Singled Out: Chris Mardini's Sleepless

K. Wiggins | 01-30-2020

17-years-old alt-rocker Chris Mardini releases his new single, "Sleepless" this week and to celebrate we asked him to tell us about the song. Here is the story:

"Sleepless," especially its lyrical content, has been really important to me, ever since I wrote the words and basic chord structure. I feel like it might be because it highlights a weird part of my life in which I was really confused and lost, and it really makes me feel a certain way whenever I play it. I guess it's mainly nostalgic sadness, but it's something that I really like. Not actually feeling sad, but just knowing how something that I created can have the power to dictate my mood. I guess the memories of how I felt when I first wrote it all start flooding back to me when I scream the lyrics either live in front of an audience or just alone. When I wrote it, I was feeling really alone. I isolated myself from anyone and anything that had even the slightest possibility of making me happy. I struggled to avoid becoming completely engulfed by ceaseless, negative introspection and self-sabotaging behavior. It kind of got to the point where I couldn't sleep at night because my mind would just be so occupied with things I did that I shouldn't have, or what I could've done to make everything better.

The lyrics are basically a deep-dive into my emotional state at the time, and how I was feeling about it all. The final product was a lot different from what it was when I initially wrote it, which was expected, but I think the instrumentals really capture the essence of how I wanted it all to sound. Funny story -- towards the end of the song, there's a really high note that I had to hit, and if you listen closely, you can hear my voice crack really badly! It was really embarrassing at first, and I didn't even think about using it, but it took me a while to realize that it adds even more emotion into the song. It's real. I'm really hoping it comes across that way.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself right here!