"Addict"

Hey Friends,

What an exciting year it has been! As you know, I returned to Nashville this past June to begin recording my songs for my upcoming CD. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to my GoFundMe campaign, as I was able to record my first four songs!

I released my first single, “Sugar and Spice” (August 2017), followed by “It’s My Life” (November 2017). Thank you for buying my music, but also for your notes of compliments and thanks - I appreciate all of you!

I’m now excited to share that my next single “Addict” is released! Co-written by producer Billy Smiley and myself, it’s a special, thought-provoking, and honest song - one that I am super proud of. “Addict” is now available on iTunes, CD Baby, Spotify, and Apple Music! Every download and spin counts and enables an artist such as myself to record more music - thank you for your support!

“I’ll admit it – I’m an addict”. I have an addiction. I have cravings, some stronger than others, in various forms. How I live with those addictions, how I react to them, dictates how I live. As much as I think I’m in control, I’m not. And, whether I realize it or not, my addiction affects everyone around me. While the “high” may be temporary, the consequences are not. An addiction always takes the place of something that is ultimately more fulfilling.

Addictions are sometimes subtle, sometimes they are not. An addiction may be a physical one, to a substance (alcohol, drugs, caffeine, food), or an emotional addiction (attention, sex, competitiveness, busyness, work). Even once I admit my weakness, it feels safer and easier to stay in the addiction. It’s comfortable and predictable, even if it’s threatening to my well-being. But staying in the addiction carries less fear than leaving, for once I leave I’m now in a foreign land and no longer “in control”.

Considering this, I began writing the lyrics for “Addict” in November of 2012, and continued to work on it in July of 2013. In September 2016, while preparing for my next project, I returned to my notes and completed my thoughts on this song. I sat down at my piano, created a minor riff, and wrote the first rough draft. The final draft of "Addict" was written in the studio in November 2016, along with my producer, Billy Smiley, then recorded in June 2017.

Thank you Miles McPhereson (drums), Matt Pierson (bass guitar), Brennan Smiley (guitar), Billy Smiley (guitar and backing vocals), Blair Masters (keys, string and horn arrangements), Melody Thompson (backing vocals), Nick Lane (engineering). Piano and lead vocals by Rhonda Louise.

Thank you to Jay Demarcus (Rascal Flatts) of The Grip Recording Studio (Nashville, TN) and Robin Crow of Dark Horse Recording Studio (Franklin, TN).

Produced, mixed and mastered by Billy Smiley at Dark Horse Recording Studio (Franklin, TN).

I will be releasing my fourth song in the next month or so. Then, I’m hoping and praying for the opportunity to return to Nashville this spring to record my remaining songs to complete my CD.

Thank you to each venue for your invitation to perform - each paid performance brings me closer to reaching my goal! Each CD, T-shirt and download sale also helps a lot - thank you!

I would also appreciate your help in the form of financial assistance. If you feel that you are able to support my upcoming recording project, please visit my GoFundMe page.

I’m also open to sponsorship/partnership - if your business or organization is interested in partnering with myself, please contact me here. Thank you for this encouragement and support!

I’ll be performing in and around Calgary in the coming months, and am also looking forward to touring Alberta this summer! Some possible stops include Whitecourt, Windfall, Fox Creek, Mayerthorpe, Drayton Valley, Sylvan Lake, Edson, Valleyview, Peace River, Girouxville, Little Smokey River, and everywhere in between.... I’d love to see you this summer!

I am available to perform in cafes, bistros and churches, for groups, special functions, or community events. I also do house concerts! If interested, please contact me.

Thank you again for your ongoing support!

Keep going,

Rhonda Louise