Songwriting Magazine Podcast Episode 1: ‘Start Me Up’

The inaugural episode of our subscribers-only podcast, hosted by the Songwriting Magazine founders, with guests Jamie Lawson and Ed Bell

We’re delighted to say that the first episode of our podcast has landed on Steady and is available to be listened to through the platform. We’ve decided that each episode should have a theme, and what better place to begin than how to start writing a song. That’s right, we’re on a quest to conquer our fear of the blank page and have drafted in a couple of friends to help us.

First up, Aaron chats with songwriter, author and music coach Ed Bell. Ed is the co-writer of an award-winning musical My 80-Year-Old Boyfriend, the creator of the songwriting resource siteThe Song Foundry and has published seven books including The Art Of Songwriting, a guide on how to create, think and live like a songwriter.

We’ve worked with Ed for several years, and readers of our website/magazine will be familiar with the fabulous articles he has written for us like 16 Song Starters (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) (taken from The Ultimate Book Of Song Starters) and 100 New Song Ideas (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre). An expert in developing healthy creative practices and coming up with ways to kick-start your songwriting, he’s brimming with helpful tips.

We then have singer-songwriter Jamie Lawson talking to Duncan about his new album Little Weaknesses and sharing his approach to starting new songs. Jamie’s big break came when he signed to Ed Sheeran’s Gingerbread Man record label in 2015 and reached the top of the charts with his eponymous album from the same year. Driving the album’s success was the lead single Wasn’t Expecting That. Originally out in 2011, the re-release helped the song earn platinum status and win the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.

Now returning after a four-year hiatus, new album Little Weaknesses finds him chronicling early fatherhood and his newfound creative energy. An independent artist once again, you really get the sense that, with the help of his co-writers, Jamie has taken the time to write a collection of songs that he’s really proud of with genuine songcraft at their heart.

As well as sharing his wisdom, Jamie also provides us with a songwriting prompt to help us all get cracking with our next masterpiece.

Elsewhere, Aaron and Duncan catch up on all things Songwriting Magazine, including recent chats with Gary Gouldman of 10CC and D:Ream’s Peter Cunnah, as well as discussing their own approaches to overcoming writer’s block or not knowing how to get started. 

We really hope you enjoy our first podcast. We’d love to feature your songwriting questions in upcoming episodes, so please do get in touch. We’re also keen to know any interesting methods you have for starting a new song, the stranger the better!

Thanks so much for listening!

Members can listen to this episode of the podcast using the audio player below, or using Spotify (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)