"Butterflies" is the first song I ever wrote. I was thirteen and at summer camp, and like many kids that age, I was infatuated with someone — and I wanted them to know, in song form, of course. So, with the help of a few friends, I wrote an early version of "Butterflies" and performed it for the whole camp. It was a hit, and for two years afterward, campers kept asking me to put it on a streaming platform — a strictly camp phenomenon.

When COVID forced us all inside, I wondered if I could actually produce the song. I knew I couldn't do it alone, so my wonderful friend Morris Raskin stepped in to help. He was in New York City, and I was upstate, so our collaboration was entirely virtual — but after a few hiccups, we landed on a draft we loved. My friend Rebecca Zhang created the single's artwork, and with that, we released the song.

"Butterflies" went live on April 24th, 2020, and has surpassed 7,000 streams to date!

The song remains a touchstone in my growth as a musician and songwriter — and a good reminder of my beginnings. I love talking with camp friends about it, because it was the light, carefree soundtrack of our childhood.

"Butterflies" laid the foundation for everything I've written since. It's where I honed the songwriting process I still use (with some minor adjustments) and started figuring out how I wanted my songs to sound (something I'm still tweaking). More than anything, "Butterflies" is where I began to find myself as a musician.