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- Tom Hawking
- Leonard Cohen. “I’m writing all the time. And as the songs begin to coalesce, I’m not doing anything else but writing. I wish I were one of those people who wrote songs quickly.
- PJ Harvey. “If you want to be good at anything, you have to work hard at it. It doesn’t just fall from the sky. I work every day at trying to improve my writing, and I really enjoy it.
- Fiona Apple. “I really, really enjoy fitting words together — but I only enjoy it when it’s easy, when it sort of rolls along by itself. I never erase anything [and] I hardly ever write anything down… The song will be finished before I write it down… I won’t write a song unless it serves me in some way, unless I feel I have to write the song to make myself feel better.
- Trent Reznor. “If I come up with rules or limitations it focuses me in a direction. And those rules can change if you realize it’s a dumb idea. You start to mutate it to see what fits best.”
- Billie Eilish & Finneas O’Connell
- Sia
- Ed Sheeran
- Noel Gallagher
- Aphex Twin
- Chris Martin
- Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz
- Jack White
- Childish Gambino
- Lorde
For teen superstar Billie Eilish, who writes and makes music with her equally talented brother, Finneas O’Connell, inspiration can strike any time – even when she’s asleep. “When I have a crazy dream, or I just have a thought in the middle of the night, I will sit up, whether the light is on or whether the light is off, I’ll sit up and I’ll just wr...
For Sia, making music is like breathing. Fuelled by emotion, the deeply introverted musician seems to weave a story of heartbreak or survival into almost every song; from ever-encouraging ‘The Greatest’, said to be about the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, to the chart-topping ‘Chandelier’, inspired by her own battle with alcoholism. Image credit:...
As for Sia and many other musicians inspiration strikes Ed Sheeran as a way of healing through song. In one interview, he said: “Songwriting is a really weird thing. ’Cause I think it works as some sort of therapy for me, anyway. Like, I think I've stopped myself going mad by writing songs.” Image credit: Jerad Hill • CC2.0 He’s another to seize th...
When you’re wondering where to find inspiration for music, take a leaf out of Noel Gallagher’s book. For him, the creative process is about being patient – a quality that may seem at odds with his fiery public persona. Image credit: Jose Francisco Del Valle Mojica • CC2.0 He has written a wealth of enduring hits for Oasis, among other outfits, but ...
Aphex Twin, aka Richard D. James, is another artist who doesn’t read music, but this in no way affects his ability to tread new ground and expand his mind. And this is what inspires him. In a Pitchfork interview, he said: “It's all about frequencies and what they do to you. That's the real core. Forget all the equipment, forget the music, it's just...
Unquestionably one of the most influential musicians of recent years, Chris Martin is nothing if not disciplined. Coldplay apparently has ten band rules to adhere to – rule #4 Computers are instruments, not recording aids – and Martin has been referred to as ‘a compulsive worrier’ and ‘openly neurotic’. Image credit: Blair-39 • CC2.0 Needless to sa...
Alicia Keys and her husband Swizz Beatz share a studio to offer each other a creative leg-up. The Grammy Award-winning duo admits they each have different approaches to producing music, but find benefits in working side by side. For these musicians, inspiration is never far away. Image credit: José Goulão • CC2.0 “It’s actually totally casual. It’s...
Jack White, best known for his work with The White Stripes, isn’t one to sit around and wait for inspiration to hit. He’s said to treat music-making like any other job, showing discipline, making himself write, and booking time in the studio regardless of his level of motivation. Image credit: Neil Swanson • CC2.0 “Not every day in your life are yo...
The rapper, writer, singer, actor and producer, otherwise known as Donald Glover, has said he works from his home in an empty room: “I wake up every morning and I start grabbing things – spray-painting the walls, recording, writing,” said Gambino. “They’re all connected for me. It’s all about trying to get to the bottom of what being a human is.” I...
Where do musicians find inspiration? For Ella Yelich-O’Connor – better known by her stage name Lorde – the answer was the Big Apple. To record her album Melodrama, Lorde moved to New York and relished the opportunity to feel anonymous in a sea of strangers. Image credit: Krists Luhaers • CC2.0 She has said of the process: “There's this great Virgin...
Aug 13, 2021 · Multi-billion-streamed recording artist, Ed Sheeran, remembers the day it all. started. The day the proverbial key went into the ignition of his songwriting efforts. The British-born Sheeran, who...
- Jacob Uitti
- Senior Writer
- It’s common for songwriters to have their own music careers. From Carole King to Pharrell Williams, the music industry has long teemed with talented artists who’ve written songs for other acts—so it’s not exactly surprising that so many songwriters are nurturing what they call their own “artist projects.”
- Songwriters sometimes have to fake it ’til they make it. In a business built on relationships, it’s pivotal for up-and-coming songwriters to always be on the lookout for new connections.
- Songwriters don’t just write for career music artists. Songwriters like Capellaro and Stonestreet, who are signed to music publishing companies, mainly do work on songs for fellow artists.
- There are countless ways to create a song—and countless people involved. Songwriting isn’t exactly a linear process. “You can start from any place,” Capellaro says.
Dec 9, 2016 · Why Bob Dylan Is a Literary Genius. Ahead of Nobel Prize ceremony, we explore how Dylan wrote not just songs or poetry, but history. By Mikal Gilmore. December 9, 2016. Before Saturday's Nobel...
Jan 27, 2024 · The distinguished English lawyer Fred Weatherly wrote an estimated 3,000 lyrics during a colorful life.
People also ask
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Aug 29, 2023 · The influence of The Doors was fundamental for the development of rock music. This band incorporated elements from blues and jazz and turned them into a psychedelic style. With Jim Morrison’s literary inspiration for lyrics, they became one of the greatest rock acts ever.
