Dante Shivers has completed “Changes,” a song that began nearly 15 years ago with a chance meeting in London and was finally recorded in Thailand during a very different chapter of his life. The song follows Shivers’ experience of writing about dreams, uncertainty and the difficulty of pursuing the life you imagine, only to eventually find himself living through those same questions years later.
The story began when Shivers met a ballerina through a mutual friend. After walking her home one evening, the two spent time talking about life, travel and their hopes for the future. Later, while she slept, Shivers lay awake looking at the moon through her window, with her ballet shoes hanging nearby. The moment stayed with him and became the inspiration for “Changes.”
Shivers began writing the song in London and finished the writing after returning to New York City. Despite completing it, he eventually put the song aside, where it remained for almost fifteen years.
When he came back to “Changes,” Shivers was in a completely different place. He was travelling around the world as part of a personal journey to rediscover himself. He ultimately completed the recording in Thailand, turning a song written by a younger version of himself into something connected to the life he was now living.
That connection sits at the centre of “Changes.” The song reflects on the passage of time, the uncertainty that comes with pursuing your dreams and the challenge of holding onto who you are while your circumstances continue to shift.
Shivers is an American independent singer-songwriter and producer whose music moves between alternative rock, blues, folk, cinematic arrangements and stripped-down performances. His songwriting draws on love, loss, identity, regret, change and resilience, with his debut album, American Nightmare, bringing those different musical influences together through storytelling.
For a song that spent years waiting to be finished, “Changes” arrives with an unusual connection to its own subject matter. It was written while Shivers was wondering about the life ahead of him and completed years later while he was actively searching for it.
Listen Now:open.spotify.com/track/5MbgnuXVrGL
Follow Dante Shivers:@dante.shivers