2 of the 4 writers on the Australian Eurovision entry are writers I used to A&R for. The sugar on top: one of them is a producer I mentored. I remember his pimply face nodding along as I made beats, then coming back the next day with a version that was almost always better.
Keep readingEurovision 2026 just wrapped – and yes, there were fireworks. Here are 5 songwriting lessons hiding inside the sequins and chaos.
Keep readingThis week I've been producing tracks like a wild man. The problem? My kids keep barging in every five minutes – and every interruption costs me 30 mins of creative recovery time. Sound familiar? Here's the real reason interruptions derail your songwriting... and what to do about it.
Keep readingWhat if your lyrics were so melodic they practically sang themselves? The Mona Lisa Lyric Method is built on real practices from sessions with genre-defining writers – so you stop staring at unfinished songs and start putting your name on ones you're proud of.
Keep readingI challenged myself to record every song I'd written with the Mona Lisa Lyric Method. The problem: I had too many. Turns out finishing songs with the method is the easy part. Deciding which snare to use is the war.
Keep readingMost songwriters struggle to finish anything. Here's what happens when you have the opposite problem – and the 5-day challenge that gives it to you.
Keep readingMost songwriters don't have a talent problem – they have a consistency problem. Here's how I stopped quitting songs halfway through and what I use to keep every song moving forward.
Keep readingMost songwriters play it safe and wonder why nothing lands. Here's what Billie Eilish, Radiohead, Beyoncé and Queen can teach you about writing with boldness.
Keep readingFrom the day I signed them, every song they sent me was weaker than a vegan's left pinky. Rushed production. Clichéd lyrics. Melodies with nothing to latch onto. Their biggest mistake? Read this to find out. And it's probably not what you think.
Keep readingAs an A&R manager, I've heard a lot of songs that didn't make it. The ones that made me shudder almost always died by the same sins…
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