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.
Turning Your Music Goals into Reality: How to Find Funding That Works
Turning Your Music Goals into Reality: How to Find Funding That Works Why Funding Matters As songwriters and artists, we all have big creative goals - recording an EP, attending a songwriting retreat, or accessing industry mentoring. But one question often holds us back: how do we fund it? Our 2025 survey revealed that over half of artists see having access to more funds as a key way to take their careers to the next
Lone Wolf: Songs Born of Place and the Significance of Time with Tanya Ransom
Lone Wolf: Songs Born of Place and the Significance of Time Based on the Podcast Episode: "Lone Wolf: Songs Born of Place and the Significance of Time" - Episode 67, The Magic of Songwriting with Francesca de Valence In this episode of The Magic of Songwriting, Francesca chats with West Australian artist Tanya Ransom about the power of place, timing, and play in songwriting. Tanya’s latest album, The Significance of Time, captures her journey
Slow Walking Back to Songwriting with Katie Harder
Slow Walking Back to Songwriting with Katie Harder Based on the Podcast Episode: "Slow Walking Back to Songwriting with Katie Harder " - Episode 66, The Magic of Songwriting with Francesca de Valence When life becomes full and creativity starts to slip through the cracks, it can feel hard to find your way back to songwriting. But as songwriter and artist Katie Harder reminds us, returning to your creative flow doesn’t require perfect conditions
From Writer’s Block to The Greatest of All Time with Findlay Napier
From Writer’s Block to The Greatest of All Time with Findlay Napier Based on the Podcast Episode: "From Writer’s Block to The Greatest of All Time with Findlay Napier" - Episode 65, The Magic of Songwriting with Francesca de Valence Even the most seasoned songwriters can find themselves stuck — feeling like every song needs to be great before it’s even finished. In my conversation with Scottish songwriter Findlay Napier, we talked about how
Tips To Win the Day as a Songwriter
Tips to Win the Day as a Songwriter Based on the Podcast Episode: "Win the Day - Turning Tiny Victories into Timeless Songs with Donna Lynn Caskey" - Episode 64, The Magic of Songwriting with Francesca de Valence Donna Lynn Caskey blends banjo-driven folk with a no-frills songwriting process to capture what’s real. In this episode, she and Francesca dig into how writing fast and often helped shape her album Tiny Victories—and how “Win
How One Song a Week Became an Album: Joel Riley’s Imaginative Practice
How One Song a Week Became an Album: Joel Riley’s Imaginative Practice Based on the Podcast Episode: "Life Insurance, Goldilocks & Indie Rock: The Imaginative World of Songwriter Joel Riley" - Episode 63, The Magic of Songwriting with Francesca de Valence When songwriter and producer Joel Riley joined I Heart Songwriting Club, he never imagined that writing a song a week would lead to his debut album The Fruits of Labour. But that’s exactly
