Shoot me a dm if you’re interested in connecting and jamming with us!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not even close. I often feel like the universe wants to make it as drawn out and difficult as possible before opening a new door for me to proceed further 🤣
I’ve been doing this work seriously for years while holding down day jobs at restaurants, never making a living wage from music, and building almost entirely in obscurity. I released music that moved people to tears and received almost no public recognition for it, there’s a particular kind of loneliness in knowing your work is good and having almost nobody know it exists… but I’m never one to dwell and become bitter! It’s taught me to focus on what I can control, which is eventually releasing as much inspired brilliant art as possible! And being surrounded by other creatives, playing together, supporting other artists and giving them some of the mentorship I wished I had when I was 20.
My mother passed away when I was a little kid, and during her illness with brain cancer the early 2000s song “I Hope You Dance” meant a lot to her. The song title is written on her gravestone. I recorded a cover of the song for my second album “Snapdragons” and you can hear more of my story about that on the documentary on my YouTube channel. I later got personal messages from both songwriters of “I Hope You Dance” on Instagram, which is one of the most special things of my life.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a songwriter, performer, and multi-instrumentalist. piano is my primary instrument but I write across genres and I specialize in emotionally honest music that tends to hit people harder than they expect. I’ve earned the tagline “songs that make you cry (in a good way).” People who’ve heard my work describe it as the kind of thing that makes you feel seen, comforted.
Beyond the music, I’m proud of the community I’ve built around music in Rochester: the band, the jams, the connections. And I’m proud of the community I’m building, which is still early but feels like the most meaningful thing I’ve built. It’s about creating something that other artists can grow inside of.
What sets me apart is probably the combination of depth and range. People say to me “as I was listening to you I felt something real for the first time in a while. I needed that.” I think that’s where my gifting is in life, giving people that opportunity through my art, songs and videos.
I have a decade of serious songwriting behind me, a genuine filmmaking practice, professional experience in advertising and strategy, and a psychology background that I think shows up in how I write about human experience.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
Those friends in Ithaca at the open mic who encouraged me every week
All my musical friends who bring joy to my life when we get to play together every week
The talented producers and engineers I’ve worked with throughout the years
And honestly, the fans who’ve reached out personally to tell me how my music affected them
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brett_lionheart
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettlinehan
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@brettlionheart
