Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cecilie ‘Cille’ Maria Nielsen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Cecilie ‘Cille’ Maria, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
I “wrote” songs before I could even write. I guess it all started with a need to express myself.
Though songwriting has been important to me for as long as I can remember, I got my ‘real’ start in the industry as an artist—the rock band lead singer. While that included songwriting, for years, the craft took a back seat to performance, promotion, self-managing, and… partying. I think because songwriting was the one area where I felt with some innate talent, practicing everything around it always felt more important.
I was lucky to have some fun “success” experiences along the way—TV appearances, commercial radio airplay, national press, opening arena shows, and so on. When I moved to NYC in 2016, it took a while to find my footing. Rent, hello! So, there was a bit of time there spent in survival mode. I had a lot of fun though, don’t get me wrong. Maybe, weirdly, a little too much at time, but I digress.
About four years ago, I recommitted to music. My life is endlessly better for it! However, I no longer had much drive to be “the artist,” or the face. The only drive and passion that was left was the one it all started with—SONGWRITING!
First, I had to contend with the realization that I had, and still have, a lot to learn about songwriting. I joined various songwriting groups and camps while also committing to a daily writing practice, which was pretty much stable for a long a time.
I’m still learning every single day! Over the past year, I been part of an intensive mentorship program where I get regular feedback on my work. I’m a big believer in routine and rituals—that I can’t sit around and wait for inspiration. So I spend every single morning writing before I do pretty much anything else… Sometimes, I don’t even get dressed first. Haha! That routine, coupled with high-quality feedback, has helped me grow a ton, and I’m just eager to find even more ways to put my skills to meaningful use.
Could I go back in time, sure, I’d have dedicated time specifically to songwriting much, much sooner. But here I am, a rock musician in recovery, honing my skills for my most favorite from of expression. And that’s pretty neat, too!
Cecilie ‘Cille’ Maria, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’m a Danish-born, NYC-based singer, songwriter, and topliner. I’m a pop rock powerhouse—I always strive for infectious melodies and lyrics that are some mix of entertaining and inspirational. I write and work with other music makers, and I do toplining and vocals for producers. I also release music myself under the artist name Cillë. My writing style is playful and zany and most often quite energetic. I love a good anthem!
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
I hold a masters in Music Business from NYU for which I raised over $70,000 in grants! I wrote 160+ grant applications over the course of 1.5 years.
When I think back to my earlier bands, I really wish we’d tapped into and attempted to find grant funding so we could have released more. We always just paid our own way… Which is probably why our catalog of released music ended up so small when compared to what we’re were able to achieve live. Money is out there… But you do have to ask for it, and make a compelling case, of course.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Uff! Okay… I went through a pretty gnarly rough patch of burnout a few years ago.
I was working way too much—at an insane, tense, loveless speed. I would get up at 6 am, do my writing, be in the office by 8 am; I’d go home in the evening and have beer and chips for “dinner,” and then I’d work some more. After five hours of crappy sleep, I’d get up and do it all over again, while cursing my entire existence. High speed, high drama.
I thought I could will more energy into my days, but I was burning my candle in both ends and sideways.
Eventually, some things went wrong. Like, big time wrong. One thing after another blew up in my face. It was the first time in my career that I had failed in such significant ways.
That leads me to the lesson:
I had the very painful realization that I didn’t really know who I was if I weren’t doing a “good” job. Like, my entire sense of self was wrapped up in my work, my performance, and how the people around me perceived me—as a totally dependable badass who could do no wrong!
So, THAT’s what I’ve had to unlearn. I used to think “drive” and being the “responsible” were literally my finest qualities. Come to realize those qualities had become major liabilities because there was so little intention behind how I applied myself.
I’m still unlearning, honestly. But I’m glad that I’m at least working to be more discerning, to work at a natural pace, and all of that good stuff. I also hope I can help others do the same.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cillemusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cille_songwriter/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceciliemaria/
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/cillemusic
Image Credits
Photo by piano in color: Bobby Nicholas III
Black and white photos: Courtesy of Viborg Sangskriver Uge