The process of creating my songs: Deep Connections Through Music.

Hi! I’m Julia, emerging artist, singersongwriter and pianist and I’m delighted to be able to share a bit about the fascinating world of songwriting. The creation of a song is a creative process that may vary according to the artist and its methods, but generally involves several important phases where each chord and each word is a window into the artist’s inner world.

Here I describe some of the most crucial phases in the process of creating a song:

Inspiration

This is the initial spark that gives birth to the song. It can come from personal experiences, intense emotions, observations of the environment or even inspiration from other artistic works.

The creative process begins with the spark of inspiration. It may be a moment of joy, a personal experience, or simply an emotion that longs to be expressed. Often, I find or look for inspiration in my life, in situations that have helped me grow and in stories of hope and self-improvement.

For this album, my main inspiration was to come out of the pain of being separated from my family during the covid, with a situation of mourning for my grandmother who was suddenly taken away by the covid while I was stuck in England without being able to return. It was certainly a challenging situation where my emotions and imagination led me to create art to heal my heart.

Composition

At this stage, the artist begins to shape the structure of the song, which may only have a melody or a snippet of lyrics for the time being. It involves working on “feeling” the lyrics, the melody or both simultaneously, depending on the song. Chords and rhythmic patterns are explored and decisions about musical progression and structure are made.

As a singer and pianist, my creative process involves an intimate dance between the chords and the lyrics, perhaps it is more natural for me to express directly with the notes of the piano. Notes often reveal melodies that can express emotions that words cannot fully express, and vice versa.

It is also super important to be guided in this phase by our intuition, the invisible muse. Sometimes the best parts of a song come from moments of improvisation and letting the creative flow take over. It is to trust that music, like life, has its own magical ways.

Intention of the song

For me this step is fundamental, because it allows me to give direction to my narrative and focus it towards a bright place, because initially, on this album there are many songs of painful, intense or heartbreaking emotions that I have chosen to redirect. In my case it was a choice between chaos and paralysis or growth and evolution.

You can see that in this album each song is a chapter in my own journey of personal development. The music becomes a mirror that reflects not only my personal story, but also an invitation for the audience to reflect on their own growth and learning from every emotion that life brings us, which is our school.

Refining and Searching for Musical Purpose

To keep digging and make sure that each piece has a clear and meaningful purpose, I ask myself questions that act as a guide:

What do I want the listener to feel with this song?

How can I resonate with the audience on a deeper level?

How can I empower the audience with these lyrics?

Every song is an opportunity to connect with the audience on a deeper level. This is why I use my empathy as my compass, guiding me to tell not only my own experiences, but also to capture the truth that unites us through the emotions we all share as the magical and wonderful human beings that we are.

Arrangements

Once I have the song map, the lyrics, the melody, the chords and my purpose well defined, I start experimenting with different vocal arrangements and melodic structures until I find the combination that feels right.

In this phase, decisions are made about the instrumental arrangements and the musical production begins to be mapped. Consideration is given to which instruments will participate and how they will be integrated to follow the story that the lyrics, voice and melody are telling. We look for musical coherence and for the song itself to guide us to how it wants to be finished.

Testing and Adjustments

Rehearsals are conducted to fine-tune the performance and ensure that all elements of the song are harmoniously integrated. This may involve making adjustments to dynamics, tempo or any other detail that will enhance the performance.

Final production

The production takes the song to a more advanced level. It involves track recording, sound editing, mixing and mastering. This is where the final sound of the song is shaped.

Feedback and Review

At this stage we share with colleagues, friends or mentors to get feedback. This feedback is very important to refine aspects that perhaps the creator had not considered.

Once I’m happy with the result, I start thinking about the promotion process, the art it will take and finalizing details of a possible video. For this album in particular, the script for the short film was written at the same time as the song process and the first part of visuals is already recorded. We recorded it in March 2023 in Valdepeñas (my hometown) with many collaborators as Jose del Águila as a co-director.

In short, my music creation process goes beyond technique and melodies; it is a deep exploration of the values that I consider essential in life. I invite you to join me in this journey! I would love to know what you thought of it and what values you consider essential for your life.

Thank you for reading