Episodes
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In this special bonus episode, we’re pleased to be joined by the legendary lyricist Don Black OBE. Don’s list of credits, awards and accolades goes back decades and right back up to the present day. From walls adorned with gold and platinum plaques and shelves decorated with six Ivor Novello Awards and a Golden Globe Award to five Oscars, Don Black is a stalwart in popular music.
In this exclusive interview, Don takes us back to the moment he wrote Ben for Michael Jackson, the classic ode to friendship that made the world sing about a rodent. He also shares the story of some of his holy grail classics, including, Walk Away by Matt Munro, With One Look by Barbara Streisand, Tell Me On A Sunday by Marti Webb, and the five James Bond themes he penned, such as Diamonds Are Forever and Thunderball.
The Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee and BMI Icon also opens up about his collaborations with fellow legend Quincy Jones, theatre work with Andrew Lloyd Webber, and how he feels about his mark in Hip Hop after hearing his work sampled by the likes of Eminem, Lupe Fiasco, Dead Prez and Kanye West.
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Sister Bliss is a British keyboardist, record producer, DJ and songwriter best known for her work as part of Faithless.
In this exclusive interview, Louise speaks with Sister Bliss about how a trip to a local record store led her to meet her future Faithless collaborators, the slow grind the band experienced before reaching the top of the charts and how she balances musicianship with evolving technology. Sister Bliss also breaks down the making of some Faithless classics, including 1995’s Insomnia, the global protest call-to-arms, Mass Destruction and more.
In a moment of vulnerability, Sister Bliss opens up about the recent passing of her bandmate and friend, Maxi Jazz. Sister Bliss reflects on his life, celebrates his artistry and highlights his penchant for speaking absolute truth to power.
The Songwriters Podcast is produced by Chris Mitchell for Unedited.
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Episodes manquant?
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Kiris Houston is a Latin Grammy award-winning, multi-platinum selling music producer, composer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist, musician and artist. In this exclusive interview, the London-based producer joins Louise to talk about his adventures in the land of music.
From his early days in Papua New Guinea tinkering with instruments to setting up shop in Brazil with his own band, Kiris’ broad worldview is a superpower that makes his music stand out. Kiris shares the backstories of some of his most popular records, including On My Mind for Disciples, A.D.I.D.A.S. for Little Mix, Where Does The DJ Go for Kylie Minogue and the Latin-flavoured comeback vibes of Tango for JLS.
This interview is not to be missed!
The Songwriters Podcast is produced by Chris Mitchell for Unedited.
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Laura White is an English singer-songwriter from Manchester, UK. In this exclusive interview, Laura joins Louise to take us down memory lane and bring us up to speed. Laura recalls her days on the hit TV show, The X Factor, what she learned about herself in the process and what it’s like to be the only singer to have the exit from the show discussed in Parliament.
Politics aside, Laura’s list of credits is long, and she shares the stories behind some of her biggest hits, including the Grammy-nominated New York Raining, performed by Charles Hamilton and Rita Ora, One Touch for Steps, Love On Me for Galantis, Street Life for Bugzy Malone and more.
We want to thank Paul Kennedy and the team at Ultra Publishing for allowing us to record this episode in their offices.
The Songwriters Podcast is produced by Chris Mitchell for Unedited.
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Louise is joined by Producer and songwriter, Harmony “H-Money” Samuels.
In this exclusive interview, the Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist shares details of his Tottenham upbringing, discovering his love for music in Church and immigrating from London to the US to follow his music dreams. Harmony also deep dives into the making of some of his most famous songs, including The Way for Ariana Grande, Champion for Chipmunk and breaks down how an old Nigerian church hymn set the stage for a Destiny’s Child reunion.
Lastly, Harmony reveals what life is like being mentored by the legendary Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, how spirituality powers pop music’s broad appeal and much more.
The Songwriters Podcast is produced by Chris Mitchell for Unedited.
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We are excited to announce the launch of the new series of The Songwriters Podcast in partnership with The Ivors Academy! Independent singer-songwriter Louise Golbey will once again be joined by some of the most successful British songwriters, sharing their creative processes and giving us a new look at how that hit record got made.
