Duncan Sheik — American Musician born on November 18, 1969,

Duncan Sheik is an American singer-songwriter and composer. Initially finding success as a singer, most notably for his 1996 debut single "Barely Breathing", he later expanded to compositions for motion pictures and the Broadway stage, such as the successful musical, Spring Awakening, where he won multiple Tonys and a Grammy. Sheik practices Nichiren Buddhism and is a member of the US branch of the worldwide Buddhist association Soka Gakkai International... (wikipedia)

I actually think sadness and darkness can be very beautiful and healing.
So, once I've written a song, you know, I'm pretty happy with what the song is on its own terms.
My first two records were more energetic; Phantom Moon is subtle, quiet; so these various reactions are just something I expected.
But I can't really say there is too much modern music that I'm blown away by at this moment.
The experiences of promoting my first album were really something; there is so much illusion in my environment (touring and pop music) that I wanted to clear away.