In 2020, Google removed Google Play Music in favour of YouTube Music. This didn't sit well with 16-year-old me at the time. Having grown up with a musical background, I loved listening to music. I would download all my favourite songs at the time and play them offline for hours, whenever I wanted. But now that was gone, and worst yet. YouTube Music didn't even work in Trinidad, so I couldn't use the new app. I was defeated, sure I could look for a new MP3 player, but the same thing could happen yet again. Another developer could decide to pull the plug. So I left it be, that was until I got an idea.
Fast forward to 2022, I had completed high school and was on the verge of fully deciding on whether I wanted to go to university. I had been self-studying for almost a year now and wanted another push to see just how far I had gotten. The only issue being, I didn't know what to build. Another "to-do" app would have been too boring. I started thinking about what problems I was facing in real life.
Then it hit me, why not try creating my own music player app? I started drafting out the designs in Photoshop, sketching logos and themes. Now I just needed a name, but I couldn't quite think of anything creative. Until my older cousin, who was visiting at the time, jokingly suggested "Tempo". I was hooked, and so Tempo was born.
A Testament Of Progress
I spent the next few months of the summer of 2022 working while building out the initial versions of Tempo. I started off watching a basic tutorial series on Android Java development, using the Android media player API to make a crude proof of concept. It was confusing; I had never done much Java development, let alone Android Java development. That said, I kept on going until I finally had something that could pass for a media player.
Progress would now come to a halt. I spent the next 9 months focused on university and my new tech job. Summer 2023 came around, which yet again led me to see just how much I had learnt by getting back into the project. This trend would repeat every year from 2023 to 2025. The new year rolls around, I start working on the project, stop after a few months, and repeat the next year.
However, 2026 would be different. The new year brought with it a new me (I know cliché). My mind is the most at ease it's ever been, and with that came a new surge of discipline. I was determined to finish this project this year, timing it just right with this being my last year of university. So I sat down, and in my off hours after work, started my last push. It was difficult, especially having to upgrade the project from Android 13 to 15 (I hated that so much you cannot understand). Yet surprisingly, within a few short weeks, I had finally implemented all the initially set features for Tempo.
Launch
Now that I had finished the list 2022 Darnell had set. I thought to myself, why not deploy the app? I moved my development to a private repository, leaving the original as a reflection of my past. Started working on commercial updates and bug fixes. Begrudgingly, paid the $25 Google Play Console registration fee. And finally, started the process of getting my app reviewed.
And here we are now, in the present day (well, maybe not when you're reading this). From my idea back in 2022 to have a simple app that could do a fraction of what Google Play Music did for me. To today, where I can release the app to anyone (and subsequently get backlash for it not being the best, but hey).
Overall, whether the app gets hundreds of downloads or none at all. I showed my younger self that his efforts aren't in vain. Now, this has helped to give me the confidence to continue other passions I once stopped (like playing the electric guitar). I hope that if you take away anything from reading this. It is that sometimes, sticking through the rough patches in life, may very well give you the privilege of seeing the end result.
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