Back in 2019, I released my very first album, Welcome Home. If you know, you know — that was a whirlwind project. We recorded all the songs in one night. No frills, no big plans. Just heart and hustle. And then… it was out in the world. But it was only released on a CD, never online… (I still have some if you want a copy)
Somewhere around that same time, I created a Facebook page just for my music. It felt exciting and personal. I kept that little page alive for a couple of years, through every new song and studio session. It was like a digital scrapbook of my music journey.
Then came Single City in 2021 — my first official cover song on Spotify. A slow, aching piece I found not long after my mom passed away. That song wrecked me in the most beautiful way. Over the next two years, I released a total of six songs. Six pieces of me. The last one? The Winner Takes It All by ABBA. A big song. A bold choice. And one that came with big expectations.
I went all in for that release. I hyped it up on social media. I sent out physical cards in the mail like it was the biggest event of the year. I believed in it. And then… silence.
No excitement. No messages. The few comments I got? Honestly, not kind. And the streaming numbers? After a month, it barely cracked 30 plays. Some of those were me. Just me.
That broke me in a way I didn’t expect. I know people say you should do music for yourself, that it shouldn’t matter what others think… but let’s be real, you do want people to listen. You do want your voice to matter. And when no one shows up? It hurts. Deep.
So I packed it all away. I didn’t sing. I didn’t listen to music. I couldn’t. Even humming a melody stung. Music became something I mourned instead of something I made.
I still showed up for the Swedish Lucia celebration at Christmas, but my heart wasn’t in it. I went through the motions because it’s tradition. But it didn’t feel like mine anymore.
I didn’t delete the music page. I don’t know why. I just… didn’t. It sat there, untouched and quiet. When I tried my hand at real estate, I thought about using that page to promote my new path. But someone told me not to. So I started a fresh one. And when I left real estate? That page shifted again, now it’s my Entrepreneur & Speaker page.
The music page stayed. Quiet. Unchanged. But still… there. Maybe I never really closed the door. Maybe I just let it stay slightly open, just in case. And maybe… just maybe… I’m ready to push it open again.
Because…
A couple of weeks ago, my TikTok suddenly got flooded with clips from Sunset Boulevard — especially Tom Francis and his final performances. And when I say flooded, I mean every single post was either from that musical or him walking outside the theater. Literally 90% of my feed.
And weirdly… something sparked. Something started to wake up inside me. I found myself listening to the new version of the musical. I pulled up YouTube and watched Nicole Scherzinger sing As If We Never Said Goodbye — a song I’ve sung so many times. Slowly, a spark came back to start singing again…
So I called Paul Piper, who has produced the six songs I have on Spotify. I told him I was thinking about doing something again, but I didn’t know what. The sky felt wide open… but also uncertain. I wasn’t sure I wanted to do a cover – last time hurt too much, but at the same time, I’m not a songwriter. I’ve never really tried. So who knows?
We tossed around ideas. Paul even mentioned he had a melody laying around that just needed lyrics. We ended the conversation with a “let’s think about it.”
And then, a couple of days later, it hit me… Christmas. I want to do a Christmas song. I really, really want to do a Christmas song. But the big question: which one?
So I texted Paul again. Right now, we’re juggling two possibilities. Nope, I’m not telling you which ones. Honestly, I don’t even know yet if I’ll do one of them or both. It’s still very early in the process. But something is coming for Christmas… something special.
So… back to the Facebook Page. If you’re wondering why it’s suddenly becoming active again, this is why.
And this is also why I’ve decided to keep my pages and content separate. One will be more focused on music: @TheCeciliaWichmann, and the other will be all about small business and speaking: @CeciliaWSpeaks.
I’ll try to make different content for each one to keep it fresh and interesting. If you haven’t already, I’d love for you to follow me on Spotify and like the songs you enjoy. It really does mean the world to me:
🎧 https://open.spotify.com/artist/2G4fUurpFH2u7G75iC38qg?si=37XO5kV8S2Wt86NoP-7qQw
And hopefully… you’ll like what’s coming later this year.