“Life is weird, be happy.”

These 5 words are the message junior Chris Skog hopes to send through his music. His musical journey started in 6th grade when he began playing the upright bass in orchestra. He learned to play the guitar his freshman year, and there was no stopping him after that. He has since gone on to learn to play the ukulele, mandolin, electric bass, and in the process of learning piano. Skog started performing in middle school theatre and his familiarity with the stage easily translated into performing music. “I really love getting in front of a crowd and making them smile, ” he simply explained.

His process for creating his music is rather straightforward as well. When inspiration hits, he turns on the voice recorder on his phone and plays his guitar on the spot. When everything is recorded, then he edits his new song on paper. Like a lot of artists, the inspiration for Skog’s music comes from his life experiences, though he makes sure that everyone can relate to them. “I try to leave it open so someone can find as much meaning in the song as it has for me, ” Skog eloquently stated. Making music has definitely improved Skog’s life and helped the rise in stress levels that come with high school as he said that it makes him feel “…at peace, very calm and neutral.”

Fans of Skog’s music won’t have to wait long for new music as he has an album coming out this month. Titled Tie-Dye Masterpiece,  it was recorded by fellow student composer, senior Jacob Nelson. Skog hoped to continue professionally in the music industry, leaning towards studying music journalism. Jeff Mangum is Skog’s vote for dream collaboration due to the passion in his music, though it seems that if the collaboration were to come to fruition, the passion between the two would be perfectly equal.