Songs to Feel To by The Lonious Monk (Interview 2026)

Edition Seventy-Six – Week Seventy-Six; Unit 2:

Written by: Mercedes Barreto

Introduction

What does anger sound like? What does pleasure feel like when translated into music? And can an album take listeners beyond simply hearing songs and actually make them experience an emotion?

For Christopher Lawyer, known artistically as The Lonious Monk, these questions are at the heart of his debut album, Songs to Feel To, released August 1, 2026. A project born from a lifelong passion for writing, storytelling, and music, the album explores the broad and often complicated spectrum of human emotion through an intentionally diverse collection of musical styles.

From the metal-inspired intensity of “Anger” to the soulful warmth of “Pleasure,” Songs to Feel To treats each track as its own emotional world. Rather than being restricted to a single genre or sound, The Lonious Monk allows the feeling behind each song to determine its musical identity.

What makes Christopher’s creative journey particularly intriguing is the contrast between his professional life and his artistic one. As a research analyst working in the defense and homeland security sectors, his career is grounded in science, mathematics, analysis, and problem-solving. As The Lonious Monk, however, he explores imagination, storytelling, faith, relationships, and the many contradictions of being human.

With AI serving as a creative partner, Christopher has discovered a new way to combine his writing with his passion for music, creating songs designed not only to entertain but to encourage listeners to feel, think, reflect, and perhaps see familiar experiences from a different perspective. Inspired by his wife, his two daughters, his Christian faith, and the experiences that have shaped his life, The Lonious Monk approaches music as another form of storytelling—one capable of exploring both the darkness and the beauty of the human experience.

In this interview, we explore the story behind Songs to Feel To, the emotions that inspired the album, Christopher’s transition from writer and analyst to recording artist, his creative relationship with AI, and his vision for what The Lonious Monk can become.

Short Review

Songs to Feel To is an ambitious debut built around a simple but compelling idea: music can do more than tell a story—it can give that story an emotional identity.

The Lonious Monk avoids the limitations of a single genre, allowing the emotion behind each song to influence its musical character. The result is a project that moves between contrasting moods and energies, from the aggressive, metal-inspired force of “Anger” to the soulful warmth of “Pleasure.” That diversity isn’t simply stylistic; it is central to the album’s concept.

The project’s greatest strength is its intention. Christopher Lawyer approaches music as a storyteller, using individual songs to examine different aspects of the human experience. The album encourages listeners to connect their own memories, emotions, and experiences with what they’re hearing. There is also something fascinating about the story behind the project. Christopher’s professional background is rooted in analysis, science, and mathematics, while his artistic identity is driven by imagination, faith, family, and emotional exploration. His use of AI as a creative partner adds another contemporary dimension to that contrast, raising interesting questions about where technology ends and human creativity begins.

Ultimately, Songs to Feel To is an invitation rather than simply a collection of songs: an invitation to listen emotionally, reflect personally, and experience music from a different perspective.

Q&A

For readers discovering The Lonious Monk for the first time, how would you introduce yourself and your musical project?

“I’m a writer that believes that modern tech has given a great opportunity to let our creativity shine when we have limited resources. I think my album really displays that creativity. I can’t sing or play any instruments, but I can uses words to paint pictures and tell stories. Modern tools give me a way to put them to music that I think anyone can get something from if they are open to listening.”

Where did the name The Lonious Monk come from, and what does it represent for you as an artist?

“The name is a play on Thelonious Monk’s name. He was a great jazz musician. I’m a jazz fan, and while a lot of the music I make bends genres, almost all of it has a jazz base.”

You’ve spent much of your life writing and storytelling. What finally inspired you to turn those interests into music?

“I honestly never thought about writing music until I found AI music. The first thing I did was take poems I wrote for my wife and turn them into an album for a Valentine’s gift. That turned out pretty well, so I started writing original songs and using the tool to turn them into music. I really love the process and just want to share it with interested music lovers.”

Your debut album is called Songs to Feel To. What was the original idea behind the album?

“I wanted to make an album, but I didn’t just want it to be a group of songs and that’s it. I wanted a concept, something creative. I already made a song that I really liked named Fear. So I came up with the idea of creating a whole album where each song would represent a different feeling and borrow from a musical genre that meshed well with that emotions (e.g., Anger = Heavy Metal).”

Where can we hear more and why should we?

“I have two other albums I know I want to release on Spotify and other streaming services. Both are like Songs to Feel To in that they take specific concepts and explore them through music in a new and different way. At some point, I’ll probably start putting out some of my one-off songs on my YouTube page (www.youtube.com/…ljah). I know some people are against AI music and I can understand why. However, I put a lot of effort into trying to make music that sounds fresh and has meaning. I’m not saying everyone will like everything I put out, but I do think that I create a little something for everyone.”

Anything to add here?

“While I do enjoy the process of using the AI tool to make music, I also value real human artists. If any artist wants to collaborate or record any of my music, I would love that. They can reach me at (the.lonious.monk.music@gmail.com). Let’s make beautiful music together. You can find my album on different streaming services here:

https://too.fm/bnb6vqj”