Yes, that’s right. Already Heard is back!
However, it’s not going to be quite the same site as it was when we went on hiatus nearly four years ago.
In that time, the world has changed a lot. In some ways good, and not so much in other ways.
So what’s changed? Well as you can see there’s a new look. And yes, we’ve bought back news posts to the site. I’ll explain why shortly.
However, I guess the main change is that for the foreseeable future Already Heard will be a one-man operation by me – Sêan.
I founded the site 11 years ago, and while the site built a reasonable following, everyone who contributed to Already Heard was burnt out. In the past, the site tried to keep up with the demand for content alongside other commitments away from the site. Ultimately, this led to our hiatus in September 2019.
Going forward, my aim is to take a more personal approach towards Already Heard. While regular features and reviews will be returning, they won’t be as frequent. Let’s just say it’ll be more casual than before, especially as I will be the sole contributor.
A part of me wanted Already Heard to return in some grand manner, but having thought about it, I feel this “soft” relaunch is the ideal way to set the tone of what’s to come.
If you had asked me a year ago if Already Heard was ever coming back, I would’ve confidently stated that the website was “dead!” So what changed?
Having started the site from the ground up, I always felt Already Heard was part of my identity (as strange as that may sound). When the site closed, I struggled at first to adapt. Working on the site was part of my routine, but as the months and years went by, I managed to let go.
However, over the past year, I experienced a big decrease in my mental health. I lost confidence and belief in myself and my worth. I felt like a failure and had no purpose. Since last summer, I have been trying to “rebuild” myself in a variety of ways. In December, I had a light bulb moment of reviving Already Heard and how it could be different.
While I could have simply flicked the “on” switch and picked up where we left off, I wanted it to be different. So over the past few months, I’ve been tidying up the site (including deleting over 1,300 duplicated posts), designing a new layout, and getting it ready to a satisfying point. On a personal level, I feel I have a purpose again.
Although I consider it still a work in progress, I’m excited for this new chapter of Already Heard. I feel by taking a more personal, less frequent approach will allow me to highlight music that I enjoy. In short, the aim is to have Already Heard as part of my life, rather than take over my life.
Before the hiatus, I stopped enjoying listening to music and it became a chore. But now I feel I won’t be weighed down by the pressure to churn out dozens of pieces of content each week. I can focus on spotlighting bands and artists that I like. This includes sharing news I want you all to know about.
Sure this might all sound a bit selfish, but I hope it’s for the benefit of myself and the website.
I hope you join me in this new beginning for Already Heard.
Thanks for reading.
Sêan