2024 was one of the most intense years of my life.
Having an album and a song titled Never Look Back might seem contradictory to what I’m about to share, but this year was so wild that I think a little retrospection is in order.
When I entered 2024, in hindsight, I was bound for disaster. Yes, I had a new album in the works, but in many other aspects of my life, I have to admit, I was pretty much a trainwreck. As always, music came to my rescue and turned everything around. Music was there to save me and give me a place to go (quote intended).
I released Life Burns, my new album, in March, and it has brought me so much satisfaction. It's exceeded all expectations. I had the privilege of working with incredible labels like SBÄM, Sell The Heart Records, Motorcity Produzioni, Overdrive and along with my own label, Epidemic Records which also released two amazing bands of friends, Blowfuse and Regarde.
Thanks to Life Burns, I hit the road again, playing almost 70 shows this year, both with the full band and solo. I performed across Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, and most recently in Spain, Catalonia, and Euskadi. I took my band to places we’d never been before, and in doing so, we grew even closer as a team: my bandmates are truly the best I could ever ask for.
This year, I learned the value of surrounding myself with people who genuinely want to be in my life. I also learned a lot about myself, both as an individual and in relation to others. I worked on improving myself, learned from my mistakes, and tried to fix what I could in the wreckage of my life. It wasn’t easy, and it never will be, but I’m doing my best. I lost some people along the way, but I also welcomed new faces. I built meaningful connections, friendships, collaborations, and human relationships with incredible people I’m eager to keep exploring.
Through everything I’ve done this year, music has been the engine, the fuel, and the soul of it all.
Now, I’ll leave the most intense experience for last, because I still can’t fully grasp what happened. My U.S. tour in November. It was a massive leap of faith, requiring an immeasurable amount of work from everyone involved. But it paid off.
I took my music to the East Coast and West Coast, playing 19 shows across the States and having a blast at every single one.
It’s crazy to think that all of this came from a simple decision I made at one point in my life to pour my heart into some songs.
There are still things in the works, and more to come. I’m more than ready for 2025, and I can't wait to face whatever lies ahead with enthusiasm, determination, and a deep appreciation for this burning life I’m living.
To everyone who made this year so special, to everyone who showed up when I needed it most, to everyone who welcomed me into their lives and cared about who I am and what I do: Thank you. See you in 2025!
To celebrate this year, here’s a picture of me, doing the thing I love the most in Long Island, New York, last month.
Photo Credits: Steven Schopp