Heather Frahn has been playing and writing songs for a while now and she is only 25 years of age. I have had the pleasure of working in her band for about 2 years or so (as her bass player) and Im very happy that she has taken up the songwriter focus challenge.
Here is what she had to say......
Name:
Heather Frahn
URL (if any):
www.heatherfrahn.com
Main genre:
Contemporary Folk - but there are elements of rock, roots, jazz and world in there too. I'm also a composer for theatre and dance companies which puts me into the electronic and programming area too.
Years writing:
I started writing my first songs when I was 11, they are hilarious.....then I started performing and did my first demo at 14. I'm now 25 and it's been a great journey so far.
It really depends with me. I write a lot of words about my life experiences to simply 'get things out'. When I write initially I dont think of them as lyrics for a song, my lyrics are formed by refining them in a second or a third draft while playing music to them in the moment. I always try to bring to a new piece of music either a couple of chord combinations, rhythms, timings tunings that I havent used before. Sometimes, a piece of music I have had for while will inspire the marriage of the lyrics.
I write pages of words and music progressions seperately and then try to marry them together though usually when writing a piece of music I sing to it and sometimes whatever comes out is amazing so it's kept.
Why do you write:
It's this feeling I get when I play live and in those special moments when a song is being born through you that I've become addicted to. When I started writing I was very young and didnt quite understand why I did it (I just knew I enjoyed it) but now, as an adult, I understand that music and song is a powerful medium and I use to express myself emotionally, politically and socially.......giving back to the community.
How do you write:
When I'm writing a song I am usually along. I dont really write with other people present (I think I get a bit shy or something). I go to a special emotional and spiritual place when I write.
I try not to 'think' about it too much so I let it be born out of a pure emotional source first, then I think about it some more after I refine and complete the song. I also know that a lot of my songs are developed to a certain stage in my own time but then its the live performance of the song that helps it to really take a complete form.
Most important aspect of songwriting:
I think the most important aspect of songwriting is to always be in touch with the song emotionally. You need to find the song in your heart not in your head.
There are a lot of songwriters out there that are technically brilliant but they have no soul or passion in their songs. It is possible to have technical brilliance and heart at the same time but an all important root to music is the feeling of it. It's a kind of magic. It's meant to create feelings for the player and the listener. If you dont have this then your songs will sound empty and heartless.
Music says things that sometimes nothing else can. When writing a song feel with the heart first then think with your head later.
Advice for beginners:
Try to find your own style and dont worry if it is similar to someone elses. It doesnt matter if you think that someone else has done this before because the main thing is that you havent done it yet, so do the things in your song that are new to YOU. Keep pushing yourself into areas that you havent been to like trying a different guitar tuning or singing a whole song in a falsetto voice.
Dont compare yourself to others just embrace your own uniqueness. Dont worry about public success because that will come and go and come again. What will remain is your truth and pure belief in what you do. This is infectious.
Dont kill your creativity in getting caught up in the horrible nightmare of only competing for commercial success. Just know that if you keep growing, learning, making connections and giving out your music, that's success that no record company can take away from you.
What inspires you:
Writing a song. Whether a song it to be performed or not it is still a healing or expression, so the things which inspire me are life experiences, life lessons with yourself and others, personal growth, encouraging people to be themselves and break out of this machine-like lifestyle this western society promotes.
On a life level of inspiration though, it's the thought of music and songs as being gifts, given to us as songwriters which is then given out everday to as many people to help them with their lives by creating positivity, being the bringer of hope or helping with healing. It inspires me that music is a powerful source that we as humans can tap into and its this connection that brings us closer to ourselves and to what we are passionate about.
Main strengths/weaknesses:
Ok, lets get the bad stuff out of the first. Im the only one who manages, promotes and organises my career so as an occupational hazzard a big weakness of mine is that I work too much and sometimes I forget to actually live life, build relationships and take time out to dream.
Some of my strengths with music is my courage to keep on going through the thicket of commercialism that surrounds it, my belief that music and its messages are so important to the growth and energy in this world (could you imagine a world without music??) and my motivation to bring music to people for good by teaching community workshops to young and old, speaking with positive socially conscious lyrics and encouraging all people to be creative beings.
Songwriting goals:
To keep learning, to keep an open mind, to stay true to myself and to keep getting better as a musician, vocalist and songwriter by refining and perfecting. It's the journey that is important not the destinatio and remembering that is another one of my goals.
The music industry is something that we can all get caught up in (especially if you are a performer as well) and it takes a lot of courage to keep believing that your songs make a difference. Music exists to connect people together and its my hope that the music industry will again become the peoples music community.
"You need to find the song in your heart not in your head."
How beautiful is that! Maintaining the truth in your writing is one of the hardest things I think a songwriter can keep up. We get so tempted to find the 'quick fix' or to 'cut corners' and when we succumb to that temptation that is the very moment in which we lose ourselves.
I know you would have learnt a lot from what Heather had to say, I know I have.
Until next time, happy writing,
Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician
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