We recently connected with Tom Bender and have shared our conversation below.

Tom, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

As a songwriter my vision and mission is to write songs that are relatable in areas of life that are sometimes hard to have a conversion about. Through the songs my hope is that a connection can be made to the lyrics, which then allows for the possibility for hope and healing to begin. For me personally music has always been an outlet and passion of mine, especially in the area of song writing. The songs I write are heavily influenced and inspired by the last 20 years I have spent as a life coach, mentoring, and counseling.

No matter where or what you are going through in life, music will always have a special place that will spark emotions and memories! It is also said that one of the best ways you can express your feelings is simply through listening to music. And there are more and more studies being done on the impact that music has on mental and physical wellness.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

Over the last 20 years that I have spent time as a Christian life coach, mentor, and counseling young adults, I would use music as a way to make a connection with the person I am mentoring etc… with. The songs also allow for a way to share their stories to inspire others. Example: “I Still Believe” was written around the emotions/feelings of abuse with the hope and healing scripture provides. I continue to look for ways to take a struggle and then find hope through the lyrics I write while staying consistent to the life stories behind the songs.

One of the main thing I am most proud about is that I am staying true to what I wanted these songs to become! Songs of inspiration, songs of hope and even songs that could bring the start to healing whether it’s emotional of physical. When I write a song I always start with a passage of scripture. From there I start to write the story behind the song and also start the process of the music/lyrics for which the theme the song will be written.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

One of the most rewarding if not the best aspects of being a songwriter are the response emails, comments, and posts I get from listeners thanking me. Usually telling me how the song lyrics seemly came at the right time and how they could feel a connection to the story of the song, as if somehow I knew their personal stories.

This year I have had so many first’s in my songwriting journey, but these really stand out. Did my first co-write song with Justine Blazer (song – “Bad Love”), which is now an artist release from the Album “Girl Singing the Blues” by Justine Blazer and first time being in Billboard’s Magazine’s Grammy edition as a co-writer for a song. Also I was a finalist for “Male Songwriter Of The Year” for the 2022 ISSA (International Singer Songwriter Association) Awards held at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center in Atlanta, Georgia. I also got to do a co-write song with my son Mike Bender for a song titled “Goodbyes are never the end” which is a song honoring First responders that have paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving and protecting our communities.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I continue to use the main social media platforms that I am connected with to promote my music as well as some traditional business Cards. Every time I go out to a restaurant I always put a business card in with bill and write a positive note to the individual who provided me with the service. I get a lot of hits to my artist website through this method. May sound a little old fashioned in today’s digital world, but there is still something special about receiving something even if it’s just a business card.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tombendersongwriter.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tom.bender.50999
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBtuJx-t_AGrTY9rRZr4Cng

Image Credits
Tom Bender Michelle Bender David M. Garcia