Episode 286
Harnessing Inspiration: The Art of Songwriting
The salient point of this discussion revolves around the creative process of song writing, specifically the dichotomy between spontaneous inspiration and disciplined effort. We delve into the complex interplay of emotions and thoughts that artists experience when crafting their songs. It is elucidated that while some individuals may find success in a structured approach to songwriting, others discover that their most profound work emerges organically, often in moments of unanticipated clarity. We also explore the notion that artistic expression transcends competition, emphasizing that music serves as a medium for sharing emotions rather than vying for superiority. Ultimately, we reflect on the significance of authenticity in the creative journey and the importance of remaining true to oneself amidst external expectations.
Takeaways:
- The creative process often eludes structured attempts, manifesting instead in spontaneous moments of inspiration.
- I recognize that the most profound ideas tend to arrive all at once, necessitating immediate documentation.
- There exists a pervasive sentiment that artistic expression should transcend competitive evaluations and comparisons.
- We must prioritize the authenticity of our feelings in the songwriting process over external expectations and judgments.
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Earth, Wind and Fire
- R. Kelly
- Michael Jackson
Transcript
At right now.
Speaker B:So this might sound weird, but does, like, do songs come to you or do you ever sit down and discipline listen?
Speaker B:Like, I'm gonna listen to the beat now, and I'm gonna try to make something now, or is it just whenever you feel it?
Speaker B:That's when you grab the pen and you really start trying to come up with a song.
Speaker A:That's a great question, because I find that when I try.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:When I'm trying.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker A:Since I stuck my best stuff comes to me all in one thing.
Speaker A:Boom.
Speaker A:And then I'm like, oh, my gosh, I better write this down before I forget it.
Speaker A:You know what I mean?
Speaker A:You start going, going, going and singing and trying to voice note it or, you know, to remember.
Speaker A:But I find anytime I try, it's epic fail.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:And I have had ideas that I haven't written down or executed or even say I've written it down and done a rough thing.
Speaker A:Next thing, I hear somebody else is singing it over there.
Speaker A:So I feel like ideas are in the air and it's a matter of.
Speaker B:I totally agree.
Speaker C:There's only seven notes.
Speaker B:I totally agree.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So once in a while, if I feel stuck, I will do this.
Speaker A:And this is strange, but I will do this.
Speaker A:This is my antenna.
Speaker B:Ah.
Speaker A:If ideas are out there, she's reaching her hand up.
Speaker A:Reaching my hand up.
Speaker A:But, yeah, I just feel like I'm going to catch something.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:That's incredible.
Speaker C:Hold on.
Speaker C:You raise your hand so that people come help you.
Speaker C:Or you're actually antenna.
Speaker C:Okay, that's really interesting.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:It is also interesting that Matt just stated an incorrect fact for the first time on this podcast.
Speaker D:Can't tell you how happy I am.
Speaker D:I'm overwhelmed.
Speaker C:I'm allowed to ask if a fact is correct.
Speaker D:No, no, no.
Speaker C:You.
Speaker D:There are only seven notes in a.
Speaker C:Scale per song plus the eighth being the octave you can't play.
Speaker C:There are 12, but you can't just play those 12.
Speaker C:It would be none of that.
Speaker D:No, he didn't.
Speaker C:Unless you're talking about atonal music, sir.
Speaker D:He says there's passing notes, passing chords.
Speaker D:They're all available.
Speaker B:I have in context, legit thing where he says it, but I'll show you.
Speaker B:We'll take that off.
Speaker D:We'll take it off.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Back to writing.
Speaker C:I don't know what I'm talking about.
Speaker D:No, you do.
Speaker D:Except for that.
Speaker B:When did you realize, like, after you.
Speaker B:You wrote your first song and I'm trying.
Speaker B:This is why I'm asking.
Speaker B:What was it like exposing what you wrote to someone for the first time.
Speaker B:Was that hard, or did you not have that kind of nervousness about, like, this is what I did.
Speaker B:What do you think?
Speaker B:Because I know what that's like personally, and I'm wondering, someone that's been successful, what was that first moment like?
Speaker B:Because then after, it's like, okay, I can do this.
Speaker B:You're fine.
Speaker B:But that first time, exposing your craft or your song, did you have any nerves there or you didn't really?
Speaker A:A little bit.
