#230 Chad Lawson

Songwriter Trysts

World-renowned pianist and composer Chad Lawson, in the past two years has been working to reshape the role that music plays in our daily lives, forging a powerful new pathway for healing. On his luminous new double album breathe, he expands on the extraordinary intentionality he first brought to his massively streamed 2020 effort You Finally Knew, transforming his decidedly modern take on classical music into a conduit for stillness, serenity, and self-reflection.

Partly informed by his work as creator and host of the iHeartRadio Award-nominated podcast “Calm It Down” (where he guides listeners through techniques for breathing and meditation while tackling mental health subjects) breathe ultimately establishes Lawson as an essential new voice exploring the intersection of music and wellness—all while delivering an exquisitely crafted body of work whose melodic beauty transcends all genre boundaries.

With his latest endeavors including undergoing certification to teach breathing techniques, Lawson has recently begun to integrate breathing exercises into his music and live performance. For Mental Health Awareness Month, he released breathe (guided breathwork edition), a new deluxe edition of his latest album which includes a series of guided breathwork tracks, with Lawson’s soothing voice guiding listeners through simple techniques.

Co-produced by Lawson and London-based orchestrator Geoff Lawson, breathe came to life at the legendary Abbey Road Studios (the same facility where he recorded You Finally Knew, whose standout track “Stay” held steady in the top 25 on the Billboard Classical chart for 80 consecutive weeks). So while the album features guest appearances from cellist Peter Gregson, violinist Esther Yoo, and members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, breathe embodies an understated elegance that allows a tremendous depth of feeling to shine through every moment.

Lawson has been featured by CBS Sunday Morning, NPR, Forbes, GRAMMY.com, Financial Times, and many more.

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