Brooke

Like a tree that’s been planted in a flowerpot, Brooke Sieben has struggled to grow as a singer-songwriter in Johnsburg, Illinois. The little village, while practically unheard of, is located about sixty miles northwest of Chicago and proves to be a disappointing contrast to the city. Because Johnsburg has little more to offer than churches, bars, and corn, Brooke has spent most of her seventeen years fighting its limitations.

Her efforts, so far, have paid off. From finding the perfect music instructors to graduating a year early from high school, Brooke has thrived on paving her own path for success. “I don’t fit these formulas that are created for everybody else,” she explains. “I like to do things in my own unconventional way.” Though her class rank of four might fool you into thinking differently, Brooke’s high school life truly happened outside of school. In addition to weekly voice, piano, and guitar lessons, Brooke devoted herself to open mics, talent contests, music scholarships, and summer camps.

It was this tiring schedule that inspired her signature song, “Is This Life?”, which landed her a full tuition scholarship to Berklee College of Music’s Five Week Summer Program. Though written from a personal place, the lyrics universally question the fast-paced lifestyle that Americans have adapted and the high demands individuals place on themselves. Brooke’s own guilt appears in phrases such as “I’m a slave to myself” and “I wanna live before I die”, assuring the listener that she is as imperfect as anyone else. Despite this recognition of the flaws in her lifestyle, it wasn’t until nearly two years later that she fully realized she was missing out on a social life. This awakening is revealed in “Rapunzel”, where she compares her self-isolation to the fairytale character Rapunzel. But it comes with a twist. Instead of letting down her long hair, Brooke has put her “hair in a bun, dismissing all chances of escape”. The song is characterized by its yo-yos between each verse and chorus in style, tempo, and instrumentation, emphasizing the various mood shifts. By the end, this instability still lingers with a feeling of irresolution. This same type of emotion is found in “Lonely Girl”, where Brooke addresses her middle school experience of the sudden rejection she faced from her own friends. “It’s almost like I’m having a conversation with my past. My future self is telling my young self that even though you’ll be broken for a while, you’ll come out stronger in the end. But in the meantime, you’re still going to have to deal with hell,” Brooke describes.

Though the title “Flames” might suggest elements of light and hope, the song is mostly filled with dark lyrics and emotion. Her first real encounter of love and heartbreak reveals raw emotions of strong desire, anger, uncertainty, and ultimately, despair. Amongst her other songs, “Desperately Close” is the most carefree. Based on a dream, the song’s setting is carefully and poetically integrated into the storyline. The lines and their melodies seem to float over the music, and while the song is longer than most typical pop songs, there is always something interesting with the continual addition of new instruments and its surprise turn at the bridge.

In all of Brooke Sieben’s writing, her maturity is reflected in her complex song topics and thought processes, or her “Introspections”. While she has always been known to be “an old soul in a young body”, Brooke has shown substantial musical and personal growth in her most recent compositions. And even though she may not have been planted in the perfect place, she is more ready than ever to break free and take on something bigger. Much bigger.

Visit My Website: www.brookemusic.net
Contact me at [email protected]

(c) 2008 Brooke Sieben / (p) 2008 Brooke Sieben