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Laura Suñé and Her Quest to Realize Her Music Potential

Many of us feel trapped in the regular nine-to-five corporate grind, and at times that has included me. Fears of failure and the unknown appear to get in the way of people venturing out and pursuing endeavors that would make them eager to get out of bed in the morning. If you are unsure about whether this applies to you, consider this list of symptoms from James Altucher (a past guest on The Stateless Man) and his article, “10 Reasons You Need to Quit Your Job.”

One explanation for these counterproductive fears appears to be a lack of positive reinforcement—or worse, the presence of dismissive and negative counsel from others. These days, however, with sites like meetup.com and reddit, you need not be alone and can find plenty of encouraging voices. When I was looking to move into independent writing, for example, I joined the Triangle Writers meetup and found many people with similar goals. The organizer even offered to interview and promote me through her own blog, Write Naked.

More recently, I became aware that a great friend of mine from our college years was switching direction in her own life and pursuing her dream of a career in music. A native of Portugal, Laura Suñé (pictured above and left) is a beautiful singer and dancer, so I was thrilled to hear that she was advancing in the Boston music scene. As an inspiration for others, I invited her on the show, and you can hear that segment here—21 minutes.

[audio:http://thestatelessman.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Laura-Sun%CC%83e%CC%81.mp3|titles=Laura Suñé on The Stateless Man]

Even though she had always wanted to be a singer, her father told her that “singing [was] for the birds”—so she studied hospitality and business management at Boston University. However, after a few years of employment in that field she was burnt out.

“It got so frustrating,” she said. “I felt like a frustrated artist. So I just decided… I need to make [my music] a priority and at least give it a shot, give it 200 percent of my being. And if it works, it works, and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t, but at least I’ll know I tried. I can’t get to be 50 or 60 and look back at having not tried ever.”

After that turning point, she decided to study music management online with the Berklee College of Music, learn the guitar, and scale-back to part-time work as a bartender. While the switch has been a challenge, she has persevered with confidence that results will come. “If you don’t believe in yourself, nobody will,” she said, and this week she will record her first self-written single for radio release.

Not only is Suñé making music her career, she is deriving satisfaction from transmitting a loving message through her performances. That is perhaps the best part of this story, that her talent and passion will now be out there for others to appreciate and enjoy. Consider this clip of her singing a traditional Portuguese song, “Cancao do Mar.” It is enough to make my hair stand on end.

You can hear Suñé almost every Sunday night at 6B Lounge on Beacon Street in Boston, and you can follow her rise at her new blog, The Singing Yogi. She also has email updates on her site, LauraSune.com. I hope her story gives courage to others who have thus far recoiled from their true passions.