As the Incubator class of 2023 – David GotSound, Arinola, Emiko, Dan Dannah, AE, Mar!k, Chrissy Day & Saiming – come to the end of their extensive mentoring at Talent House, we revisit some of the programme highlights, kicking off with a look back at their April Songwriting camp…
Day 1 Songwriting Technique with Taneisha Jackson | Producer Sean aka Scripture
Day one of the Incubator Songwriting Camp boasted leading songwriter, topliner and Grammy nominee, Taneisha Jaxxon, running a Songwriting Masterclass focusing on approaches to melody and song structure.
In the afternoon we were joined by producer, Skripture, who specialises in writing to brief for brands like MTV, Netflix and the BBC.
Taneisha and Skripture set a challenge for the group to write to a brief with an instrumental that would challenge them. The group was split into collab groups and got into the studios to write.
At the end of the day the groups shared with feedback from Taneisha and Skripture.
Day 2 Lyricism & storytelling with Debris Stevenson
Day two was lead and facilitated by poet and playwright, Debris Stevenson who is known for her play based on Dizzee Rascal’s first album, so-named ‘Poet in da corner’.
Debris delved deeply into writing techniques to free you from writer’s block and how to edit and challenge yourself with the words and lyrics you use.
Debris Challenged the group to be playful with storytelling and delved into approaches and techniques. Towards the end, the groups were challenged to turn a story into a song with the techniques they had been given to work with.
Day 3 Writing with Musicians with Renell Shaw | House Band
Day 3 was focused on writing and arranging with musicians. We were joined by Renell Shaw. The group were challenged to write with one instrumentalist in the first part of the day, to get the structure and lyrics of their songs down.
In the afternoon, the groups were challenged to work with a full band to work up full arrangements of their songs. The groups shared their performances with the band at the end of the day.
In the afternoon there was open studio time for the group to work on their own projects in collaboration or individually with the guidance of Taneisha Jaxxon.
Day 4 Music Production & Songwriting | TSB
The final day of the songwriting camp was led by Flight Club producer, TSB.
Kicking off the day with a Production Masterclass, TSB shared his tips and tricks and broke down his production process. He then shared some of his own unreleased beats with the group and set them the task to go and write to the beats they were given.
The group continued to work on these songs across the day with some breaking off to continue to focus on their own material for the rest of the afternoon.
Taneisha Jaxxon then offered 1-1 feedback and advice on next steps for everyone to continue to develop their songwriting skills and techniques.
‘I feel a lot more comfortable in collaborative spaces and writing and working with other artists’ I also met people in the industry who do this for a living and understood how they deal with challenges.’
‘It was very insightful and informative working with different songwriters and their unique approach. The activities we were given really challenged me and increased my confidence in songwriting.’
Words: Team UD
