Performance | Lianne La Havas | TEDxObserver
The singer, Leanne, asserts that music is central to her life, connecting her to herself and others through shared emotional experiences. She attributes the writing of her songs, such as "No Room for Doubt" and "Age," to personal moments of uncertainty, culminating in the belief that music should be used to inspire others. Her journey highlights that creativity flourishes when she can process life's feelings, such as during a trip to New York City, culminating in her desire to spread this message. ## Speakers & Context - **Leanne** — Singer-songwriter originally from South London. - Performed at an event hosted by "Ted's" (implied event host). ## Theses & Positions - Music is a deep personal passion, central to the speaker's decision-making regarding life's direction. - True happiness is found in the entire creative process: initial bursts of creativity while writing, hearing a recording back, and sharing it with an audience. - Music has the power to connect the individual to themselves and the surrounding world. - Music should be used to spread a message and potentially inspire young people. - Favorite pieces of music move people, which is the core message to be shared. ## Concepts & Definitions - **Sound, melody, rhythm:** Sensory elements that the speaker is highly sensitive to and wishes to interpret in her music. - **True happiness:** Found within the entire musical process—from initial creative burst to public sharing. ## Timeline & Sequence - Began singing and making music at age **seven**. - Wrote "No Room for Doubt" after a time of great uncertainty when she hadn't written anything. - Wrote the song "No Room for Doubt" last **summer** while in **New York City**, during the hottest summer since **1939**. ## Named Entities - **South London** — Speaker's place of origin. - **New York City** — Location where she wrote "No Room for Doubt." ## Numbers & Data - Age when she started music: **seven**. - Year for context: **1939** (reference point for hot summer). ## Examples & Cases - **Writing "No Room for Doubt":** Took herself out of her regular life context to process thoughts, eventually writing the title track for a forthcoming album while in New York City with a friend. - **Playing "No Room for Doubt":** Delivered the song, which is noted as being about a time of great uncertainty in her life. - **Playing "Age":** Performed this song, which concerns a romantic situation where the subject is older than the singer. ## Tools, Tech & Products - **Guitar** — Purchased in New York City, which led to writing the title track of her forthcoming album. ## References Cited - None mentioned. ## Counterarguments & Caveats - The speaker admits she might have "worded it better" when thanking Ted's. ## Methodology - Creative processing via geographical removal from routine life (going to New York City). - The act of composing/recording as a way to revisit or define emotional states. ## Conclusions & Recommendations - Life goal is to spread the message that music is important and inspire young people to get involved. - The core message to be shared is derived from the emotional impact of music. ## Implications & Consequences - Music acts as a conduit for self-discovery and emotional processing. ## Verbatim Moments - *"ever since I started singing, when I when I first actually made like a sound and it had a tune to it, it just felt really amazing in my body."* - *"from the first initial burst of creativity when I'm writing a song in my living room or something um to the first time I recorded a song and heard it back and it sounded how I wanted it to sound to the first time I shared it with an audience."* - *"I think music's really important and um and thank you for listening."* - *"We all make our mistakes. We do. I learn from you."* (Repeated chorus from "No Room for Doubt") - *"This song is called Age."* - *"So is it such a problem if he's old? As long as he does whatever he is told."* (Chorus from "Age")