Speaker A:I was a little embarrassed.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:I was like, well, I wrote.
Speaker A:I wrote a song to.
Speaker A:You know.
Speaker A:The first person I played it to is probably the guy who gave me the beat.
Speaker B:Right, Right.
Speaker A:And I was like, okay.
Speaker A:I wrote a song to one of the things you gave me.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And I was like, okay, it's the first song I ever wrote.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Really?
Speaker A:And I laughed.
Speaker A:He laughed, and he said, that's brilliant.
Speaker B:There you go.
Speaker A:Oh, you like it?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:And then we put it out on radio, and lots of people liked it.
Speaker A:I was like, oh, my God, they like it.
Speaker A:But then there was like.
Speaker A:Some people was like, yo, that Dotty Gya.
Speaker A:Oh, no, she don't want to come outside.
Speaker A:Doty Gal.
Speaker A:It's a song, man.
Speaker A:No, I wrote it while I was cleaning.
Speaker A:But I was cleaning.
Speaker A:I was actually cleaning.
Speaker A:I'm just saying it's not fun.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker D:Oh, man.
Speaker D:Doti gal.de gal there's always gonna be the N.
Speaker D:That's right.
Speaker D:Part of the process.
Speaker C:When working with the kind of producer that makes beats in particular, do you ever come up with instrumental ideas and you tell them how to change that, or you really sort of leave that to them?
Speaker A:Oh, no.
Speaker A:I do have instrumental ideas.
Speaker A:And to execute that, if you ever listen to the music that I do, there's so many harmonies.
Speaker A:At first, I just had samples and stuff like that, or drum beats and stuff.
Speaker A:So to actually make changes within the music.
Speaker A:I did it with my backup harmonies to progress and to make changes within the music.
Speaker A:Because normally a sample, it doesn't change.
Speaker A:It's just a sample.
Speaker A:It's never going anywhere.
Speaker A:It's on repeat.
Speaker A:It's looped.
Speaker A:It's going again.
Speaker A:Here we go around again.
Speaker A:You know, like.
Speaker C:That was almost James Brownie.
Speaker C:It's weird.
Speaker C:You're holding a mug with our faces on it.
Speaker A:Am I?
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:I was actually hoping that you would have seen that.
Speaker C:It's so strange.
Speaker D:I was actually hoping that you would have had turned the other way.
Speaker D:So every step, like, this is so weird.
Speaker A:Here we Go, everybody.
Speaker A:Good.
Speaker D:Now the little things that make me.
Speaker B:I didn't even notice until they brought it up.
Speaker D:This is how I spend my time.
Speaker B:What do you like doing more writing, creating music or performing it in the manga?
Speaker A:Yeah, 100% performing.
Speaker A:I mean, you know what?
Speaker A:I love creating.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:It's magic to have an idea that's easy in your head and then you bring it to life and other people can actually hear it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:It's actually an exciting thing.
Speaker B:And one step further, they're singing it back to you.
Speaker A:Yes, exactly.
Speaker A:There's nothing like having people enjoy your music and sing it with you and tell you they love it.
Speaker A:Or just to watch their faces in the audience as they're smiling and enjoying or dancing.
Speaker A:You know, it's great.
Speaker B:What.
Speaker B:What do you hate the most about being a singer, songwriter, performer?
Speaker A:I think that's.
Speaker A:I hate comparisons and I hate when people try to make like, music as a competition.
Speaker A:It's not a competition at all.
Speaker A:Because music is just an expression.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:An expression and sharing an emotion, a feeling, a vibe.
Speaker A:There's nothing competitive about that.
Speaker A:You feel the way you do, I feel the way I do.
Speaker A:Whatever.
Speaker B:This is a hot clip.
Speaker B:That's a great point.
Speaker B:I really, really.
Speaker B:Yeah, that was a great way of saying it, too.
Speaker B:It's not a competition.
Speaker B:And I find that.
Speaker B:Maybe I'm wrong, but I find women unfortunately end up in this competitive nature.
Speaker B:Like, there's only certain spot that we can allow women to be stars when there's proof that that's not true.
Speaker B:But I find that men aren't so competitive when it comes to music, as.
Speaker C:Have you seen hip hop?
Speaker D:Well, yeah, that's true.
Speaker B:That's a good point.
