Hive Open Mic #201 - How Great Thou Art (cover) by @jessicaossom

When I saw this week's Hive Open Mic event announcement, I knew I wanted to get involved. Music has always been an important creative outlet for me. I figured this would be another neat chance to share a song cover with the community.

After some deliberation, I settled on covering Carrie Underwood’s version of the classic hymn, “How Great Thou Art.” I’ve loved Underwood’s take on it for a long time – she really does the song justice. Of course, no way could I match her stellar vocal talents. But I hoped to channel some of the personal resonance her emotional rendition evokes in me.

I used the app called Moises to extract just the background instrumentals from Carrie's recording. This gave me her beautiful arrangement without the lead vocals, so I could sing it myself. I pulled up the track and spent time singing along, getting familiar with its rhythms and tempos before recording.

When I felt ready, I set up my camera at home, let the music play, and just went for it. I sang “How Great Thou Art” to the best of my ability without any particular staging or lighting setups. There’s something special about music created in an intimate DIY way. I got to know this hymn on a deeper level by interpretting it simply and honestly through my own voice.

Later, while editing everything together, I decided to overlay occasional clips of drifting clouds. Something about their peaceful flow complements the reflective nature of this song. Adding those thoughtful textures took the video to another level. Seeing and hearing my casually sincere cover of such a gorgeous hymn come together gave me true fulfillment as an amateur musician.

Mostly, this process illustrated why forums like Hive's Open Mic space are so valuable for creators. By providing a venue for everyday talents to develop through courageous contribution, the community helps validate each of our creative passions, modest though they may be. For that opportunity and platform, I am sincerely grateful.
Cloud Video Source