The Making of "Pressure Creates Diamonds": A Song About Not Giving Up

What do you do when everything around you falls apart? I locked myself in my studio and turned my tears into sound. This blog post is an honest look into my darkest period and a reminder for all of you: hang in there, things will get better.

With “Pressure Creates Diamonds,” I wanted to create a track that reflects my personal situation — the life between work, family (my wife and my child), and my passion project, 5k1nny. I process a lot through my music. When I produce a party track or a fun remix, it often reflects a good phase. But there are also times when the opposite is true.

The creation of “Pressure Creates Diamonds” went very differently than originally planned. At first, the track was called “Unbreakable” and was intended to be an emotional outro for my live sets. I used piano and violin samples from Splice, wrote the lyrics myself, and had them professionally recorded.

During this phase, I sent the track to Mister Dekker. He immediately recognized that I had used Splice samples and wrote to me: “Not per se the best option to be original!” — words that stayed with me for a long time.

The track was always meant to deal with the theme of pressure — the daily pressure I feel trying to do my job well, be there for my little family, and work on 5k1nny at the same time. But shortly after, my life fell out of balance: everything began to crumble. The pressure, the stress, the depression — they became overwhelming.

I didn’t want to see anyone or talk to anyone. Every morning I woke up with pressure in my chest, feeling like I could burst at any moment, my head tense, dizzy, just wanting to hide away. Panic attacks during phone calls or even normal activities like grocery shopping or picking up my son from kindergarten became normal. I avoided the mailbox, skipped shopping, and preferred to starve at home.

During this time, I locked myself in my room and composed “Pressure Creates Diamonds” through tears. I sat in front of the computer on autopilot, letting my feelings flow freely. It felt as if I were watching myself produce from a third-person perspective. That night, the track was finished.

Months later, I tried again and again to remix or improve the track, but every time it lost its character. The original spirit couldn’t be recreated. Even today, I get tears in my eyes when I listen to it. It soothes my mind but also reminds me of that difficult period.

Through my music, I want to tell stories. My tracks store memories in a way nothing else can. Even though it’s hard to relive these times, they help me recognize my mistakes — and prevent me from repeating them.

Whatever you’re going through out there — hang in there. Even if everything around you seems to be falling apart, don’t lose faith. Things will get better. Don’t give up — it will be worth it.

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