All four episodes for Series 3 will launch tomorrow, and the guest lineup is as follows:
Harmony Samuels (Ariana Grande, Kelly Rowland)Laura White (Rita Ora, Galantis)Kiris Houston (Little Mix, Kylie Minogue)Sister Bliss (Faithless, Dido)We also have a special bonus episode coming in early October 2023! In the meantime, click here to revisit Seasons 1 and 2 of The Songwriters Podcast and subscribe to the podcast to ensure you get all the latest episodes as soon as they are released.
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Rob Davis: Producer, Composer and Songwriter.
Which artist regrets turning down that iconic hit for Kylie? Louise Golbey asks Rob about his 70s glam rock days, high-spirited recording sessions with Enrique Iglesias, and what was unique about the chorus on 'Can't Get You Out of My Head'.
Discover more music by Rob Davis.
BIO
Rob Davis is responsible for one of the last decade's most played and performed songs.
An accomplished musician - he started as a lead guitarist in the 1970s Glam Rock band, Mud, which he wrote over 45 tracks, including their first single, Flower Power, and their big Top 10 hit L-L-Lucy
He then became one of the most in-demand and successful songwriters in the UK. He has worked with DJ Paul Oakenfold on dance hits such as Not Over Yet for Grace, The Klaxons, and Joy and Heartbreak for Movement 98. Rob has written songs for a variety of artists, including KYLIE MINOGUE, ENRIQUE IGLESIAS, SOPHIE ELLIS BEXTOR, HOLLY VALANCE, BLUE, CHARLOTTE CHURCH, Mika, Rachel Stevens, and Danni Minogue, to name a few.
In the early 2000s, he was behind three huge No. 1s, including Spiller’s track Groovejet (If This Aint Love) featuring Sophie Ellis Bextor and Kylie’s biggest hit Can’t Get You Out of My Head, which he co-wrote and co-produced with Cathy Dennis.
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Eg White is a British musician, songwriter and producer and is one of the most successful and in-demand pop songwriters of the 21st Century.
He has written for the likes of Adele, Will Young, Pink, Florence and the Machine, Ellie Goulding, Sam Smith, Mary J Blige, Take That, Celine Dion and John Legend to name but a few. He is behind number one singles, has won two Ivor Novellos and a Grammy for his work and runs his own label.
Eg was a member and songwriter of the successful 80’s pop band Brother Beyond.
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Sarah 'Baby' Blanchard has written global hits and multiple UK top ten singles for some of the biggest UK artists in the last decade.
Her writing credits include artists such as Tom Grennan, Jess Glynne, Clean Bandit, Anne - Marie, Louis Tomlinson, Bebe Rexha, Galantis and Little Mix to name a few. She is the only female member of the Manchester-based songwriting collective called The Six and was named one of PRS’s top 100 most successful female songwriters in the UK in 2020.
She is currently working on tracks with the likes of Freya Ridings, David Guetta, Gracey, Griff, Jason Derulo and Becky Hill as well as working with Will I AM’s right-hand man - Johnny Goldstein
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Jin Jin is a number one hit-making, multi-platinum-selling songwriter and artist who is behind some of the biggest pop, R’n’B and Dance songs of the last 10 years.
Her work has won Brits and BMI Awards and an Ivor Novello nomination. Her biggest songs have reached nearly 500 million streams and she has written on multiple number one singles and albums.
She has worked alongside producers such as Fraser T Smith, Diplo and David Guetta, and worked with the likes of. Jax Jones, Little Mix, Madison Beer, Paloma Faith & Sigala, RAYE, Sean Paul, Rita Ora, Liam Payne, Clean Bandit, Craig David, Gary Barlow, Jennifer Lopez, Joel Corry, MNEK, Burna Boy as well as break-through artists Hailee Steinfeld and Becky G.
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Fiona Bevan is a multi-platinum songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist who has fast become one of the most in-demand top line writers on the UK music scene.
She has written international hit songs for the likes of One Direction, Lewis Capaldi, Tom Walker, Joy Crookes, Stefflon Don, 5 Seconds Of Summer, Mika, Steps and the Backstreet Boys and she has been a judge for the Ivor Novello Awards.
As an artist in her own right, Fiona has toured with Ed Sheeran, Nick Mulvey and Adam Ant and her last EP, ‘Wild Angels Sweet Demons’ went straight to number 3 in the iTunes singer-songwriter chart.
