There was a moment late last year when the world felt as if it was caving in. From the chaos of the election to the tensions between races to the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, nearly everyone in the country seemed to be dealing with a somewhat angry soul.Everyone, exceptAlvin Garrett.“I really did not feel like that,” Garrett tells PEOPLE, rather matter-of-factly. “It was during that time where I really leaned in on my core values. I had a true understanding of gratefulness that I have never had before. I mean, I was just grateful to be alive. When today could be your last day, every day has new meaning.“And while the Grammy-nominated songwriter and inspirational soul artist surrounded himself with the beauty of that silver lining throughout the tense months of last year, he too could feel the world getting heavy around him.So, he did what only he could — he started writing.“I had this overwhelming feeling to make something that felt light,” the Alabama music maker explains. “I wanted something that made me feel like I was, essentially, floating away.“And he accomplished just that via his new single “The Lightness of Love,” whose breezy and beautiful music video premieres on PEOPLE.“I wanted to explore what an experience of lightness would feel like between two people who could not only find each other, but hold onto each other in a crowded world,” explains Garrett of the song that is featured on his albumThe Lightness of Love. “I wanted to show two people totally focused on each other. And as long as they are smiling, everything is OK.“Alvin Garrett.Dontez HeardIt’s most certainly something Garrett learned from his parents. The son of a coal miner father and a stay-at-home mother, Garrett remembers the feeling that came from watching two people who were completely focused on not only the wellbeing of their children, but also of each other.“I saw two people love each other, and in turn, it gave me a good set of core values right from the start,” remembers Garrett, who has written several R&B/pop hit songs including “Love & Sex, Pt. 2” (featuringKelly Rowland). “In the midst of the hard work it takes to raise a family —and yes, we went through some rough times too — my parents gave me a good, grounded view of the world and how to always find the joy in the everyday.“Granted, if anything can attempt to kill that joy, it’s a worldwide pandemic. So as the world crawled from their emotional bunkers earlier this year, Garrett says it felt like the perfect time to showcase romance not only through a song, but through its accompanying music video.“I wanted to show what mature and responsible love looks like,” explains Garrett of the song whose music video happens to star his cousin-in-law Meredith Lilly, who serves as the State Director for U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock of Georgia. “I wanted to show that this sort of love happens when you are jogging or watching a movie together or when you are simply talking instead of screaming over one another.“It’s a philosophy that isn’t surprising, considering Garrett’s career and life has long been rooted in the ideals of gospel music.“I’m a firm believer that love is God and God is love and the lightness of God is the presence of God in the presence of true love,” he explains. “I try to always make sure that the feeling of love is present in the music I write.“It’s this love that Garrett also lives to showcase to his two young daughters, who are constantly looking to dad to show them what that looks like.“Everything I write, I have to be comfortable with them listening to it,” he says. “I not only play it to them for their approval, but I always want to make sure that the lyrics are safe for them. That’s very important to me.“But there is something else important to Garrett that he hopes to certainly help along with his brand of music.“I want this album to be a unifier,” he concludes. “The one thing you must remove from any type of interaction is fear. If you can remove fear and have a conversation, you can find love. And to me, love is the most powerful thing. If we can agree on love and happiness, that’s a starting point that can lead to unity.”
There was a moment late last year when the world felt as if it was caving in. From the chaos of the election to the tensions between races to the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, nearly everyone in the country seemed to be dealing with a somewhat angry soul.
Everyone, exceptAlvin Garrett.
“I really did not feel like that,” Garrett tells PEOPLE, rather matter-of-factly. “It was during that time where I really leaned in on my core values. I had a true understanding of gratefulness that I have never had before. I mean, I was just grateful to be alive. When today could be your last day, every day has new meaning.”
And while the Grammy-nominated songwriter and inspirational soul artist surrounded himself with the beauty of that silver lining throughout the tense months of last year, he too could feel the world getting heavy around him.
So, he did what only he could — he started writing.
“I had this overwhelming feeling to make something that felt light,” the Alabama music maker explains. “I wanted something that made me feel like I was, essentially, floating away.”
And he accomplished just that via his new single “The Lightness of Love,” whose breezy and beautiful music video premieres on PEOPLE.
“I wanted to explore what an experience of lightness would feel like between two people who could not only find each other, but hold onto each other in a crowded world,” explains Garrett of the song that is featured on his albumThe Lightness of Love. “I wanted to show two people totally focused on each other. And as long as they are smiling, everything is OK.”
Alvin Garrett.Dontez Heard
It’s most certainly something Garrett learned from his parents. The son of a coal miner father and a stay-at-home mother, Garrett remembers the feeling that came from watching two people who were completely focused on not only the wellbeing of their children, but also of each other.
“I saw two people love each other, and in turn, it gave me a good set of core values right from the start,” remembers Garrett, who has written several R&B/pop hit songs including “Love & Sex, Pt. 2” (featuringKelly Rowland). “In the midst of the hard work it takes to raise a family —and yes, we went through some rough times too — my parents gave me a good, grounded view of the world and how to always find the joy in the everyday.”
Granted, if anything can attempt to kill that joy, it’s a worldwide pandemic. So as the world crawled from their emotional bunkers earlier this year, Garrett says it felt like the perfect time to showcase romance not only through a song, but through its accompanying music video.
“I wanted to show what mature and responsible love looks like,” explains Garrett of the song whose music video happens to star his cousin-in-law Meredith Lilly, who serves as the State Director for U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock of Georgia. “I wanted to show that this sort of love happens when you are jogging or watching a movie together or when you are simply talking instead of screaming over one another.”
It’s a philosophy that isn’t surprising, considering Garrett’s career and life has long been rooted in the ideals of gospel music.
“I’m a firm believer that love is God and God is love and the lightness of God is the presence of God in the presence of true love,” he explains. “I try to always make sure that the feeling of love is present in the music I write.”
It’s this love that Garrett also lives to showcase to his two young daughters, who are constantly looking to dad to show them what that looks like.
“Everything I write, I have to be comfortable with them listening to it,” he says. “I not only play it to them for their approval, but I always want to make sure that the lyrics are safe for them. That’s very important to me.”
But there is something else important to Garrett that he hopes to certainly help along with his brand of music.
“I want this album to be a unifier,” he concludes. “The one thing you must remove from any type of interaction is fear. If you can remove fear and have a conversation, you can find love. And to me, love is the most powerful thing. If we can agree on love and happiness, that’s a starting point that can lead to unity.”
source: people.com
