Pianist-Composer Chad Lawson Is Helping People Heal Through Music—One Deep, Calming Breath at a Time
Chad Lawson. Credit: Decca Shervin Lainez
After years spent touring the world with pop and jazz legends like Julio Iglesias and Babik Reinhardt, pianist Chad Lawson was hungry to find a more intimate avenue for his curiosity and creativity. So he began composing short, ethereal works for solo piano, several of which made their way onto his debut album, 2009's Set on a Hill.
Although he began composing as a way to find quiet calm after years on the road, Lawson quickly saw the effect his music had on people all over the globe. He received countless emails from listeners who had found in Lawson's album the solace they needed to deal with hardships in their personal lives. And in the 15 years since that flood of emails began, Lawson has grown a devoted fan base. His music has received more than 500 million streams, and every week 60,000 people listen to his podcast, Calm It Down.
On his most recent album, breathe, it's clear Lawson has forged a career that's less concerned with his popularity as an artist and more about helping people improve their emotional and mental health.
"breathe is meant to invite people to be OK with what we've been through — be it the last two years, the last two hours, the last two decades — and to find that place where we can kind of exhale everything we've been carrying with us that we no longer need," he says on the latest episode of the Classical Post podcast.
"It's not about Chad Lawson. It's about creating a platform that allows healing for people and what they're going through."
In this episode we talk more about the new album, and Lawson shares profound insights into the creative process behind his music. He also talks more about the marriage of music and mental health, the ways Transcendental Meditation helps him quiet his racing mind, and his favorite Brooklyn pastry shop for what he calls "the best donuts on the planet."
Listen to breathe wherever you stream or download music.
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