Songwriting Process

When it comes to songwriting, I don’t really have a process that is set in stone. Most often, I get an idea in the middle of the night for some witty line to use later on or a general concept of a song.  Sometimes, after these ideas occur, I might continue with them at that same time, staying up late to make sure I don’t forget anything.  Other times, I promise myself that I’ll remember when I wake up in the morning what I was thinking about.  I almost never do, so I usually base the decision on what I need more— sleep or a new song.  I almost always write lyrics first, and I prefer to finish (as a rough draft) an entire song before setting it to music.  Though there are times where I want to use specific chords to the point where I will craft a song around the emotions the chords evoke.  Sometimes, there are piano melodies that I will write a song around too; rarely does a vocal melody come to me before any of these other things.

I like to write a song all in one go, because the longer I leave something unfinished, the more I will hate it once I go back to it. I’m highly critical of my work and often will abandon something that might have potential to an outsider because I think it is derivative or trite.  Some might say this is a destructive quality, but I know myself the best and I never want to put out work that I’m not wholly proud of.  Song completion can take anywhere from 10 minutes (when experiencing intense strokes of inspiration) to three days, but I never usually let a song go unfinished (again, in rough draft form) longer than that.  I may spend hours deliberating over diction and phrasing, increasing the total time spent until I feel like I would be proud of the song if I released it.  Most important to me in songwriting is the pride I feel in my work and making sure that my identity shines through the songs.  To achieve this, I often reference topics I’m interested in, like Greek mythology, my favorite literary pieces, or favorite artists.  ​