Name: Charlotte Jane
Occupation: Singer, songwriter
Nationality: British
Current release: Charlotte Jane's current single "Coming Home" is out via Turtle Tunes.

If you enjoyed this Charlotte Jane interview and would like to find out more about her music, visit her on Instagram, and Facebook.   
 


Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

I’m hugely driven by emotion. Everything I’ve ever written is based on an experience or a feeling.

If I’m writing for other people then it’s a different muscle, it’s about relating to someone else and helping draw out their story / colouring in once they’ve outlined the concept.

For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualisation' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

I don’t think I planned the outcomes of songs until I started writing an album. About halfway through the writing process, I started to see gaps and got more calculated about what I wanted to make sure I said and the kinds of songs I wanted to create in order to complete the body of work.

I try not to get too hung up on the finish line though, because it can make the writing process quite jarring / put too much pressure on and cause writers block.

Is there a preparation phase for your process? Do you require your tools to be laid out in a particular way, for example, do you need to do 'research' or create 'early versions'?

No, not at all. It’s more about the environment and atmosphere of where I create and who I’m surrounded by. The right collaborators, a room that feels inspiring, a safe space etc.

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?

Starting the day with exercise and getting into the studio early is important for me. It’s the done thing for writing sessions not to start until midday-ish but I much prefer to be in by 9am before too many things manage to stress or distract me.

I try not to consume too much media before I write, so I can have a fresh head. I also require plenty of snacks in the studio, I cannot write when I’m hungry.

What do you start with? How difficult is that first line of text, the first note?

Start with a conversation, the conversation inspires chords, then the conversation becomes melody and lyrics. It’s never that formulaic but I guess that’s generally the bare bones of it.

That’s the exciting thing about songwriting, it can happen in so many different ways.

When do the lyrics enter the picture? Where do they come from? Do lyrics need to grow together with the music or can they emerge from a place of their own?

I’ve touched on it already but, for me, the lyrics start from a conversation about how I’m feeling / something I’ve gone through. I don’t try to be clever with my lyrics, I say how I feel and usually the words find a way quite naturally within the melodies.

When I’m scoring melodies on a scratch mic, I always say random things and certain lines come out as a sort of ‘stream of consciousness’. Certain words and phrases naturally pair themselves with bits of a melody and then you just piece it together.

What makes lyrics good in your opinion? What are your own ambitions and challenges in this regard?
 
I’m not sure how to answer this because I don’t think I know the answer. There are so many different lyrics that I love. Some are really smart or out the box. Some are painfully honest or poetic.

I’m an absolute sucker for conversational lyrics though, the most ordinary, human things that we say every day with a slight spin on them paired with a magical melody.

I think my main ambition with lyrics is to find a way of summing up a personal, individual experience but saying it in a way that can be interpreted in a multitude of ways.

Once you've started, how does the work gradually emerge?

It usually goes: chords, melody, lyrics.

Production usually comes later, I like to make sure the song stands strong when it’s performed stripped back before adding other layers.

Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control over the process or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?

I would say that I remain fully in control of the narrative, I’m very particular about what I want to say and how I want to say it.

I’m much less precious, however, when it comes to the production side of things. That’s where I’m up for being more playful and explorative.

Often, while writing, new ideas and alternative roads will open themselves up, pulling and pushing the creator in a different direction. Does this happen to you, too, and how do you deal with it? What do you do with these ideas?

I think it’s important to be challenged and be open to new ideas. That’s a key approach to have when collaborating otherwise what’s the point in working with other people?

Co-writing has taught me to be more critical when writing on my own, trying a couple of different ways just to see if it leads to something better. Not always settling on the first thing that comes to mind.

There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?

I find it super cathartic and always describe it as magical. It’s been interesting for me to break the process down and analyse it via this interview because my experience of the creative process isn’t something I often think about. It’s something I feel the benefits of though, I find it hugely empowering.

I’m very grateful that I have this way of processing life as I experience it.

Especially in the digital age, the writing and production process tends towards the infinite. What marks the end of the process? How do you finish a work?

It’s sometimes hard to know when to stop, there’s always a better vocal take that could be done or a different snare sound that could be better than the last.

I think that’s why technology still requires a human touch, if it moves me and others then the work is done.

Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? How much improvement and refinement do you personally allow until you're satisfied with a piece? What does this process look like in practise?

On the day I write a song, it always feels like it’s the best song I’ve ever written. That’s because the release I feel from getting stuff off my chest is comparable to runner's high.

I always need to leave it a couple of days, preferably a couple of weeks before I listen back on ‘fresh ears’ to know if I’ve got something special or not.

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? How involved do you get in this?

Production is a huge part of the creative process and although I’m not the one pressing the buttons most of the time, I’m heavily involved. I find production so exciting, it’s the part where I really get to inject personality into a song and bring it to life.

Getting a song mixed is a really exciting process and I trust Manon Grandjean with my life. It rarely takes more than 2 or 3 passes of a song for her to get it spot on and transform a track.

Mastering is usually very simple, it’s just about making a song sparkle.

After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

I still can’t work out why releasing music feels so anticlimactic!

I don’t think there’s a struggle to return to creativity afterwards though, if anything, I’m usually less bothered about the songs I put out because I’ve moved on to being excited about the new unreleased stuff I’m working on.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though writing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

I love the permanence of music. The idea that when you release a song, it’s there forever for people to find. Anything I release will outlast me. That’s pretty cool.

If I make a cup of tea, I know who I’m making it for and they’ll drink and enjoy it at that moment. When I release a song, who knows who will listen to it and when, what moments it will soundtrack.

I write my songs about my own personal experiences and then people will find their own stories within them.