I Finally Found You

Paul

Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of Life Lyrics Podcast. I’m Paul, the wedding songwriter from Paris, and today, uh, Emily and I are diving into the story behind probably one of my favorite songs — I Finally Found You...

Unknown Speaker

So, ...tell me Paul, I was listening to the first verse again—“I’ve walked through storms I didn’t name, held onto hope that never came.” There’s something about those lines… it’s like you’re capturing those years where nothing seemed to fit. Was that what you felt writing it?

Paul

No, no — you’re not off the mark at all. That first verse was, I mean, honestly really personal. Everyone talks about heartbreak in songs, but I wanted to capture the confusion too. Those times when you, uhh, you’re trying so hard to almost force things to make sense. Like, you convince yourself that hope is just around the corner — but it never shows up. And the storms aren’t always dramatic, sometimes they’re just this grey fog… months of not knowing what — or who — you’re even looking for....

Unknown Speaker

Yeahh !!! , that’s so real. I remember my first months in Paris — honestly, I thought the city itself would be the answer. But that lyric, “held onto hope that never came,” it just nails it. Did Paris feel different to you when — oh, when love finally arrived? Or did it always just stay, you know, like a romance novel in your head?

Paul

That’s such a good question. Paris has always had that mythic feel, you know? But I think when you do find love, or real connection, the city changes. Suddenly, even the mistakes and empty streets feel poetic. It all makes sense in hindsight. Actually, there was this couple — just before their wedding — we were working on their vows not far from the river. And they both said, “every failed relationship brought us closer to this.” That stuck with me. And, uh, it sort of leaked into the lyrics. Every heartbreak, every wrong turn — weirdly, not wasted. It’s all making space for that right person....

Unknown Speaker

That’s beautiful. And it, ahhh, it really connects with what we said in our first episode: promises aren’t just made with words, but with all the history you bring into that moment. Here, it’s almost like every heartbreak is a silent promise that someday, somehow, something good is coming..

Paul

Exactly !!!. That’s the heart of this song — it’s not just about celebrating love, but, uh, honoring the whole messy journey that led there.....

Unknown Speaker

Okay so let’s zoom in for a second. The chorus: “I finally found you, in the stillness after all the noise, in the quiet where I heard my voice.” It feels like breathing again after years of holding your breath....

Paul

Yeah, that’s exactly it. When I wrote that, I was thinking about how so many couples describe meeting as this peaceful moment after chaos. But, uh, it was also personal. I needed all that noise and heartbreak to finally hear myself. That line — “all the pieces that I couldn’t place formed a picture of your face” — it’s about those tiny puzzle pieces finally clicking, when you meet someone who makes sense of everything.....

Unknown Speaker

I love that !!!. And the outro — “I was always meant to find you, when I was finally me too.” That line gives me shivers every time. Did you always know it was going to take that turn, where it’s not just about finding someone but also becoming yourself?

Paul

Well, uh honestly, no. It wasn’t part of the plan !. I mean, that line came pretty late in the writing process. I was chatting with a friend who’d just gotten engaged, and she said, “I spent so long wishing he’d come sooner, but I wasn’t ready. I wouldn’t have recognized him.” That hit me so hard. For me — and hopefully for people listening — it had to be about self-growth too. Like, if I hadn’t owned my mistakes, if I hadn’t let wounds turn into what I call “symphonies” — which, sorry, maybe sounds dramatic —

Unknown Speaker

Oh yeah now, I get it!!!

Paul

— I wouldn’t have even known what real love looked like. And I got this message from a listener once, she said the song helped her see her heartbreaks as, kind of, necessary chapters, not just dead ends. That hit me. I guess everything in the song is double-edged: it’s my story, but hopefully it helps people rethink their own too........

Unknown Speaker

It absolutely does !!!. And, I know for a fact, a lot of people listening right now are probably crying — or remembering their own “storms.” I love that your lyrics don’t pretend it was easy or pretty. It’s true. It’s almost like a love letter to growing up as much as it is to falling in love.

Paul

Yeah exactly !!!. Sometimes the heartbreak is the melody, right? Even the silent years — as I called them — they matter.....

Unknown Speaker

Ohh, That’s so true !!.

Paul

And that’s what Life Lyrics is really about. Creating songs that feel like sanctuaries. I Finally Found You is meant to be that safe place — for couples on their wedding day, or for anyone, honestly, who’s just tired of feeling lost. Music is sanctuary. It gives you space to breathe, to feel like you belong, even if it’s just for the length of a song.......

Unknown Speaker

And that lyric — “all the wrong turns and empty rooms built the path that led to you” — I could talk about that line for hours. Loneliness isn’t emptiness here, it’s the doorway. Without those empty rooms, you never get to walk into the right one. That’s something I wish someone had told me earlier....

Paul

Yeah, and that’s really what I want Life Lyrics to be — a place where anyone listening feels understood. I’ll never forget this one moment in my Paris studio: a bride was listening to the song for the first time. She just started crying and said, “Until now, I didn’t believe I belonged anywhere. But this song… it sounds like home.” That’s why I keep doing this......

Unknown Speaker

Oh my god !!! That’s so lovely, Paul. And for anyone listening who still feels like they’re wandering those empty rooms — just know you’re not alone. You’re part of this too.

Paul

Yeah, absolutely. Thank you, Emily. And, uh, thanks to everyone tuning in—wherever you’re listening, Paris, London, Manila, Quezon City, Jakarta, Taipei —we’re so grateful for you making space for these stories....

Unknown Speaker

If I Finally Found You spoke to you, share it with someone you love, or add it to your wedding playlist. That’s how this sanctuary grows.

Paul

We’ll be back soon with more stories, more lyrics, and, uhh, probably a few more tears on my end. Until then, take care of your hearts....

Unknown Speaker

Ohh that's so sweet, Paul and everyone listening, never stop searching. The next chapter might be the one where you finally find what you’ve been looking for. Take care....