Current:Home > Contact-usA chance meeting on a Boston street helped a struggling singer share her music with the world-LoTradeCoin
A chance meeting on a Boston street helped a struggling singer share her music with the world
View Date:2024-12-23 21:02:13
Boston — In downtown Boston hope was fading for Ara Bolster. She had been homeless for two years after a string of unfortunate events and abusive relationships.
"I had been in tears," Bolster told CBS News. "And I remember thinking to myself, 'You know, God, when is the tide going to turn?'"
Bolster had been singing on the street — which she does on occasion — when a stranger approached her, radio news reporter Matt Shearer.
Shearer had been out covering something else that day, but he sensed a better story in her.
Bolster then told him about her most prized possession.
"I have a song," Bolster told Shearer. "And I wrote it here on the streets."
The lyrics were written on a piece of carboard she had been using as a mattress. The melody was only in her mind. But Bolster felt so strongly about this song that she told Shearer her only wish in life was to share it with the world.
"I thought, 'Well I've got connections, I know people,'" Shearer said.
So Shearer returned to Bolster a few days later.
"I said, 'Hey, I have a surprise for you, let's go,'" Shearer said. "Got her in the car and I told her where we were headed, and she was so happy."
Shearer found and engineer and a producer and took Bolster to a recording studio. And what they all heard…
"Oh, I was blown away," Shearer said of Bolster's music. "The lyrics were powerful — how love can be both toxic and intoxicating."
Bolster has since uploaded her song to the online music platform Bandcamp, netting nearly $5,000 in downloads.
But as much as she needs that money, she says Shearer matters more.
"I made a friend for the rest of my life," Bolster said. "He's everything to me right now that I don't have. And he's a hero."
Finding someone who believes in you may be the best way to feel like a rock star.
- In:
- Boston
Steve Hartman has been a CBS News correspondent since 1998, having served as a part-time correspondent for the previous two years.
veryGood! (853)
Related
- Opinion: NFL began season with no Black offensive coordinators, first time since the 1980s
- El Niño is coming. Here's what that means for weather in the U.S.
- Kendall Jenner Rocks a Daring Look on Night Out With Bad Bunny
- Rumer Willis Gives Birth, Welcomes First Baby With Boyfriend Derek Richard Thomas
- He failed as a service dog. But that didn't stop him from joining the police force
- Swimming pools and lavish gardens of the rich are driving water shortages, study says
- Kate Moss Twins With Her Look-Alike Daughter Lila Moss on Met Gala 2023 Red Carpet
- Mark Wahlberg Shares Update on His Kids After Family Move From Hollywood to Las Vegas
- 'Red One' review: Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans embark on a joyless search for Santa
- Detroit, Chicago and the Midwest blanketed by wildfire haze from Canada
Ranking
- Michael Jordan and driver Tyler Reddick come up short in bid for NASCAR championship
- Coach 80% Off Deals: Shop Under $100 Handbags, Shoes, Jewelry, Belts, Wallets, and More
- Meghan Trainor Has a NSFW Confession About “Nightmare” Sex With “Big Boy” Daryl Sabara
- BaubleBar's Sitewide Jewelry Sale Has Amazing Deals Starting at $10
- Gossip Girl Actress Chanel Banks Reported Missing After Vanishing in California
- 17 Surprising Met Gala Secrets Revealed: $30,000 Tickets, an Age Limit and Absolutely No Selfies
- Murder, Madness and the Real Horror Explored in Amityville: An Origin Story
- Why Priyanka Chopra Was Very Emotional During Daughter Malti's Latest Milestone
Recommendation
-
Stop What You're Doing—Moo Deng Just Dropped Her First Single
-
Save 40% on TULA Protect + Glow Daily Sunscreen and Get a Luminous Look
-
Andy Cohen Reveals Why He Lost His S--t With Teresa Giudice at RHONJ Season 13 Reunion
-
Rise and Shine Because Kylie Jenner Just Shut Down the 2023 Met Gala Red Carpet
-
Love Actually Secrets That Will Be Perfect to You
-
Pregnant Rihanna Has Finally Graced the 2023 Met Gala With Her Very Fashionable Presence
-
Anne Hathaway Makes the 2023 Met Gala Her Runway With Must-See Red Carpet Look
-
12 Things From Goop's $79,766 Mother's Day Gift Guide We'd Actually Buy