Mississauga-based hip-hop artist Vivek Mehmi talks about his creative process through hardships, beat-making, poetry, and his song Around Your Finger. We talked about: Hip-hop songs structures with verses and hooks Striking a balance between a hook’s catchiness, flow, and message Taking inspiration from the 80s – objectively, the greatest decade ever in music! (Please note, …
working with producers
Songs with a social stance with Ann Vriend
The two-time Maple Blues Award songwriting recipient and two-time Edmonton Music Award recipient is an internationally recognized musician known for her soaring vocals, socially conscious lyrics, and outstanding musicianship. With a vintage sound reminiscent of the Roots/Blues style of Stax Records and Muscle Shoals recordings, singles from the album have already found their way onto …
Mike Fuller and the Joy and Hard Work of SongWriting
Mike Fuller’s rock and roll roots run deep. The son of a church organist and a cover band singer/rock and roll enthusiast, it seemed only natural Fuller would follow the musical path laid by his parents and find himself writing a collection of uptempo, foot-stomping tunes. Mike spent much of the pandemic like many of …
Catchy and complex songs by Peter McDermott
Peter McDermott is a New York City based singer and songwriter. He grew up in the Long Island music scene playing with several alternative and punk bands before going out on his own. Peter has become known for his distinct ability to write for various genres. His first release, One Big Picture Show, mixed his …
Writing Harmonies with Quote The Raven
This week SongTalk welcomed Newfoundland Americana/Folk duo Quote the Raven. Jordan Coaker and Kirsten Rodden-Clarke have been bewitching audiences with haunting harmonies and East-Coast meets Americana songwriting for a decade. Their album Golden Hour (2018) earned multiple nominations including the 2019 ECMA Rising Artist and the award for 2019 MusicNL’s Group of the year. After …
Keeping it fresh with Martha and the Muffins
Described by UK critics as “one of the most innovative of their era” and that “even to this day they sound brave and fresh”, Martha and the Muffins emerged from the early punk/new wave/art pop scene in 1977 – which was centered around various clubs along Toronto’s Queen Street West and the Ontario College of …
Freestyling with hip-hop artist D.O. Gibson
D.O. Gibson is a Guinness World Record setting rapper, author, professional speaker and music executive. He set a Guinness World Record for the longest freestyle rap ever (8 Hours and 45 Minutes). Gibson has coordinated tours for himself and his artists in Asia (Taiwan, Japan, Singapore), Europe (England, France, Netherlands), USA (NYC, Miami, Los Angeles) …
Kelli Baker on writing songs full of atmosphere
“Six Feet Under” sees Baker’s notable smoky, sensual and illustrious vocals draped in an air of whiskey-soaked mystery. Lyrically, the track finds Kelli Baker speaking with deep-rooted assurance; acting as a melodic “try me”. Baker sings from a perspective that comes with experience. A bit jaded, yes- but on solid ground, so to speak. Almost …