Speaker C:Hip hop, it's pretty competitive.
Speaker C:Classical music is the most competitive.
Speaker B:And what do you mean?
Speaker C:Well, when we talk to Ellie, who's been through the classical circuit, it's just very like.
Speaker C:Well, I do.
Speaker B:Yes, good point.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker C:Doing the.
Speaker C:Whatever.
Speaker C:The Mozart interpretation.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker D:That is weird technicalities and things.
Speaker B:Wonder why that happens.
Speaker D:That is.
Speaker A:Some people, they just like to hear themselves speak.
Speaker A:You know what?
Speaker A:There's certain personality disorders where people got a yammer on about themselves and what they think, and it's like, that's nice, but if it's in a condescending manner, you need to take it away from me.
Speaker C:And those people are often artists.
Speaker D:I also feel like the competitive spirit takes away from the creativity.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker D:Yeah, it's a dark cloud.
Speaker A:It doesn't feel good.
Speaker B:I think the industry has something like the.
Speaker B:The pressure tools and stuff.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:Pressure to make it.
Speaker D:The pressure to pop through.
Speaker C:I'd say the other thing that might get in the way of the music.
Speaker C:And let me know if this happens to you when.
Speaker C:When you already have an audience that's expecting that liked, whatever the first, second, third song you've made, and is the pressure of making something that those fans will like, how much does that affect the songwriting for you?
Speaker A:Zero.
Speaker B:Good.
Speaker C:Zero.
Speaker A:I write for me.
Speaker B:Good.
Speaker A:I write to express myself and how I'm feeling in the moment.
Speaker A:So impressing somebody is like, you know what?
Speaker A:I'm here to impress myself.
Speaker C:Are you impressed?
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:So are we.
Speaker D:Do you.
Speaker D:Do you.
Speaker D:What do you picture?
Speaker D:Do you picture, like, when you're writing or when you're, I guess, creating the songs?
Speaker D:Are you thinking more live performance?
Speaker D:Do you see that far ahead?
Speaker D:Are you hearing, like, radio, or does it depend on the song and the vibe?
Speaker A:No, I'm actually just in the moment creating a vibe for that moment.
Speaker A:Because I.
Speaker A:I don't think ahead to that stuff.
Speaker A:Just.
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:I just haven't.
Speaker B:That's good.
Speaker D:Just in the present moment.
Speaker A:In the present moment, expressing how I feel to try to relay that emotion within the music.
Speaker A:Piece of work.
Speaker D:Well, that's important.
Speaker D:I asked that question because I know there's a lot of people who seem like they jumped the gun for sure in trying to create the moments that come after or beyond where you actually are now.
Speaker B:They try and work backwards.
Speaker B:Like, I want to do this, like, big song.
Speaker B:It's gonna touch people.
Speaker B:And then they try and make that song that touches people.
Speaker D:It's gross.
Speaker B:You can feel that every time.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker D:And then he starts singing, we just gotta shut down.
Speaker B:That was different.
Speaker B:That whole.
Speaker B:He did, like, 40 chapters of that in the closet.
Speaker C:I know.
Speaker C:I binged them all before.
Speaker C:The Internet was easy to use, so it took me a whole day to, like, hunt down every episode and then sit there, let it buffer.
Speaker C:And I died laughing for days after.
Speaker D:That because nobody really understood how many there were.
Speaker B:Yeah, there was, like, four.
Speaker B:And you're like, wait, there's 40.
Speaker C:Do you go to the bathroom in this closet?
Speaker B:What do you think?
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:So long.
Speaker C:If you guys.
Speaker C:If you guys are young and you haven't seen this, look up R.
Speaker C:Kelly trapped in the closet and prepare to have a new life after that.
Speaker B:Yeah, you're welcome.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:I feel like we're not even allowed to say any of this for some weird reason.
Speaker A:Power the bad guy.
Speaker B:Yeah, we had that conversation of, like, because there's One song by him that, to me, it's like one of the best songs ever made.
Speaker B:And I know it sounds weird saying it, but Step in the Name of Love to Me is one of those songs.
Speaker B:You can be in the shittiest mood and that song comes on and you're going to bop.
Speaker B:You're going to bop.
Speaker B:You're going to forget about your problems.
