For four years, I’ve been living in a kind of social desert — separated from my wife and children, finalising a divorce, and trying to rebuild a sense of who I am. In that time, many people have met me and seen only fragments of the man I was becoming.
But when Mark Payne first met me, he saw something different. He saw a man with a small record label that could help carry his songs into the world. He saw someone who would treat his stories with care. Songs are deeply personal, and I take that responsibility seriously — to present them in a way that makes the writer feel seen and respected.
Mark’s song Do You See Me was written at a turning point in his life. Seven years earlier, he lost his partner — a grief that shaped him deeply. When he met his new wife, he found himself opening his heart again after a long season of loss. This song came from that moment: the fragile, brave question we all ask when we dare to love again.
As with relationships, it’s hard to find loyal and trustworthy partners in business. But Mark trusted me with something precious. And in producing this song, I’ve realised that his question — Do you see me? — is one I’ve been asking too.
Two men, both rebuilding. Two stories crossing at the right time. And a song that speaks for anyone who has ever hoped to be truly seen.
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