Show date: Mar. 13, 2025
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
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
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
Show date: Feb. 18, 2025
Recognized for her vibrant, creative flair, Canadian Alternative Pop sensation Elena Erin crafts a striking fusion of Alternative, Electronic, and Dance influences, underscored by her emotionally resonant storytelling. Her breakout single, “Build A Ship,” soared to #2 on the CBC Top 20, propelling her onto the international stage and inviting over four million streams across her repertoire. Elena Erin’s music has been on SiriusXM, across Canadian radio, and on blogs and podcasts around the globe. Likened to trailblazers such as Billie Eilish, Halsey, Gwen Stefani, and Cyndi Lauper, Elena Erin masterfully intertwines her sharp, introspective lyrics with intricately designed melodies.
Elena talked about her song What are you doing here? Download the lyrics to follow along.
We talked about:
- Why don’t movies look like *movies* anymore? video
- Overlapping your sung melodies between song sections
- Creating a melodic and rhyhmic hook
- Highly structured vs. loose narrative melodies
- Album songs vs. singles
- Learning from other songwriters to explore new technqiues
- Developing a song over many stages
Show date: Feb. 11, 2025
Colm Gavin has always been hugely inspired by the great American Songbook – particularly: Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Hoagy Carmichael and their brilliant love ballads.
Lyrically, Colm wanted this to be playful and honest. “While I’m someone of simple means, goes wild for the finer things, a Paris balcony with a view, I’m more an early bird lunch for two.”
Colm shared the process behind his song It’s starting to feel like love. Download the lyrics to follow along.
We talked about:
- Using chord changes incorpoating secondary dominants, parallel keys and “Gershinwy” chords
- Combining simple, almost cliche lyrics with complex musical ideas
- Taking cues from The American Songbook and 50s movies
- Writing a short song and the relevance of the album
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