American pianist Chad Lawson releases his new album 'Awakening'

American pianist and composer Chad Lawson has built a following by doing the unexpected mdash slowing the world down The Steinway Artist known for his minimalist music and restorative soundscape has teamed up with Indiabased Vedam Records to create the album Awakening The Stillness Within To him this collaboration feels less like an album and more like ldquoconversationsrdquo In a quick chat with midday Lawson reflects on the healing power of his music and his larger intention behind every albumExcerpts from the interviewYour latest album marks your first major creative partnership in India What drew you to this projectWhen Vedam Records reached out and said they had an idea they wanted to pursue I jumped at it because of the intention behind it Everything I do has an intention of healing hope calm and life We discussed the core of the album coming from India Irsquove been practising meditation for a long time and yoga for five years so doing this felt full circle This album isnrsquot a collaboration mdash itrsquos conversations Nothing was rehearsed We showed up sat down and just started playing I keep describing it as conversations because I listened and played off the other musiciansrsquo energy and they played off meIs the album a new chapter in your trilogyThis album is new but still rooted in me Therersquos freedom and exploration because it was improvised with others With the earlier albums I had melodies written Here I showed up connected and then we had a conversation with our instrumentsYour music has long been described as an antidote to the fast pace of modern life How do you personally define calm through musicMy very first album The Space Between 2013 was where I became comfortable in my own skin The reason I named it so is because itrsquos the space between the notes where the magic happens That album had so much space it was sparse I wasnrsquot prepared for the positive feedback I got Fast forward to the pandemic mdash people wanted peace but they didnrsquot know how to attain them The music became a catalyst for people to close their eyes lie on the floor push play and begin to let go of the baggage they had been carrying for months or yearsHow do you balance your musicrsquos meditative intent with the technical demandsI see music as a catalyst for calm Itrsquos an invitation to pause breathe feel and to name your emotions When I started doing this it made me uncomfortable I came from a jazz background and I thought people would think itrsquos boring or too quiet But the more comfortable I became with my music the more I heard people saying that it helped them through difficult times I never got that feedback when I played jazzConsidering many fans find healing in your compositions are you conscious of its therapeutic nature when writingI am an empath by nature Waiting tables for 15 years taught me to take care of peoplersquos needs My approach to music is the same mdash people may be broken going through something and they listen to find hope or calm If my ego gets in the way Irsquom doing a disservice to the listener None of this is about Chad Lawson itrsquos about creating something that allows people to breatheThere are artistes who create because they have to and those who create for their audience Irsquom the latter My hope is that the first time someone hears my music they pause and think lsquoI havenrsquot felt this way beforersquo Healing takes time My music wonrsquot be for everyone Irsquom trying to create something honest and authentic so that when someone is ready to heal they know itrsquos real