Today, we’d like to introduce you to Makena Brown.
Hi Makena, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I moved to Nashville back in 2019 to study Music Business at Belmont University. Before that, I grew up playing guitar and writing songs about my feelings. In 2020, I moved back in with my parents and started taking songwriting more seriously. It was the only way I could cope with all of the complex emotions that were surfacing during that time.
Flash forward to now; I am in the midst of releasing a five-song EP that I spent the last year working on with my friend Aaron Cage. These songs capture a very specific moment of growth and heartbreak. They exist under the artist name Wasp Eater, and the title of the project is “January Bugs.” Growing up, I had a very irrational fear of wasps, and even to this day, I will scream when I see them.
To me the name Wasp Eater is symbolic of my desire to overcome fear. Specifically my fear of being vulnerable and pursuing my dream.
We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I have been my own biggest blocker when it comes to the pursuit of my dreams. I have struggled with self-doubt and addiction like many others, and I have prioritized romantic connections in my life to an unhealthy extent. It has been hard to get out of my way, but over the past year, I have prioritized my connection to myself and the universe in a new way.
Reworking the way negative thoughts show up in my brain, going to therapy, setting healthy boundaries, exercising self-discipline, and relying on community and help from God have all been extremely impactful in the pursuit of my musical goals and aspirations. Though I expect many more roadblocks to surface in the future, I feel as though I have moved through the past couple of years of struggle with new strength and insight.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a songwriter. Claiming this feels challenging, but it is what I do! I have been writing songs and singing them since I was twelve years old. The songwriting process, to me, is a lifestyle. It is a way for me to tap into the divine. I view myself as a vessel for concepts that exist outside of me.
In a way, the song already exists, and it is my job to coax it out of the abstract and into tangible form through my unique perspective. I am most proud of the community I am a part of in Nashville. I feel so grateful to be surrounded by other in-tune creatives who actively pursue their dreams each day. The music I have released wouldn’t have been possible without the support and talent of my friends, and I am so grateful for that.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Surrender and community. Success in music wouldn’t be possible for me without a loving community or surrender to the unknown.
I let go and let the music reach who it needs to reach while also being very intentional with my connections and creating space in those connections for our most authentic selves to shine through.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.waspeater.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waspeater.online
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/waspeater
Image Credits
Pierz Barry (Illustration) & John Gee
