Kickstarter

Dearest Kickstarter Backers,

I am beyond happy to say that we did the impossible and reached our funding goal in the late hours of last night! I just wanted to take a moment to send all of you involved a message sending my sincere thanks to donating to the project.

This album is something I have dreamed about doing my entire life. From the start of taking piano lessons at the age of 6, to the hundreds of hours spent in my room practicing, to the countless talent shows, to the many coffee shop performances, to the leap-of-faith move out to Nashville, to the scraps of notebook paper with lyrics scribbled about, this album has literally been what those 15 years of hard work was meant for.

I was given an amazing opportunity where people believed in me enough to give an out-of-town pop artist who likes to use hip-hop beats with jazz piano in a town known for Opry performances and fiddles playing on Broadway til past 3 in the morning, and give him absolute free reign to create what was brewing exactly inside his head.

The intense creative process was a bit overwhelming at points. Myself and Brent Hendrich (my producer) would get so lost in trying to create the exact sounds and perfect tones for each and every instrument being used, that it became overbearing, even frustrating at points. I remember we hit a patch where it seemed that this album would never get done and that we were losing ourselves in the process. It was frustrating because we knew we did not want to just put out a mediocre product....even though that would be the easiest thing to do.

But now that the album is all done and in my hands, I would not change a single moment of that process and know that this album is the first true representation of what I am capable of and will be a huge stepping stone in helping me get to where I want to be with my career.

With what you all have been able to do, this album will now be given the proper release and presentation that it deserves. Because of you all, "The Departure" will not only be available world wide via iTunes/Amazon/Spotify, but will also be released into brick-and-mortar stores across the country such as Best Buy and Barnes and Noble! This is a huge step for an independent artist such as myself who, without the assistance of any major record label, have managed to produce and release an album at the quality and level of many of the top artists out on the charts today!

Now, because you all have been so generous with your donations and support, I will be contacting you all again in the near future to collect any information needed to deliver your awards! (ie T-Shirt Sizes, Address, etc.). Pretty much everyone will at least be getting a copy of the album (either digitally or physical) which you will receive BEFORE anyone else. I am also going to keep all of your e-mails and allow you all special access to various items. For example, I have the first music video for the single "Feel This Way" coming out in a few weeks, but I will send all of you a link to watch it before it is officially released so I can get some initial feedback on it!

It feels silly to me, actually, these awards. I feel that no matter what I give in return is anything even SLIGHTLY comparable to the gift that all of you have given me. All of you have helped me with this project because you believe in what I do and where I am going and were willing to assist me in any way possible to get there....and I can sincerely not thank you enough!

I hope that this album and this journey will make you as proud to be a part of it as I was to have created it. Know that this album and release was possible because of you and your generosity and that I will never be able to express my gratitude toward you!

Thanks again for EVERYTHING,

- Preston Leatherman