We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brooke Delgado. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brooke below.

Brooke, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

I wish I had started sooner. If I could have done it all over again, I would have majored in musical theatre. Music was always my first love. However, for the last 17+ years, I’ve spent my professional career as an accountant working in every industry with various sized companies from startups to large corporations. I started taking music more seriously during a significant season of change in 2021. Songwriting became my creative outlet to release emotions and guided me to the next phase in life.

Brooke, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’ve always wanted to do music professionally, but never thought it was realistic for me. I had created a safe path for myself by studying finance and accounting in college and chose stable jobs with predictable income. There were many days when I would come home from work exhausted and unfulfilled. I needed something to excite me. I was living to work instead of working to live. I made a drastic and impulsive decision to enroll in an undergraduate music program at CU Denver for the 2022-2023 school term, all while keeping my full time accounting job. School was fun, but intimidating. I was starting a new degree program in my 40’s and I was old enough to be my classmates’ parent. I pushed through that school year and learned so much about myself and music. It gave me direction and showed me my true passion. My advice to everyone is to take the risk and that it’s never too late to start something new.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Live music caught my attention early on in life. I always loved performing, but it wasn’t until 2022 that I really embraced being an audience member. I attended more concerts in 2022 than I had the previous 10 years. There was a deep connection and intense aura felt at each show. I needed to understand what that energy was so I pivoted from music school to the humanities. Since I already had a bachelor’s degree (and a master’s), I was eligible to enroll in the Master of Social Science (MSS) program at CU Denver for the 2023-2024 school term. I discovered the answer to that energy question after studying live music and social theorists during my first semester of the MSS program. Collective effervescence was the feeling I experienced at concerts. It was the reason I craved live music. I realized I wanted to contribute to society in a way that would leave a lasting impression. My goal with this new degree program is to create a method that will use live music to heal communities with a collective trauma by using collective effervescence.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I performed my first solo show in the summer of 2022 just before I started music school. It was my first time playing a set with original songs. I had one cover song, Angel from Montgomery by John Prine, but I added a 4th verse to apply the song to my personal life. It was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. After my first semester of music school, I had my second show with all original songs. Two friends joined me on stage to play guitar and bass and I was grateful to not be up there alone. That second show in December of 2022 took all of my energy. Promoting, preparing, and selling tickets was daunting to me. By the time the show arrived, I thought to myself, “I don’t want to go through that again.” The show was a success. I had a ton of fun on stage, but needed a break. One full year and several open mics later, I scheduled my next show for January 27, 2024 at The Lodge at Woods Boss in Denver, CO. Because I only do one to two shows per year, I pour my entire heart into it. Despite the pre-show rituals of scheduling, promoting, and constantly asking friends to buy tickets, I continue to remind myself why it’s worth it. I want to give my friends, family, and fans an experience they can take with them. I want them to feel that special energy from my shows, the ever-addicting collective effervescence.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/brookedelgadosings
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brookedelgadosings/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brookedelgado/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/brookedelgadosings

Image Credits
Cody Sowa – but only for one photo.