I am currently about to release the first official single of my new album. The last time I did this was when I released "I Still Believe" on my birthday September 13th 2008. That song had 2 versions, it had one that was just me and the amazing singer Kirsten Marie which is on the album "Just as I AM: The Prequel [Reloaded]" which is still available on all digital outlets and also one that featured Kiwi a lady Emcee straight out of the U.S, in fact that version was made a free download and you can still download it for free at http://www.reverbnation.com/karlnova or the player right here on my blog page

Even though this is the 2nd time I have done an official single release, if you follow me you will know I drop the odd song here or there as I please because like I say the music I make is the soundtrack of my life and I am always creating something. Any song I have let out this year has a story behind it and a reason for it showing up at the time it did. Even if the song is not a "hit" with people it doesn't matter to me because that is not my first priority when I shared it.

That single "I Still believe" is a statement, you see the songs I make are first and foremost statements of where my mind and heart is at. When I dropped "I Still Believe" I was going through the period of losing my religion and wrestling with my relation to faith, God, religion and it was intense at the time, I still go through that sometimes but at THAT time it was quite a defining moment for me. I realised that I still believe in God, Christ and the gospel but I had lost faith in the structure of religion I was dealing with at the time. I was so over it and like I said I lost my religion as it was in that form at that time but thankfully I still had my faith. That is the story of "I Still Believe" it was a declaration of where I was and if you listen to my verse on that it is a position I still hold today.

This new single "more than just music" is another statement I am trying to make. It has been a crazy journey since "I Still Believe" So what am I saying with this? With this track I am tryin to say that though I love music, make music and perform music, I realise now more than ever that it is more than just music that is going on and more than just music that matters. It is so easy to get caught up in the hype and forget that music isn't everything.

Music definitely matters and I respect and cherish this precious gift from God but music can't save my soul, muisc is not the be all and end all. Music is the soundtrack but cannot replace the actual movie of my life that I live everyday. Who goes to watch a movie and treats the soundtrack as if it is the film? that is how it is when music is treated as if it is a replacement for living life. Yeah music is a lovely way to escape for a little bit, but you have to face real life when the music stops. "It is more than just music it's the soundtrack of a movement/so after the music stops we keep it moving"

My roots are in the UK gospel scene and gospel music but the gospel message is more than just music though I feel it is so easy to mistake the two for each other. I value the message higher than the genre anyday and always remember to make the distinction between genre/artform and message/faith. Music aint ya saviour, music can't save ya. Most of what is called gospel music today isn't recognised as such by those way older than me and personally I feel labels and definitions are just too limiting. All I know is I have faith in God, seek to walk with Christ and I rap (and try to sing a lil' bit though for me it isn't a great strength by the high standards of singing black people hold and judge you by) people can call it what they want when they hear it. It is up to them. I just hope it is something beautiful they're hearing. One can only hope because the reception of music is subject to the personal preference of the listener and their perception of who you are as an artist.

It is from this mindset and viewpoint that I made this song. Apart from the art of it I am dealing with the business side or I have been dealing with it for a bit. I don't totally like the business side of things, I am still learning about it day by day, I have a love/hate relationship with the business of music and I think it is because I have such a love for the art of it. They seem to be at odds with each other so much.

I think this conflict arises because once you decide to create a product you want to sell you start trying to anticipate what people will like and buy and this can affect how and what you create and all a true artist wants to do is freely create from the heart for the joy of creating something beautiful. If you are like me that hopes to influence, inspire, challenge thinking and pass on messages (ultimately The gospel message) it can be a problem if you keep trying to cater to what you feel will appeal to people. When I create that is never my first priority because for me it is more than just music, it is the statement of my heart and soundtrack of my life.