Fresh Content

Show date:  Mar. 24, 2025

Jason and Phil

Jason Kirkness: Developing as a songwriter

Nationally celebrated for his modern Country sound, Jason Kirkness has established himself as a standout figure in Canadian Country music, capturing audiences with two acclaimed albums. Awarded Male Artist of the Year title at the 2023 Manitoba Country Music Awards, Kirkness gained impressive traction on the Canadian Billboard Top 50, where his single “Anywhere the Night Goes” spent 18 weeks. The track spent four weeks on the Billboard New and Active Indicator chart in the U.S. and earned a spot on the Music Row Breakout Artist chart. Renowned for his dynamic stage presence, Kirkness has shared stages with international Country icons like Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, and Carrie Underwood. His music enjoys widespread airplay on Canadian networks including Rogers, Pattison, and SiriusXM, alongside notable appearances on CTV News and features in major publications across Canada.

Jason shared the process behind his song Ghost of You. Download the lyrics to follow along.

We talked about:

  • How Jason started songwriting without knowing anything about it
  • How getting schooled in Nashville helped Jason develop his songwriting discipline
  • Keep all your little ditty ideas; you never know what they can grow into
  • Getting through a draft of a song quickly can be valuable; you can always revise it afterwards
  • Collaborating with Jesse Slack on writing Ghost of You
  • Collaboration tip: Leave with great friendships rather than a great song

Show date:  Mar. 17, 2025

Neel, Phil, and Susan

Songwriting Tips (mostly) for Beginners

For this special episode, Boston-based singer/songwriter and music educator Susan Cattaneo joined us to talk about the article How to Write a Song for Beginners: 7 Tips | Disc Makers.

We discussed the following tips; be sure to check out the full article on the Disc Maker’s blog.

  • The first rule of songwriting
  • Tip #1:How do you want your audience to feel?
  • Tip #2: Be specific about your song’s intention
  • Tip #3: Finding your own voice while drawing inspiration
  • Tip #4: Should you write music or lyrics first?
  • Tip #5: Crafting a chord progression
  • Tip #6: Creating the song structure and formats
  • Tip #7: Editing and refining your songs

What did you think of these tips? Are they appropriate for beginners? If you’ve been writing for a while, did any of them get you to think about songwriting in a different way? Comment below or let us know by email, and we’ll share your thoughts on next week’s episode.

Show date:  Mar. 13, 2025

Emma Della Rossa: Songwriting as a sequel to one of your songs

Emma Della Rossa is a Toronto-based singer, songwriter, flutist, and educator. She is inspired by exploring the deeper level of seemingly ordinary experiences and expressing them musically. As a singer-songwriter, Emma’s original music combines influences from indie-pop, folk, and alt-pop genres, tied together with layers of vocal harmonies and introspective lyricism. Inspired by the vibrant talents in Toronto, she launched her self-produced podcast, Bedroom Studios Podcast, in 2023 featuring interviews with early-career artists and musicians. She is the founder of Toronto Music Gals Network, a collective that aims to connect female-identifying artists, songwriters, and musicians in the Greater Toronto Area. Driven by a passion for collaboration and conveying powerful messages through music, Emma released her debut EP, Face The Music, in 2022. Her recent singles Better (2023), Someone I Adore (2024) and Worse (2025) highlight her growing independence as a producer and her continued artistic evolution.

Emma shared the process behind her song Worse. Download the lyrics to follow along.

We talked about:

  • How Emma was prompted to write an “opposite” song to her earlier song Better, and call it Worse
  • Writing a song with a quiet chorus and a high-energy bridge
  • Happy studio accidents
  • Songwriting with a producer’s mindset
  • The benefits of doing songwiting challenges
  • Albums vs. singles

Show date:  Mar. 01, 2025

Neel, Phil, and Desiree

Indigenous Country Songwriting with Desiree Dorion

JUNO-nominated singer-songwriter Desiree Dorion unveiled her seventh studio album, “Remember Your Name” in the Fall of 2024, stepping beyond her signature Country roots to explore the rich and soulful landscapes of Roots/Americana. Blending vulnerability, strength, and personal growth into every lyric, Dorion’s latest project marks a bold evolution in her musical journey, finding a new sonic home that compliments her artistry. Her heartfelt storytelling has earned widespread recognition across major Canadian media, including The Morning Show, Breakfast Television, eTalk, Global News Toronto, APTN, and CTV News. Her music continues to resonate on CBC Radio, SiriusXM, and Canada’s National Campus and Community Radio Charts, where her most recent album spent 11 weeks landing multiple #1 spots. Offstage, Dorion is a mother, lawyer, and advocate for Indigenous communities.

Desiree shared her new song Dry. Download the lyrics to follow along.

We talked about:

Show date:  Feb. 23, 2025

Neel, Phil, and Chris

Sync Songwriting with Chris SD

Chris started off in a band that, after its dissolution in 1996, transitioned into music production. In 2000, Chris launched his career as a music producer by building his first home studio in Ottawa, where he began recording his friends for beer. Some of his early recordings garnered Juno Award nominations, which compelled him to relocate to Toronto in 2003. He was hired as the house engineer at the iconic Blue Rodeo’s Woodshed Studio, a position he held until 2012. During his time there, he had the opportunity to work with notable artists such as Kris Kristofferson, Garth Hudson from The Band, as well as many other iconic Canadian bands. Albums Chris worked on have collectively earned 5 Juno Awards and 7 nominations, including Engineer of the Year.

In 2012, Chris relocated to Los Angeles but shortly after arriving, he and his wife discovered they were expecting their daughter. Realizing he no longer wanted to spend 12 to 14 hours a day working in studios, Chris pivoted and started Sundown Sessions Studio, an online recording studio to balance his career and family life. He also began expanding his network within the music licensing industry, forming relationships with some of the top music supervisors for TV & film. In 2017, Chris released his program, The Art of the Song Pitch to reach indie songwriters on a much bigger scale to help them get their music placed in top shows, films, and ads. He’s now known as the “go-to guy” for musicians looking to break into the world of sync licensing. Chris not only teaches his 5-step program for pitching songs to TV and film, but also connects songwriters face-to-face with key music supervisors in the industry.

Find out more and contact Chris at Sync Songwriter.

We talked about:

  • Chris’ history with landing into the music sync business
  • The role of music supervisors, who are part of the TV/movie production staff
  • Independant artists – work with online music libraries (and the difference between exclusive and non-exclusive libraries), or sync agents
  • Myth-busting the idea that you should learn to “write for film and TV”
  • What is a spotting session?
  • Building relationships with music supervisors is the key to success
  • Some of the things you may want to avoid in your songs if you’re considering them for sync