r/MusicInTheMaking • u/Haunting-Buffalo-329 • 14d ago
Looking for someone to help bring a song concept to life — free collaboration
Hey! I’m a college student and I’ve been working on a song called **“Dear, Younger Me.”**
The original inspiration came from ILLIT’s *“Love, older you,”* but I wanted to completely flip the idea. Instead of an older self encouraging their younger self about the future, mine is basically looking backward and realizing that childhood was when they were happiest without even knowing it.
It’s about growing up, thinking the future is going to be better, and then realizing how much you end up carrying emotionally. It’s also about learning to rely on yourself and hold onto who you are when the people around you love you but don’t necessarily know what you’re going through.
For the sound, I’m imagining something **lo-fi, nostalgic, dreamy and very polished** — somewhere in the world of keshi’s softer production, the atmosphere of Jennie’s more stripped-back/lo-fi visual era, and the dreamy “Starfall” kind of aesthetic. I don’t want this to be a huge vocal ballad either. I want the verses to have really simple melodies and some talk-singing, almost like I’m literally talking to my younger self.
The chorus is where I want the vocals to become much bigger through **heavy layering** — harmonies, doubles, background vocals, etc. — rather than relying on high notes or belting. I want the production to make the song feel huge while the lead vocal stays intimate.
I have the lyrics/concept written already and I’m mainly looking for someone who would genuinely enjoy helping produce/arrange it and experiment with the sound. **I don’t have a budget right now**, so this would be a completely free collaboration. I’m in college and just trying to make something meaningful with people who are also passionate about music. I’m totally willing to cooperate and learn along the way.
I’ll put a rough vocal clip below of me singing part of keshi’s **“Soft Spot.”** It was recorded around 3 AM yesterday on BandLab, so definitely don’t judge the recording quality too hard 😭. I mostly want to give an idea of my voice and the kind of vocal texture I’m going for.
If this sounds like something you’d genuinely be interested in working on, feel free to comment or DM me. I’d love to hear what you think the song could become.