Show date: Oct. 08, 2024
Returning recently from Europe, where she performed, and earned her master’s degree in music from Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Spain, Canadian Billboard-charting recording artist and alternative Soul singer Avery Raquel has entertained audiences professionally for over a decade.
She’s released 4 solo albums and two EPs now to critical acclaim. Her last self-titled release debuted on the Canadian iTunes Top 200 RnB/Soul album chart at #5. Five tracks from that album were finalists in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition in 2022 and 2023 in 4 different categories, with one winning the Grand Prize in the Pop category. Her latest single from her new EP ‘Scratching At The Surface’ was a recent finalist in the same competition.
Relatable, yet personal, Avery’s writing is a soulful fun mix of RnB/Soul, Funk, and Pop, with a flavour of her Jazz and Blues experiences.
Avery talked about writing songs after learning she has Synesthesia, an umbrella term for the intersection of senses. She shared her master’s thesis song, Guests. Download the lyrics to follow along.
We talked about:
- Our songwriting challenge for 2024 to write a holiday song. Please send us your answers to the challenge by November 18!
- Congratulations to our recent guest Jade Turner for winning the Vince Fontaine Indigenous Song Award from SOCAN for her track This Song Sucks
- How Avery uses her chromathesia condition (a type of synesthesia in which sound involuntarily evokes an experience of color, shape, and movement) to decide upon chord choices
- How everybody who experiences Synethesia (Synesthetes) experiences it differently – like for Avery, major seventh chords always invoke sunset orange and minor seventh chords are dark blue
- Personifying emotions and incorporating I, You, He, and She in your song
- Writing a song like a jazz standard with a nursery rhyme quality
- Famous musicians who also have Synesthesia
- Talking about music (is like dancing about architecture)
Show date: Sep. 30, 2024
Matthew Isaacs, aka Kromatix_, is a Neo-Soul and R&B singer, songwriter, recording artist, and jazz pianist emanating from Scarborough, Toronto, Canada. Known for his signature style, he blends sublime lyricism with groovy beats, trademark harmonies, and soulful chord progressions that simply compliments his euphonious vocal tones. Sharing his truth where original music and art connect, Kromatix_’s deep and expressive lyrics will leave the heart fulfilled while taking you down a relatable journey that explores sex, love, and relationships. Excited to share his music and story with the world, Kromatix_ takes on a very personal approach in his recently released EP titled, “Cosmic Love”, Kromatix_ delves into life’s ups and downs, and the experiences of love. Working on his first full length album, Kromatix_ has much more in store for 2025.
Kromatix_ shared the process behind his song Not A Love Song. Download the lyrics to follow along.
We talked about:
- Our songwriting challenge for 2024 to write a holiday song. Please send us your answers to the challenge by November 18!
- CBC The Current: Could doctors soon prescribe music as medicine?
- Getting ideas for songs through natural conversations
- Working with producer OK Wess
- Recording ideas on your phone and taking the time to revisit them
- Doing a variation on your verse for verse 2
- Using a “tape stop” for an effective transition
- Making use of space in your song
- Writing melodies with off-chord notes (7ths, 9ths, 13ths, etc.)
Show date: Sep. 24, 2024
For this special episodes, we talked about songs with a post-chorus.
The songs:
What are your favourite songs with a pre-chorus? Let us know!
Our Spotify Playlist of songs with a post-chorus
Show date: Sep. 16, 2024
Sherry Jacoby is a Toronto, Canada-based singer/songwriter who exercises her passion for telling personal stories through song. She writes indie pop/folk for the romantic heart, combining the influences of Sara Bareilles, Ingrid Michaelson, and Gabrielle Alpin.
Sherry’s music story began when her mom taught her piano at a young age. Inspired by her mom’s talent but wanting to march to the beat of her own instrument, she asked for guitar lessons instead. This ignited her passion for writing songs, using imagery and metaphors to paint a picture of her emotional landscape. She went on to release her heartfelt debut EP “My Light” and her anthemic single “Phoenix”.
Most recently, she released her singles “For the Rest of Time” and “Puzzle”. Both songs were produced by Nashville-based acclaimed producer Shannon McArthur who has produced acts including Dashboard Confessional and Adam Duritz (Counting Crows).
Sherry shared the process behind her song Puzzle. Download the lyrics to follow along.
We talked about:
- Our songwriting challenge for 2024 to write a holiday song – send us your song at feedback@songtalk.ca now!
- ending your song with a modified chorus
- working with producer Shannon McArthur over Zoom and how the vibe of the song changed
- recording a song years after you wrote it – would you change anything?
- getting your song covered by another artist
- how to get your song played on college radio and for music blogs
- how important it is to market your music
- releasing singles vs. albums
Show date: Sep. 09, 2024
Canadian Roots/Americana singer-songwriter, Jade Turner, is a multi-award winning artist whose powerful, soaring voice and masterful storytelling captivates listeners with every song. The 23-time Manitoba Country Music Award nominee, is a member of the Misipawistik Cree Nation and draws deep inspiration from the cultural tradition of storytelling. Her authentic, relatable catalog of music has earned her notable accolades, most recently as a semi-finalist in SiriusXM’s 2024 Top of The Country competition. Just this year, Turner performed live across Canada on Breakfast Television, appeared on eTalk for the second time, and received the 2024 Manitoba Music Kevin Walters Memorial Songwriting Award. With a distinct focus on narrative and the ability to convey deeply resonant stories through song, Turner has solidified her place in the Canadian music industry as a powerful storyteller and vocalist who creates a compelling musical repertoire with her blend of the Americana, Roots, Country, and Rock genres.
Jade shared the process behind her song Wandering Soul. Download the lyrics to follow along.
We talked about:
- Our songwriting challenge for 2024 to write a holiday song – send us your song at feedback@songtalk.ca now!
- Why Modern Music Kinda Sucks… (youtube.com)
- How Jade co-writes with producers to turn her lyrics and melodies into songs
- Why you might want to write a personal song in a second person narrative (he/she)
- How to line up the feeling of the music with the lyric (prosody)
- Detaching a little from your personal story to reach and help more people with your song
- How Jade intersects her Indigenous identity and culture into her country songwriting