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Journey in Search of Vanilla Sky

I’ve been here since January 2008, and the road has been long. My name is Thomas Shelby, a blues artist, though sometimes it feels more like I’m just a traveler, passing through. Along the way, I’ve met incredible people, and said far too many goodbyes. But through it all, music has been my steady companion.

I’ll never forget my first blog in July 2008. I wrote, “Just wanna be happy, is it impossible?” “Maybe it is, maybe it is not, but all I know is I’m searching for vanilla sky.” That was my question then, my search for peace in a world that felt too complex. I didn’t have the answers, but I chased that feeling, hoping it could be found in the music, in the moments, in the people I met.

Popmundo was different back then a close-knit community, where we weren’t just players, but dreamers, artists, and friends. The faces have changed, and the crowd is smaller now, but some things remain. Music, connection, and the search for meaning.

I’ve died a few times, been brought back, and found myself in a world that’s always shifting. But I’ve come to understand something important happiness isn’t one thing, one place. It’s the journey, the shared moments, and the music that carries us through.

I know the world I once knew has changed, but the essence of it, the human connection, the raw, unfiltered expression is still alive. Maybe we don’t have the same numbers we once did, but the real ones are still here, and that’s what matters. We don’t need a crowd to make music meaningful. We need each other.

And as for the happiness I was searching for in 2008… I don’t think it’s an impossible dream anymore. I think it’s found in moments. In the music. In the people. In the journey itself.

In the Air Tonight