This interview is with Rose Deschamps, a singer-songwriter from New Zealand. You can find her website here and her myspace here.
1. 50 songs – did you have a system for finishing?
To be honest, I really didn’t. At the beginning of the challenge, I had my doubts I was going to make it to 50 songs at all. But after awhile, I found myself getting into a rhythm. Then I saw people crossing the finish line and my competitive nature kicked in. The biggest trick for me was “feasting” – sitting down and writing several songs at a time. It also didn’t hurt that I have a fantastic group of friends, both within the 50/90 community and outside of it, who were eagerly watching my progress and encouraging me to keep going.
Another trick is to take part in challenges. I did 2 reciprocation challenges – a song about cutting my own hair for Helen’s Evil Twin ($49.50) and a song about paranoia for Nancy Rost (It Makes Me Wonder Why People Go Anywhere).
I also did some collaborations, notably with Helen’s Evil Twin, Nancy Rost, Meg, Stephen Wordsmith and John Crossman. The more you interact with other songwriters, the easier it is to pick up on their momentum and get further than you thought you would. I may not have made it to 50 quite as fast if I hadn’t been determined to beat Helen to the finish line (she may have written more songs but I got to 50 before her!)
2. Which song did you consider your biggest success? Why was it successful?
“Song For Shane” is definitely the most important thing I wrote during 50/90. Shane was a very good friend of mine who committed suicide in May, during what was already an extremely difficult period for me. Writing this song helped me deal with all the emotions that come into play when you lose someone tragically – guilt, nostalgia and an overwhelming sense of loss. At the same time, though, I wanted to honour his memory and infuse a little something of him in there – bits and pieces I remember about him that are still all too clear in my mind. I like to think that I’ve managed to create something meaningful out of a situation that I still don’t understand properly. I’m not going to claim that this is the finest piece of songwriting ever written but it meant a lot to me and to others who knew him, so in that respect, “Song For Shane” is my biggest success of 50/90.
3. Music or lyrics?
When I’m writing, melody and lyrics tend to come together for me and it’s then my job to “find” the accompaniment. For me, it’s the combination of the two. Lyrics might be pretty in themselves but sometimes it’s the melody that they’re sung to that makes them all that more magical. It’s hard to say which one I like best – I am a very lyrical writer, mostly because I talk far too much for my own good, but I’ve been a singer longer than I’ve been a songwriter so music is definitely important.
4. Are there any songwriting clichés, musical or lyrical, that you use too much?
If you can count the continual recurring theme of unrequited love as a songwriting cliché, then sure. I have steered away from this theme as of late and am trying to widen my horizons just a tad! I also don’t use the most varied chord progressions in the world, if I am to be brutally honest with myself.
The best thing about 50/90 is that it’s okay if you write 15 songs with the same chord progression, that’s not what’s important. It’s about letting your creative side come out and play for awhile. You can do the same thing over and over again until one day you stumble across something that is quite fantastic – some way to make the cliché work.
5. How have you developed as a songwriter during this challenge?
There has been so much I’ve learned through 50/90. The first and most important has to be that music is to be shared. For years my songwriting was intensely personal and I wouldn’t share it with anyone. As I’ve taken part in challenges like 50/90 and FAWM, I’ve been more willing to share my music with friends and family in my local area and have since started performing locally on a pretty regular basis.
This years 50/90 was especially good for me, simply due to the fact that there was so much going on in my life that I was finding hard to deal with. Songwriting means so much to me and during a difficult time, it has kept me going. It’s been a welcome distraction as well as a way to express myself. Having other people listen to my music and relate has made me realise that I’m not alone and that has meant a lot to me. 50/90 is an amazing community and it really cracks me up that I have friends all over the world who share my passion for songwriting – I’ve written songs with Americans, Canadians and Brits, not to mention my fellow Kiwis!
This 50/90 I have also had the privilege of bringing my very talented friends into the fold, notably the incomparable Stephen Wordsmith, who I’ve had the pleasure of watching grow as a songwriter throughout 50/90. Through this whole challenge, as much as you get out of it as a songwriter, the best part is the interaction with other songwriters – that’s the heart of 50/90, as far as I’m concerned!
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