Serenades: Introduction
The Vision
Serenades is an album designed to be shared. It is the culmination of two years of gratitude that I have toward you; my fans, clients, friends, family, and even Paradox Interactive. Without all of you, I wouldn't be doing this today and I want you to know that you are appreciated!
But further to this, I am also grateful to those people in your life who made you who you are today. It seems like a crazy concept, because I will never meet or know them, but without them you may not have made the journey to Utopia. So, in some sense, they are Utopians just as much as you are, and if they have not transcended yet, then this music is perfectly designed to serve as an introduction.
With that in mind, I more than encourage you to share the music tracks with those people you care about or otherwise wish to serenades. The more joy we can spread, the better we can all be.
After all, this has always been Utopia's only mission: to bring joy through music.
The Content
In bringing this vision to life, it was important to create music that appealed to a much wider audience than just my core fans. Whereas in previous albums I've had a piano song or two for people not interested in epic stuff, this album is the reverse.
The tracklist above says it all; every track features the piano and only one track includes a full orchestra. Alongside this, the tone of the music is, in general, a lot smoother, happier and gentler, while still retaining that classic Utopia flow and style.
All of this comes together to form a collection of music tracks that are different from my usual stuff, yet hopefully you won't feel left out. I still want you to feel like a hero, but in a different way. I've done my best to try capture a range of scenarios: from celebration to heartbreak; or admiration to reminiscence. Think of it in EU4 terms: it's the kind of music that would play at a royal marriage, or after a hunting accident.
Enjoy!
- Utopia