Structure Isn’t Sexy, Until It Is
Structure Isn’t Sexy, Until It Is Nobody walks into a songwriting workshop wanting to talk about structure People come to a songwriting workshop for the spark. The inspiration, the lift. For the moment a lyric lands. They come for the feeling in the room when someone plays something raw and real and everyone just gets it. Over the past few months, I’ve been chasing that moment on the road - at the Sydney Guitar Show,
You’re Not Stuck. You’re Protecting Yourself.
You're Not Stuck. You're Protecting Yourself. The real reason songwriters stop finishing songs If you haven't been writing - or you've been writing but nothing ever quite gets finished - you've probably got a story about why. Not enough time. Not inspired enough. Too much going on. Waiting until things settle down, until you feel more ready, until the idea is good enough to actually be worth pursuing. Those stories feel true. But underneath most
Who Cares About Music Anyway?
Who Cares About Music Anyway? Who Cares About Music Anyway? We're about to ask you something a little confrontational. And we mean it in the best possible way. Who cares about music anyway? It's a question that's been sitting with us for a while now. Because on one hand, you do. Clearly. You're here, you're writing songs, you're showing up week after week to do one of the hardest, most vulnerable, most quietly radical things
Concert & Conversation: Where Songs Meet Their Audience
Concert & Conversation: Where Songs Meet Their Audience Based on the Bonus Podcast Episode: "Live from the Whitsundays Songwriter Festival: Chris Sebastian" - The Magic of Songwriting with Francesca de Valence Francesca sits down with songwriter and artist Chris Sebastian at the 2025 Whitsundays Songwriter Festival to reflect on artistry, cultural influence, and the balance between vocal power and emotional restraint in songwriting. Chris is a powerhouse vocalist, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist — crowned the
The Songwriting Workshop: Passing the Craft Forward
The Songwriting Workshop: Passing the Craft Forward Based on the Bonus Podcast Episode: "Live from the Whitsundays Songwriter Festival: Zipporah Corser-Anu" - The Magic of Songwriting with Francesca de Valence Francesca sits down with songwriter and artist Zipporah Corser-Anu at the 2025 Whitsundays Songwriter Festival to talk about writing from instinct, learning how to write songs, and how culture and lived experience shape the songs we create. Zipporah has performance running through her veins. A
The Songwriter Residency: Where Songs Are Written in Real Time
The Songwriter Residency: Where Songs Are Written in Real Time Based on the Bonus Podcast Episode: "Live from the Whitsundays Songwriter Festival: Brad Butcher" - The Magic of Songwriting with Francesca de Valence Francesca sits down with two-time Golden Guitar winner Brad Butcher at the 2025 Whitsundays Songwriter Festival to talk about songwriting, collaboration, and learning music by listening deeply growing up in regional Queensland. A deeply respected voice in Australian songwriting, Brad was part
Why Investing in Mentorship Might Be the Best Move Before Paying for PR
Why Investing in Mentorship Might Be the Best Move Before Paying for PR Artist Reality Check As songwriters and independent artists, we pour everything into our songs - the years of learning to play our instrument, late night writing sessions, rewriting lyrics til they are just right, and auditioning different melodies and chords to make sure the emotion packs a punch. But when it comes to releasing our music, we expect ourselves to just ‘figure
Why Your Own Voice Still Matters (Even If You Don’t Think You Can Sing)
Why Your Own Voice Still Matters (Even If You Don’t Think You Can Sing) Based on the Podcast Episode: "Mumble and Peg: Songwriting Beyond Singing with Summer in the Attic" - Episode 70, The Magic of Songwriting with Francesca de Valence In a time when AI can sing a song flawlessly, it’s tempting for songwriters to step back from their own voice. But a recent conversation with Adam Kidd (Boston) and Josh Gunnels (Nashville),
An Album A Year for Four Years – Creating Sonic Worlds with First Born Sun
An Album A Year for Four Years - Creating Sonic Worlds with First Born Sun Based on the Podcast Episode: "An Album A Year for Four Years - Creating Sonic Worlds with First Born Sun " - Episode 69, The Magic of Songwriting with Francesca de Valence In this podcast episode, we celebrate Canberra songwriter and producer Dave Cina, also known as First Born Sun, an artist who has quietly created four albums in
The World Needs You To Do What You Love – Four Ways To Amplify Your Creative Life
The World Needs You To Do What You Love - Four Ways To Amplify Your Creative Life Based on the Podcast Episode: "Love is an Amplifier: Abbie Cardwell on Turning Heartbreak into Self-Love" - Episode 68, The Magic of Songwriting with Francesca de Valence When songwriter Abbie Cardwell began writing the songs that would become her 5th album Love is an Amplifier, she didn’t set out to create a genre-blending, deeply spiritual, self-love-infused record.
