Brett Dennen – HuffPost 4.21.11

Mike Ragogna: What advice do you have for new artists?

Brett Dennen: I would say never stop writing and never stop exploring who you are as a writer. I think it’s easy to become a performer, but never stop writing. If you get inspired, try to stay in that place of inspiration as long as possible. Don’t be too critical about what you write. You have plenty of time, you have the rest of your life to criticize. When you’re inspired, stay inspired. Don’t worry about if it’s good or not, just keep it from the heart. Just keep writing even if you end up throwing it away. Just put yourself out there. Just go for it, play as many shows as you can. One show will always lead to another show, and don’t be afraid to sing your heart out. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable in a song–that’s what people are hungry for, that personalized story and that vulnerability. If you can put yourself out there and be on stage comfortable doing that, people are dying for that today. There is a lot of down stuff out there, if you can draw blood in a song, I think that is what the world is hungry for right now.