As you write songs, there are many important factors to consider but few things could be considered more important than your audience. Without an audience, you can be a performer but not an entertainer... entertainers need people to entertain.
A few years ago I was preparing for a trip to Nashville with Philippa Hanna, I got in touch with several people I know in Music City to ask advice on what a singer-songwriter needs to do to in order to get attention on the other side of the Atlantic. Philippa has enjoyed a successful career over the past decade crafting her own unique blend of inspirational folk/pop, extensively touring in churches, bars, coffee shops, festivals and arenas. After several well-received visits to the US and being awarded a prestigious export development grant backed by the UK Government, we were keen to make connections for her in the biggest music market on the planet, where having a splash of faith in your songs can actually help you sell records!
From a handful of emails, I gained some great recommendations, a few fantastic personal introductions and a long list of things to carefully weigh up. There was one piece of advice that stood out for me, however, seemed blatantly obvious, yet profoundly significant. It came from the manager of the biggest star on the planet right now and could explain a lot if you’ve been following her career:
"Write songs people want to hear"
As I began to ponder this, it started to make sense on a number of levels. Having worked with hundreds of artists over the years, I’ve noticed that many are not in touch with their audience. Perhaps they’re not really sure who their audience is or might be having trouble finding them. Some acts fail to understand what their listeners are going through in life and opt to make sweeping generalisation, resulting in a material that impacts nobody.
If you haven’t found the right words that connect with your crowd... keep looking until you find them.
Sadly, I’ve come across dozens of artists whose only concern is expressing how they feel giving little attention to whether their songs are interesting, engaging or accessible for the listener. Whilst I could probably write a book on all the things that songwriters might be doing wrong, but let’s take a look at some things that a writer can do to create work that people want to connect with:
1. Try expressing a universal theme in a unique way. There’s nothing worse than hearing a song that’s a total rehash of something else, but it’s also difficult to navigate your way through a track that is completely off the wall. Lionel Richie (who hasn’t done too badly as a songwriter) reminds his audience at events that when you were in love, he was in love. When you were heartbroken, he was heartbroken. When she ripped out your heart and you saw her with another man, guess what? You went home and put on your Lionel Richie CD.
2. Use phrases and metaphors that people can understand. Unfamiliar language and imagery will ultimately dilute what the listener sees in their mind’s eye. Check your lyrics and ask yourself ‘would anyone actually say that?’
3. Make your songs are about something clear and specific. In an attempt to appeal to everyone, writers can make the mistake of every song being very general. As a man, I have no issue connecting with a song about a woman - I have a mother, a sister, a wife and many friends and colleagues who are women. I am not excluded from engaging with a song if it is gender specific. People have imaginations, so don’t think they’re stupid. Making your themes in songs more specific can help them to become more believable and memorable.
So if you want to see the seats full at your shows in the years to come, don’t just perform songs that you want to sing...write songs that people want to hear.
Andy