VYOMA SHAH
On Songwriting
Song writing is a cathartic but complicated
process. So many factors need to align for a
mere idea to turn into a work of art. Much
like the chicken and egg situation, it’s
difficult to tell what strikes the songwriter
first – the melody, the groove, the lyrics
or the chords. Having recently discovered
the almost addictive world of songwriting,
I was really curious to know the various
routes that different songwriters adopt
while attempting to write and finish a song.
Talking about what strikes first, “it totally
depends,” says Kamakshi Khanna, a
prominent singer-songwriter in the scene.
“The trigger could be anything, a chord
progression, a beat, or a melody I find
myself humming in the cab when stuck in
traffic. It could also be an idea for lyrical
content, which is the rarer one of the
lot.” As for harpist and singer-songwriter
Nush Lewis, she normally begins with
a simple chord progression and then
proceeds to write a melody line over it.
Moving on to inspiration for the lyrical
content, “it comes from experiences
that have left a strong impact on me and
constantly need a path of expression,”
says Kamakshi. As for Nush, her songs
draw inspiration from her personal
life experiences and from the people
that cross her path. “Currently on
my new EP, Bridges, the songs are
inspired by spaces and situations
that one is found in,” says Nush.
Songwriters often experience a burst of
inspiration in moments, but then do they
wait until the next gust of creativity comes
around or do they put in a conscious
effort from time to time to finish their
songs? “I like my writing process to be
more natural, which means I write less
frequently but with more intent and
honesty,” says Kamakshi. For Nush on
the other hand, she tries to balance it
out. “Initially when I started writing, I
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used to write only when I felt inspired
to write. Now, there are days when I sit
down consciously to write and if it works,
great, else I just leave it,” says Nush.
To put things a little more into perspective,
Kamakshi and Nush were kind enough to
share an in-depth account of the writing
processes for one of their released
songs. “Moved by Stillness from my
album Cakewalk was one of the
most experimental songs that I’ve
written. I wrote the chorus whilst
watching the sunrise in Portugal.
I kept humming the chorus and felt
frustrated during the trip, since I
was unable to find time to complete
it. I remember coming back home,
penning down the lyrics and finding
a keyboard hook that went well with
the song. This finally translated into
an arrangement that I would never
have envisioned,” says Kamakshi.
“Untuned, which is from my latest EP,
Bridges, had quite the journey. It was
written with a different melody line and
rhythmic arpeggios. I even performed it
like that for a while, but something about
it never really felt right. Later, I sat with
the intention of reworking it and that
opened a whole other side of the song. I
literally just rearranged the notes and an
altered melody line fell comfortably on
top. The next day I took the song to my
band and the rest is history. The song
went from being my least favourite to
one of my most favourite,” says Nush.
Finally, putting out your music for
the world to hear can be a daunting
process. However, both, Kamakshi and
Nush are of the opinion that one needs
to trust their instincts no matter what
people might say and that regardless of
how the music is received, it's the only
way to grow in your art and progress