Only if the Dragon Comes

My album, Only if the Dragon Comes, is largely the story of an adventure. You can follow a hero’s journey that weaves through the album. Though, it is also simply a collection of songs that reflect my own personal thoughts and struggles that I dealt with through my first two years of college. Feelings such as anticipation, nostalgia, loneliness, depression, and most importantly hope, fill the songs of this album. Also largely inspired by the adventures of Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, as well as other similar stories, I aimed to capture the essence of these great tales in hopes of encouraging others to face their own adventures head on.

Album cover for Only if the Dragon Comes

Black Sky

“What color is your sky?” was one of the first questions I was asked when I came to college. Having moved in a week early for MuKappa (Missionary Kid) orientation, my little group of wide-eyed freshmen was in the middle of the usual campus tour. Oddly enough, it was at the career services office where the man in charge of the office gave an example of what they might ask students who came in for advising help. “What color is your sky?” he asked me, seemingly out of the blue. It knocked me out of my daydream and caused me to quickly think of an answer. Blue is the actual color of the sky, I thought to myself, but I figured that wasn’t exactly what he was looking for. So naturally I went for the second most commonly known color of the sky. “Black” I replied confidently, not really thinking of the negative connotations the color may have for some people. With a somewhat predictably astonished and worried reaction, the man along with most the room were taken aback. However, in my mind I began to rationalize myself. The sky is black at night, so logically why couldn’t my sky be black. I grew up in a predominantly black population, so I was also more used to seeing black people. And finally, as I thought back to all the times I looked up into the sky I remembered my favorite moments. Many times I enjoyed looking at interesting clouds, or sunsets. But most of all I enjoyed peering into the vast space beyond the clouds. I loved looking up at space, the longer you stare the more stars you see.

"Black Sky" is the first song on my album Only if the Dragon Comes, and serves as the call to adventure. For me, it represents the start of my college career, with so many hopes and dreams for the future. It’s the track that plays as you look to the sky, determine a dream, look back down, and start on your journey towards that dream.

Listen to "Black Sky" on iTunes or Spotify.