Today, I had the honour to reunite with a family in the occasion of a memorial for a loved one, who passed away one year ago. I also played at the funeral back then. At the time, I had the opportunity to learn many things about the person’s and family’s life and experience, and the legacy they were left with.

Eulogies play an important role in this, and I always give them my full attention. I remember one during another funeral recently, where the daughter of the deceased explained how her father was the one who always fixed stuff for her. Things that had broken around her house. A part of her car that was faulty. An emotional problem with which she needed support. He was always there. In the wake of his passing, she had the bittersweet realisation that she’s now on her own —with his teachings and the memories, but ultimately, alone.

Every story makes you think. The rush of daily life can make us lose sight of the impact we have in others and vice versa. We all take things for granted, sometimes, even ourselves. When faced with the passing of a loved one, we come face to face with these things. Everything is suddenly enormous and overwhelming, and struggle through the unanswered questions, the unspoken feelings and eventual regrets. With times, we process, we arrive to conclusions and we get closure. Memories (happy, sad, confusing, peaceful, all of them) have the chance to settle after the storm of emotions. This is why, I think, memorials are still deeply emotional and heartfelt, but in a different way than funerals.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to have contributed with my music during this year-long process of saying goodbye. I approach the subject with gratitude and respect, willing to give families a channel to express and feel their emotions with my music. If you find yourself in a situation in which you’d like to hire a performance for a funeral or a memorial, remember that you can reach me through my booking form.