Inspiration behind 9 Lives, my new cats classical music album
I am super proud and excited to announce that I’ve recently released my new cats classical album, 9 Lives in December 2023. As you may have guessed by now, I absolutely adore cats and in general, animals. Dreaming to build an animal sanctuary in the future!
9 Lives is an album comprising of 9 compositions for piano quintet / string quartet which aim to capture the beauty, charm and mysteriousness of cats. Everyone associates 9 Lives with cats hence the name of the album, which means that cats are well-developed to get out of risky situations - just can’t get their curiosity and daringness out of them! Through living with my 5 cats in London, I have gained great insights into their mannerisms and behaviours which I never knew about before.
Living with 5 cats wasn’t something that I had ever planned! I actually was more of a dog person and dreamed of having a dog or multiple dogs. Growing up, I didn’t have any furry pets, just fishes and a tortoise so have limited knowledge about furries. A cat, who I named Miaow Miaow came to visit me during lockdown when I was working from home every day. It turned out that she was pregnant with 4 other kitties as her previous owner did not get her spayed. Following agreement with the previous owner, I kept Miaow Miaow and all of the kitties. I faced a lot of pressure to give the kitties away as my flat isn’t entirely big but I just couldn’t face to see them separated. My cats are my family members.
I absolutely treasure time spent with Miaow Miaow and the other kitties, Funkeln, Poké aka Pounce, Miaow Miaow 2 (who looks very similar to Miaow Miaow) and Dorothy. They are all incredibly sweet, highly intelligent and sociable cats who aren’t afraid of very much! Watching all of them grow and develop is one of the most joyous things in my life! Miaow Miaow has now decided to move out to a neighbour but at least I still get to see her regularly.
So I decided to compose an album about cats, who I find absolutely magnificent (hence why they have many worshippers). Ever since I started living with my five cats, my health especially my mental health improved drastically. I used to have bouts of depression and anxiety and because of my cats, I don't have these anymore. They actually do have super powers. They make life a lot more colourful, interesting and better. Therefore, how could I not write an album about them?
Starting with...
I wrote this light-hearted waltz called ‘Waltz of the Cats’ inspired by the sweetness, mischief and playfulness of cats. Here’s a poem by my partner, Otis West to accompany the piece:
We waltz and we play,
Through night and through day,
With our tails entwined,
We forget the day's grind,
From our sleep and our slumber,
Brings insatiable hunger,
To prowl and to pounce,
To forget all our doubts,
We waltz and we play,
Through night and through day.
2. Cats Lullaby
Whilst the sun shines through the windows and we get up to go to work, the cats sleep tight, mine till about 6pm, dreaming about their catches at dawn. They would also usually get up for lunch at around 12pm.
Cats sure love to hunt. The amount of times I had to throw water at my cats just to get them to stop chasing a mouse, bats and birds are many. This piece tries to encapsulate a cat’s intense chase at dawn.
This piece featuring a number of melodies came about as I was singing in the shower. Most of my pieces are composed in the shower! J’adore mes chats, j’adore mes chats… which translates to 'I love my cats' in French.
5. Out to Play
The night has come. A clowder of fun, loving and mischievous cats have come out to play and cause more mischief! My cats usually pop out in the evening around 6pm after their sleep.
6. Model Cat
Another piece which came about through me singing about one of my cats, Miaow Miaow 2 who looks just like his mother Miaow Miaow. ‘Miaow Miaow 2 is very good.’ The cat with the best behaviour gets the most treats!
Cats' paws are empowered to not only run and jump, groom, communicate etc. but also to make tasty, tasty biscuits, especially when they want treats.
Cats are famously curious due to their independent nature and their love for hunting. They tend to be solitary, and constantly pursues curiosity to help them find food, have fun and explore new territories. I hope you sense the mysteriousness of cats in this piece.
Pounce, one of my 5 cats, has been missing for almost a year now. I hope you can sense in this piece how much I miss him, my longing for him to return and the sweet memories we shared together. This piece also conveys more broadly the grief felt when pets are lost. It is like losing your favourite family member. My thoughts and prayers go to all cats and animals who are suffering in the world. 9 Lives aims to raise money for animal charities in areas which need support the most. I recently organised a concert to raise funds for Sulala Animal Rescue, and will be helping more charities going forward.
I hope that you enjoy my cats classical album, 9 Lives as much as I enjoyed creating the compositions! I will be performing more concerts featuring music from 9 Lives going forward. In the meantime, here is my stunning cat Dorothy!
