Maila Gibson

Back To Reality...I Think

May was a crazy month for me. I feel like I was home for like 3 days. As I said earlier, I was on Kauai a lot which isn't such a bad thing. Honestly, it's nice to be home for a few days with my dog, Molly. I'll be posting pictures of her as soon as I can figure out how. She's such a princess.

Last week was amazing. I attended the first annual Kauai Music Festival where attendees were able to network, learn from, and perform for some of the top music industry people. Lamont Dozier, Lisa Loeb, and many others to name just a few were there. It was quite a stretch for me to attend. As a matter of fact, I think I actually signed up on the last day of registration. I'm so glad I went because I met some wonderful people and learned a lot. Hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures of that event as well. The biggest lesson I learned, besides being challenged to be a better singer/songwriter, is that it all comes down to relationships. I went to this thing not expecting anything because I've never attended anything like it before. I wasn't expecting to get discovered or get a record deal or anything like that. Instead, I decided to make friends with whomever, and honestly, I learned the most that way. I was able to have one on one conversations with them. I got to drive them around the island and play tour guide. I got to do a count down for Peter Zizzo, Avril Lavigne's producer, to jump off a waterfall and see how exhilarted he was when he came out of the water. Most of all, I learned they're all just ordinary people making a living at what they love. It was great to hear stories from Kara, who wrote "Escape" by Enrique Iglesias, or Jesse Harris, who wrote Norah Jones' "I Don't Know Why" and how they got into the business or what their thought process is when they write. I was bombarded with so much knowledge and surrounded by so much talent. Needless to say, I'm completely humbled! I'm very grateful for the opportunity to attend the festival. Most of all, I'm grateful for the new friends I have. Jeff Cohen, Charity, Chris, Kara, Peter, Charlie, Jessica, Keith, Michelle, Michael Ruff-thanks for getting to know me and for allowing me to get to know you.

Now I'm home and my bills are piled up and my e-mails are infinite. Miss Hawaii is this Friday and I've got over a hundred tickets to deliver for that. Looks like I won't be slowing down for a little bit...