I don’t know how to start this off other than by stating the obvious: I wrote a parody song about a restaurant!

It’s crazy to say that out loud—well in text—but I’ve been working on this so-called project for a while now. It all started late last year as I listened to “Don’t Wanna Know” by Maroon 5. As the song seemed to be playing constantly, I found myself changing the words to be about interactions and the relationships with something I know personally: food at restaurants. Almost out of nowhere I parodied the song to be about a cleanse I was on and how I couldn’t be with the ice cream I loved. That ice cream came from Helados Pops. I tried to quell the initial thought of what I had done because it made no sense! As much as I humored myself with doing it, I had to be honest: it was crazy! We all know that it’s completely understandable to sing about a person you care about, but to sing about food is a little weird. Sure, Weird Al Yankovic gets away with it because he has done it for decades, but it’s still pretty odd. Even by my own standards.

With that, I tried to forget about it but I couldn’t.

Days and weeks passed and all I could hear was Adam Levine singing, but surrounding his voice were my lyrics. It was as if I had to do it. One night, I stared at the completed lyrics on paper and had to decide what to do. I could leave the song on this piece of paper and laugh at it to myself, or I could turn it into an actual song and use it as a way to advertise a restaurant and its dishes. The latter, doing something so outside of my comfort zone, was terrifying. Plus, I can’t sing. Well, I can kind of hold a note in a church choir, but I’m no Adele and I haven’t sang in a choir for years. In spite of that, I knew that I had something that made me excited and if I didn’t pursue it with all my gut, I would forever regret it.

So I decided to record a song!

I reached out to my producer friend Sincere and after working together we went to a studio and put my lyrics along with my shaky vocals on an actual track. This was all in fun and silliness since it’s a parody, so I think expert vocal ability isn’t a requirement. The whole recording process, which will be in an upcoming post, was insane but so much fun at the same time! To listen to the finished track being played was really exciting because it was a moment when I was able to hear an idea I had come through a set of speakers–almost tangible.

From that day, I took what was fun for me, made a legitimate parody, and decided to craft it in a way so it would to advertise a restaurant. Helados Pops in this case. I told myself that if I were going to do this, I needed to do it like Kanye would do it. I reached out to my graphic designer Alexis (find her dope work here and here) and asked her to make the album art for me which you see above. The development of my cover art is another post that you will see shortly because the way Alexis managed to take my thoughts and put them into art was perfection!

With a song about a restaurant recorded and a cover art finished, the only thing left to do is shoot the music video. In the next weeks, you’ll see the evolution of this parody idea grow even further. You’ll see me work with amazingly talented creatives to bring this song to life and highlight a restaurant even more. It makes me immensely excited to showcase a restaurant in another way on top of reviews and photography. I simply hope it’s as exciting for you, as it is for me. Being able to take such a crazy leap outside of my norm is still scary, but there’s nothing I would rather do! So much so, that in the process of writing this first song, I’ve finished writing another four. In the upcoming months, I hope to show you parodies about restaurants through songs by Big Sean, Hailee Steinfeld, Austin Mahone, Ty Dolla Sign, and so many others. I can’t wait to make more cover art, to showcase more restaurants, and possibly include my foodie friends.

All-in-all, this is a new avenue for Follow My Gut, and I can’t wait to explore it to the fullest. I’m on the hunt for restaurants and PR mavens who are looking for this type of non-traditional advertising to showcase their restaurants, dishes, and brands. It might sound crazy to say that I write, photograph, and sing about restaurants, but to me, this is exhilarating and it’s the coolest way that I could ever communicate about a restaurant I love. And if I get to be so lucky to do this for the rest of my life, then I’ll end up living the best life I could have ever imagined.