JEREMY HANEY

"Ukulele Soldier" — One of the first songs I had ever written and the one that led to an unforgettable experience, finding my voice as a Music Artist. While I had played songs for family and friends prior, this was my first time performing publicly in front of a live audience.

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Influenced by my own personal experiences with Autism, I often felt alone, so I wanted to find a creative outlet to be noticed and heard. Inspired by my friend, Jack Martin, a year earlier, I decided to audition for the Choir Program's Winter Coffeehouse. After auditions, I ended up writing the verse, which caught a few people by surprise during rehearsals.​​​​​

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Besides the Coffeehouse, I initially wrote the song as a metaphor for myself and the struggles I was facing in junior year. Ukulele, from my love and passion for the instrument. Soldier, from the mentality and hard-fighting spirit that has carried me, as a result of my training in Martial Arts.

 

Following the success of the previous year, I was excited to return to the Winter Coffeehouse with a cover of John Lennon's "Imagine". During this time, I was intrigued by The Beatles, as I finally got around to listening to their works. More specifically, from my parents' CD copy of the compilation album — 1.

 

Not long after, I found Imagine. Beyond the dreamy resonance of the piano, the lyrics really spoke to me. As a senior, I started to reflect on and mature from my experiences over the previous years.

 

Even a few weeks before this performance, I had trouble finding optimism, as I was recently heartbroken by the end of my first relationship. I had to learn how to find and create my own sense of hope, which I believe this song helped me understand at the time.

 

Video Credit: Steven Haney, Aaron Davis