Blaize Adam is a Manhattan-born singer, songwriter, and music producer with a passion for the creative arts. Having spent two years as a YPC chorister, Blaize’s passion for the creative arts is reflected in his attitude, strong work ethic, and enthusiasm for collaboration. He now resides in Los Angeles, where he continues to pursue a career in the music industry.
Q: What inspired the piece you wrote?
I tried to think inwardly about what I was feeling, and what I thought other people were also feeling during these difficult times. A lot of times this past year, I felt very stagnant, like there wasn’t a lot I could do to alleviate the pain that so many people are going through, because there is so much despair and confusion, not knowing what tomorrow brings. So, I decided the best thing I could do was to show people love, and that’s why I wrote the song: to convey the message that doing anything out of a place of love is the best thing you can do right now, for your community and for the global community.
Q: How have you been personally involved in or impacted by social justice issues?
I felt it very personally, and I participated in the peaceful protests that took place in New York City in 2016, 2017, and last year. I feel very blessed to grow up where I did and to have the family and community I belong to, and one thing that really struck me as I saw everything unfold was a huge sense of empathy for people all across this country. I realized that there are people younger than me and older than me who aren’t lucky enough to have a supportive community, a sense of love and trust and family—all the things that were able to get me through this hard time.
Q: Is there a favorite lyric or part of the song that is particularly important to you?
“Looking forward…I can’t look back, but the memories keep my soul intact.” That moment in the song is about the fact that we have a lot to reflect on, a lot of things that have happened in the past year that we can try to analyze, but we can’t really go backwards–the purpose of the past is to learn and reflect and move forward.
Q: What do you want listeners to take away from your piece?
I know a lot of people are struggling with how they’re going to move on from all of this.
I hope that in hearing this song, people understand that moving out of love, building community, and showing people respect and compassion is really the way that we can get through these hard times and come out even stronger than when we went into them.
Q: What’s your favorite memory from your time with YPC?
In 2014, I travelled with YPC to Switzerland as an Artist-in-Residence. One of our performances on this tour was in a large church. In this performance, during the section where the Concert Chorus & Young Men’s Chorus perform together, something unpredicted and unforgettable happened. During the climax of one of our a cappella pieces, all at once, all of the lights went out in the church. This somehow coincided with a break in the music. A silence hung in the air for a moment, the audience and the performers equally confused and stunned. We ended up finishing the song in darkness. Some type of magic must have been in the room that night because that moment has always stuck with me.
Q: What does YPC mean to you?
To me, YPC means community. A community of people from different ages, racial, and ethnic backgrounds, economic statuses; all coming together with the shared goal of cultivating excellence in music.