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Dan Dare: platinum selling, number 1 hit making songwriter, artist and producer.
How did the main ‘dum dum dum’ hook of MNEK and Joel Corry’s Head and Heart come about? Louise Golbey asks Dan about his songwriting journey and what it is like being behind one of the biggest selling singles of 2020.
Discover Dan’s music here.
Dan Dare has worked with some of the industry’s top artists and songwriters in the pop, grime and dance world including Charli XCX, Becky Hill, Giggs, Wiley, Marina & The Diamonds, Gavin James and Newton Faulkner, and with his long time dance production duo Kolidescsopes - he is behind MNEK and Joel Corey’s huge 2020 number 1 single Head and Heart.
Produced by Bernard P Achampong for Unedited.
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Mary Leay: Songwriter, Topliner and Recording Artist.
Who else did the writers have in mind to record Cher's hit 'Believe'?
Louise Golbey asks Mary about her love of lyrics, why she's passionate about music for film and why being a performer isn't for her.
Discover more music by Mary here.
BIO
Mary Leay is South London based S. Signed to Big Life and Reservoir publishing she has established herself as a key UK songwriter. Most well-known for co-writing the top 40 hit Piece of Me for MK and Becky Hill, which has now reached over 95 million plays on Spotify! Mary co-wrote Take It Like a Man for Cher's twenty-fifth studio album Closer to the Truth, and has also written and worked with X Factor boyband Union J, Rui De Silva and Sugar Jesus to name a few. Mary’s songwriting work has seen her across multiple genres - Pop, Country and Dance and as well as working with new artists and producers in the studio, Mary has written tracks both Film and TV over the years (most recently working with world renowned film director Gore Verbinksi on movie soundtrack ‘A Cure for Wellness’ Often featuring as the main vocalist on her co-written tracks - she also writes and performs for her own personal project ‘Mary The Lost’ and has just recently self released her debut EP ‘In This Silence.’
Buy my songs on Apple Music.
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Omar Lye-Fook MBE: British multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and Neo-Soul Pioneer.
Which 'recreational activity' influenced the lyrics to There's Nothing Like This?
Louise Golbey asks Omar about his unique compostition style and how his collaboration with Stevie Wonder came about. And who really 'invented' Neo Soul?
Discover more music by Omar here.
Omar Lyefook MBE is without doubt, one of the greatest soul music talents the United Kingdom has produced in the last 40 years. If anyone has doubts about that, then they might want to consider the list of legendary artists who happily line up to collaborate with him musically, or simply sing his praises - from the late Leon Ware, Erykah Badu, Common, through to Carleen Anderson, D'Angelo, and Soul II Soul's Caron Wheeler, Angie Stone and U.K. artists Mica Paris, Courtney Pine, TY, Rodney P, Kele LeRoc, Natasha Watts and Estelle, all appreciate his truly original and unique voice, musicianship and songwriting talent.
Buy my songs on Apple Music.
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Michelle Escoffery: Award Winning British Singer, Songwriter and Vocal Producer.
Who was 'Just a Little' written for before it got passed on to Liberty X?
Louise Golbey asks Michelle about her process of writing songs, how song ideas came about, what triggers certain lyrics, subject matters and delving further into her work and discussing her highly successful music career.
Discover more music by Michelle here.
BIO
Michelle first started writing when she was in the group The Escofferys alongside her sisters (signed to Atlantic Records in the US in 1991), this followed with her writing and performing in chart topping girl band Truce. She then went on to become one of only two female stock writers at EMI Music Publishing at the time, alongside Cathy Dennis.
She's written songs for Tina Turner, Liberty X, Beverley Knight and Artful Dodger to name a few, arranged vocals for Rod Stewart and has performed with Stevie Wonder and George Michael. She has won a Brit Award, an Ivor Novello, coaches vocals for TV shows and has been a judge on the UK panel for the Eurovison song contest. She recently joined the board at PRS as Writer Director and teaches a song writing course at Tileyard Education in London.
Buy my songs on Apple Music.
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Musician and artist Louise Golbey chats with some of the UK's most successful songwriters about their work and career. They share unique insights into their process - giving listeners a brand new perspective behind their well-known songs…
Buy my songs on Apple Music.
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