Songwriting Saves The World
I am happy to share with you this very special conversation with Annick Blaize and Sasha Bellentine, the two co-hosts of Songwriting Saves The World, a unique and refreshing podcast. I think their podcast is empowering, inspiring and fun. I love how they highlight incredible womxn and LGBTQIA+ artists. I think we need more of that in this crazy music industry. More equality, more love, more acceptance, more support. And I think Annick and Sasha are doing a great job :)
Thank you so much Annick and Sasha for taking the time to answer my questions. You guys are awesome. Keep killing it !!
You can listen to their podcast by clicking here.
Introduce yourselves - what's your story? How did you guys meet?
Hello, we’re Annick and Sasha! We’re both songwriters (Annick is also an artist) and we met at an NYU Songwriting Workshop, summer of 2019. We were grouped together early on and we worked really well together. We ended up leaving the program basically tied at the hip. Since then we’ve worked on numerous projects together and collaborated as co-writers and co-hosts and we’ve become the best of friends.
You created a podcast called Songwriting Saves The World - what made you want to create this podcast?
We started our podcast during the height of the pandemic when we were in lockdown. In person sessions were canceled, we couldn’t go to any shows, and I think a lot of us were struggling with the lack of connection- we definitely were. We wanted to connect with our songwriting community and discuss the issues that pertained to us as women in the music industry. The podcast started with us having our friends on to talk about their musical journeys and to discuss common issues we’ve faced and then it quickly turned into a larger resource for musicians who wanted practical insight from various perspectives. Supporting and highlighting the stories of women and queer people is something that has always been extremely important to us and we saw creating “Songwriting Saves the World” as an opportunity to do that in a community that matters a lot to us.
What was the biggest challenge when you first started?
We tend to jump into things very quickly and head first. It’s a wonderful thing but it also means that sometimes we start before we’re ready and there's a bit of a learning curve. When we started the podcast a huge issue was having to deal with audio issues. The podcast is recorded remotely and we get audio with every background noise possible...and then some. We used to record and release our episodes the same week and sometimes we’d do an interview on a Wednesday, get the audio after the interview, realize the audio had some crazy things going on, panic a little, and then have to fix the issue and have the episode out by Friday. That’s how we learned that applying pressure can really teach you new skills quickly.
How do you pick the artists you're featuring on this podcast?
We do a whole lot of instagram stalking and internet searches! Now that we have seasons that follow a specific focus we typically start by making a list with everyone that initially comes to mind and then afterwards we start doing some research, looking through instagram, searching through Spotify, and asking our music friends if they have any recommendations. We really just look for people who inspire us, share our passion for music, and are happy to talk about all things music creation and music business.
What's the hardest part about having a podcast? And what is the best part about it?
Two words. Social. Media. After starting this podcast we quickly realized why people have degrees in marketing and social media management! Jeez it’s hard to run a page for a business, there’s so much that you don't really think about until you have to. Hashtags, high traffic posting times, cohesive color schemes, quantity of posts per week, outreach, engagement, and probably so many more things that we don’t even know about. We like to think that we’re constantly getting better at it but it’s definitely a tough one to crack.
The best thing about having a podcast is a tough question to answer- there are too many wonderful things! We have to admit it feels pretty magical to have made all these friends through the podcast. It’s nice to have such a kind, talented, and incredible group of people in our corner. Music, like most industries, is really competitive but it’s also extremely collaborative in nature. We’re really proud of the community we’ve created because having such a supportive group of people (mainly womxn and LGBTQA+) to lean back on is really special. We’ve also learned a lot from everyone we’ve had on. We carry those lessons and tips with us in so many ways and use them in everyday life, in sessions, etc.
You've been focusing on queer artists lately - what message do you want to deliver to LGBTQ+ artists?
Basically just that we love you and we want to hear your stories! As a gay gal growing up, queer musicians were a really big deal to me. The music of people like Haley Kiyoko, Dodie Clark, and Sam Smith made me feel understood and represented and that’s such an important thing for everyone to have. We decided to center this season of the podcast around LGBTQ+ artists because representation matters and queer people are the freaking best.
Which LGBTQ+ artists would you recommend?
Oh my god so many. Obviously all the guests from this season: Miki Ratsula, Jazmine Flowers, Jack Newsome, GIRLI, Emily Burns, Annie Wagstaff, J Bach, Mae Krell, Chelcee Grimes, and Rachel Bochner. Outside of that list some of my favorite queer artists include Lava La Rue, Arlo Parks, Fletcher, Phoebe Bridgers, Janelle Monae, and Orla Gartland.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
If there’s one thing we could change about the music industry it would be how songwriters get paid. Music is already an extremely tough industry to break and songwriters get the short end of the stick time and time again. Even writers at the top of their game like Emily Warren are still confronted with issues like artists that didn’t contribute to the creation of the song trying to take a large percentage of publishing. If someone at the top is still having to face these issues imagine what it’s like for someone just starting their career trying desperately to break through. Part of the reason we started this podcast was to discuss issues like this surrounding songwriters and how they’re treated and compensated.
What advice would you give to artists?
Lean in to what makes you unique.
Have confidence in your abilities or get really good at faking it.
Make as many connections as possible. Networking is so important.
And what advice would you give to anyone who'd like to create a podcast?
I think find a topic that you feel passionately enough about that you can talk about it for a longgggggg time. Also plan out the format of your show before you begin recording. Some podcasts are really structured, some are more of a free-flowing conversation. We wanted ours to be a mix of the two so we decided to do an interview based show. Then do it!! It’s a lot of work and a lot of fun and we definitely recommend anyone who’s interested gives it a try!
What biggest lessons have you learned since the creation of this podcast?
Oh my god so many. We did an interview with Monique Idlett and she said something that really stuck with us. She told us that “everyone is reachable” and that message was really what inspired and set the tone for this podcast as far as how empowered we feel to reach out to amazing people to be on the show and the belief we have in our message and abilities.
In your opinion what would make the world a better place?
More marginalized groups in positions of power in every industry. The more inclusive the world is, the better.