Welcome to the latest in the series of weekly blog posts about songwriting, which includes interviews with composers and artists about their views and experiences in this field. This weeks interview is with Yorkshire singer-songwriter Jennifer Dawn Lawry.
Matt:
What is your background in songwriting and performing?
Jennifer:
I’ve been songwriting since I was 11 but it was very Avril Lavigne which is super embarrassing haha, but my granddad inspired me to perform. He was in a male Voice choir and was an amazing singer so I kinda wanted to follow in his footsteps. I just got obsessed with music from then on!
Matt:
Everyone has different reasons for writing songs, sometimes to express themselves, to tell a story etc. What drives you to write a song and where do you get your inspiration from?
Jennifer:
I used to get inspiration from trauma and stuff I couldn’t deal with. Abuse is a weird thing to process so writing songs allowed me to release all I was feeling without straight up saying it. Now though I mostly write about growth and stuff around me. Being an older soul is kinda weird because I’m not too exciting I guess but my songs end up sounding calming haha
Matt:
It sounds like music has been really healing and helpful for you during some very dark times. Do you feel that music, whether playing, listening or writing, could be used to help people get through difficult periods in their life?
Jennifer:
Yeah I do! Music can translate feelings that we can’t explain very well. Being mentally ill is hard when you’re not sure how to explain a lot of your issues but when a song speaks to you, it’s sometimes as therapeutic as telling a friend.
Matt:
There are often differing views about songs, both on what the most important aspect is and what the most difficult element of a song to compose is. What do you think is the most important part of a song and do you struggle with a particular stage of composing?
Jennifer:
I’ve never been the best at instrumental composition. I struggle to finger pick a guitar so I default to chords most of the time. But when I listen to music myself, I find that the melody (vocally and instrumentally) is my favourite part and the part that sometimes drives the emotion more than the lyrics
Matt:
What projects are you currently working on and where can we find out more?
Jennifer:
I’m currently in my first semester of my master’s degree so I’m being very diligent with my education and my new job. However I’m hoping to be releasing more music over the next year on my SoundCloud dawnmusicfalmouth
You can learn more about Dawn and her music by visiting her SoundCloud and Facebook pages and can purchase her music from her BandCamp page.