(SOUNDBITE OF LILA FORDE SONG, "BRICK BY BRICK")
LILA FORDE: If you want to build something that stands the test of time, you got to build it brick by brick. You just got to go step by step, you know, a little bit at a time.
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
That's the philosophy of singer-songwriter Lila Forde. Each year, we showcase some of the best entries to NPR's Tiny Desk Contest. And after hearing Forde's "Brick By Brick" and the story behind it, we knew we had to share it with you.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BRICK BY BRICK")
FORDE: (Singing) I'm cruising down the road.
RASCOE: Forde is a believer in the value of working slow and steady.
FORDE: This song, especially in this day and age when, you know, you're supposed to go viral and that's how you get exposure - but truthfully, I think I've always known that I don't want to be a flash in the pan. I want to be something that lasts. I want to be a timeless artist. And with timeless artists come, you know, years and years of dedication, brick by brick, building it up, you know, building the foundation so that you can have a career that'll last.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BRICK BY BRICK")
FORDE: (Singing) I'm keen on building something that'll stick. I'm making it brick by brick.
RASCOE: But it's bigger than building a career that lasts. Lila Forde lives in Los Angeles. She was working on this song when the wildfires broke out at the beginning of the year. The fires tore through the Palisades and Altadena communities and affected the whole LA area. Her bandmate's house and recording studio burned down.
FORDE: I remember in the days after the fire, we went up to Altadena and saw what used to be our friend's house and the studio where we would write and record and rehearse and laugh and cry and everything in between. And the only thing that remained of his house was the brick chimney place. And it just hit me. I'm like, oh, my God. What lasted through the fire, through the flame? It's the bricks. So I knew then that I had to finish this song about the fire and how, you know, not only if you want to build something that lasts, you build it brick by brick, but through weather and fire and doubt and pain and everything, it'll last for you.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BRICK BY BRICK")
FORDE: (Singing) I'm making it brick by brick. Oh, yeah. Oh, we're going step by step. We're moving inch by inch.
Me and my band - we spent so many nights there. It was really small. It got really hot in the summer. But it had a lot of really amazing instruments, and all of that's gone. All of that's lost in the fire.
RASCOE: But despite the losses, Forde says she's already seen these LA communities rebound in a big way.
FORDE: There is resilience. Human beings are resilient. So inevitably, when something like this happens, it's really devastating. But honestly, I've seen the community really rise up and really come together in a beautiful, beautiful way.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BRICK BY BRICK")
FORDE: (Singing) Through smoke, through flame, we'll build it back again. In time, we'll know from ashes we can grow. And we'll be riding high, our troubles far below.
Ever since I wrote this song, I close every single show that I do with it. People really resonate with it, obviously, because we're still in the aftermath. We're still in the trauma of the fire. And it's a really beautiful experience because it's powerful to hear a room full of those people singing my song with me. It kind of feels like we're all powerful. We could do anything together.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BRICK BY BRICK")
FORDE: (Singing) We're making it brick by brick. Oh, yeah.
RASCOE: That's Lila Forde on her song, "Brick By Brick," one of NPR's Tiny Desk Contest entries. Her new album, "Vessel," is out now.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BRICK BY BRICK")
FORDE: (Singing) Whoa. We're going brick by brick. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.