Notes on the Record: "i'm okay"
Thoughts and stories on the title track to Moira Dela Torre's newest album
My cousin @moiradelatorre released her incredible new album “I’m okay” two weeks ago and I’m still processing, so we’re gonna break this up in two parts.
I had the pleasure of writing on a few songs with her for this record, but two in particular hold a very special place in my heart. Let’s talk about “I’m okay.”
I started a song idea with Moi in 2019, a few days before her huge show at Araneta. How she had the mental capacity to create while on the heels of her biggest show up until that point is beyond me, but that’s what sets her apart. We were at a cafe at the Fort next to Pink’s (hence the voice note name) and I had written a few lines and a simple melody. I didn’t think much of it and really just assumed it would forever live in my phone as so many ideas do, but Moira’s superpower is seeing the good and potential in everything (people, art, songs, lyrics, etc) and being able to build whole worlds from so little. That was the story for “Knots” and even “Ghosts,” but we’ll get to that in another post.
Never have I worked with a writer that can see a forest from a seed, but that’s what makes her the writer she is. Our ability to bounce off each other and voice what the other is aiming for before we can even find words is what makes our collaboration so special. Interestingly enough, this season of our lives was a distant one, never did I imagine the few words we threw together in passing could hold the weight it does now. Nor did I see this little voice note recorded on a Monday night becoming the behemoth of a record Moi made it today, let alone the title track.
I mean this song took 5 years to become what it is today and that’s because of her persistence and determination to work at making things perfect. I mean look at the bridge that she crafted for this song. But at this point, I shouldn’t be surprised. She knows how to find beauty in what’s unfinished, breathe life into mere words on a page, and totally transform little potential into fully realized works of art. That’s the magic she brings to her music.
That’s her superpower.