17 November,2025 09:08 AM IST | Mumbai | Komal RJ Panchal
Chad Lawson. Pics/Instagram, Youtube
American pianist and composer Chad Lawson has built a following by doing the unexpected - slowing the world down. The Steinway Artist, known for his minimalist music and restorative soundscape, has teamed up with India-based Vedam Records to create the album, Awakening: The Stillness Within. To him, this collaboration feels less like an album and more like "conversations". In a quick chat with mid-day, Lawson reflects on the healing power of his music, and his larger intention behind every album.
Excerpts from the interview.
Your latest album marks your first major creative partnership in India. What drew you to this project?
When Vedam Records reached out and said they had an idea they wanted to pursue, I jumped at it because of the intention behind it. Everything I do has an intention of healing, hope, calm, and life. We discussed the core of the album coming from India. I've been practising meditation for a long time and yoga for five years, so doing this felt full circle. This album isn't a collaboration - it's conversations. Nothing was rehearsed. We showed up, sat down, and just started playing. I keep [describing it] as conversations because I listened and played off the other musicians' [energy], and they played off me.
Is the album a new chapter in your trilogy?
This album is new, but still rooted in me. There's freedom and exploration because it was improvised with others. With the earlier albums, I had melodies written. Here, I showed up, connected, and then we had a conversation with our instruments.
Your music has long been described as an antidote to the fast pace of modern life. How do you personally define calm through music?
My very first album, The Space Between [2013], was where I became comfortable in my own skin. The reason I named it so is because it's the space between the notes where the magic happens. That album had so much space; it was sparse. I wasn't prepared for the [positive] feedback I got. Fast forward to the pandemic - people wanted peace, but they didn't know how [to attain them]. The music became a catalyst for people to close their eyes, lie on the floor, push play, and begin to let go of [the baggage] they had been carrying for months or years.
How do you balance your music's meditative intent with the technical demands?
I see music as a catalyst for calm. It's an invitation to pause, breathe, feel, and to name your emotions. When I started doing this, it made me uncomfortable. I came from a jazz background, and I thought people would think it's boring or too quiet. But the more comfortable I became with my music, the more I heard people saying that it helped them through difficult times. I never got that feedback when I played jazz.
Considering many fans find healing in your compositions, are you conscious of its therapeutic nature when writing?
I am an empath by nature. Waiting tables for 15 years taught me to take care of people's needs. My approach to music is the same - people may be broken, going through something, and they listen to find hope or calm. If my ego gets in the way, I'm doing a disservice to the listener. None of this is about Chad Lawson; it's about creating something that allows people to breathe.
There are artistes who create because they have to, and those who create for their audience. I'm the latter. My hope is that the first time someone hears my music, they pause and think, âI haven't felt this way before'. Healing takes time. My music won't be for everyone. I'm trying to create something honest and authentic so that when someone is ready to heal, they know it's real.