Speaker B:But then now you hear it and you just think of that gentleman.
Speaker A:You're going to Guilty bop.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Guilty bop is a new genre.
Speaker B:Guilty bop.
Speaker B:All his music is guilty bop.
Speaker B:Now.
Speaker B:Ignition, all of it.
Speaker B:It's all guilty bops.
Speaker B:Even Fiesta.
Speaker A:Did you guys see verses with Mr.
Speaker A:Big?
Speaker A:And that was beautiful.
Speaker A:Earth, wind and Fire.
Speaker B:Yeah, that was it.
Speaker B:Earth, wind and fire.
Speaker A:Was it not?
Speaker A:Earth, wind and fire.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah, you're right.
Speaker C:So Mr.
Speaker C:Big.
Speaker C:Mr.
Speaker C:Big.
Speaker A:Mr.
Speaker A:Big.
Speaker A:This is Mr.
Speaker A:Eisley Brothers.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:Oh, damn.
Speaker A:But did you know R.
Speaker A:Kelly wrote a lot of stuff for him after.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:Not the early stuff, obviously, but the later stuff.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker D:So we're not allowed to like that either.
Speaker C:Does that change the art, though?
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker C:Is the song not good anymore?
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:That's a great question.
Speaker B:What do you feel?
Speaker A:Great.
Speaker A:R.
Speaker A:Kelly's an amazing writer, you know, and that doesn't change.
Speaker B:Can we separate the person that wrote the song from the actual song itself?
Speaker D:I feel like we have to.
Speaker D:Because my thing is there's so much that we don't know about people.
Speaker C:True.
Speaker D:Like, once you know that just because.
Speaker B:He was exposed doesn't mean there's other, not other nasty people in the.
Speaker A:Literally exposed.
Speaker C:I will say this, though, that after all that he released with Lady Gaga, do what you want with my body, and I was like, could you have chosen something else for your return song?
Speaker D:It's just very sensitive.
Speaker D:He crossed some lines.
Speaker B:He wrote, you are not alone.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker C:What do you mean?
Speaker C:He wrote, you're not alone.
Speaker B:He wrote that song for Michael Jackson.
Speaker C:Really?
Speaker B:I'm pretty sure.
Speaker C:How old is this guy R.
Speaker C:Kelly?
Speaker C:Probably old enough to write you are not alone.
Speaker D:Probably.
Speaker D:We gotta fact check that.
Speaker B:I'm actually.
Speaker D:You'll have to.
Speaker B:Angeline Dion.
Speaker B:He wrote that.
Speaker B:True.
Speaker D:I still like Pee Wee Herman.
Speaker D:Is that one of those things, too?
Speaker B:Yeah, he's on the same for me.
Speaker B:But he just exposed himself.
Speaker B:He didn't do it R.
Speaker B:Kelly, but.
Speaker C:He did it in a theater made for that.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Like, it's a different.
Speaker B:To me, it's different.
Speaker B:He's on like the Louis CK Level.
Speaker B:Okay, Weird, nasty, but whatever.
Speaker B:But R.
Speaker B:Kelly is, like, unforgivably nasty.
Speaker C:Unforgivable.
Speaker B:Unforgivable.
Speaker D:Yeah, let's leave it at that.
Speaker D:We're gonna cut all of that.
Speaker D:If you heard this, I apologize.
Speaker C:So, Melanie, are you apologizing to R.
Speaker C:Kelly or to R.
Speaker C:Kelly?
Speaker D:I'm apologizing to everybody except for R.
Speaker D:Kelly.
Speaker D:You done with R.
Speaker D:Kelly, Matt?
Speaker D:Can we move on now?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:I will never be done with R.
Speaker C:Kelly.
Speaker D:Let's talk about some real good music that's coming out right now, because I know that you've been working on something and you have some new music and new releases.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:My brand new single is called Listen, and what did I release it two weeks ago, I think.
Speaker A:Brand new.
Speaker A:It's off my new album.
Speaker A:It's called Where I'm At.
Speaker A:It's my third album now.
Speaker A:First being Where I'm Going, and then there was anticipation, and now there's Where I'm At.
Speaker A:That sounded.
Speaker A:That was my radio voice now.
Speaker B:Now Where I'm At.
Speaker A:But, yeah, I really enjoyed the whole process of making it.
