Ever wanted to create your own song from scratch? We asked a couple of our friends, Nikki and Mandy, to tell us how they do it! So what are you waiting for? Get writing!

Nikki Webster

TG: Do you write any of your own songs?
N: I’m just starting to at the moment – there might be one or two on my new album. I have been working with a producer though, writing my own songs…

TG: Has it been a good experience?
N: Yeah, I mean it’s just another area to explore, I like it and will see what I can learn from it.

TG: So how do you start writing a song?
N: I start with the words, but obviously first of all you have to have an idea of what you want the song to be about. Every day something comes into your head and you just jot down words and then I meet with my producer. He’s a good piano player so we mix up a theme and a melody and go from there.

TG: Has there been a song that changed your life?
N: Christina’s “Beautiful”. I love listening to that song.

Mandy Moore

TG: Do you write your own songs?
M: I’ve just started to in the last couple of years. I love writing. I love getting what’s in my mind out on paper. I think it’s always good to get something off your chest whether it’s something you’re not feeling great about, or something you’re really happy about. Writing a song is just like writing a poem. Just write anything that comes into your head down and then work from there.

TG: Is there a song that you wish you’d written?
M: Um, actually it would be one of the ones off my album Coverage. It’s called “Can We Still Be Friends” and it’s written by a guy called Todd Rundgren. There’s a really different structure to the chorus and the whole song.

TG: Do you have a song that changed your life?
M: Yes, Jeff Buckley’s “The Last Goodbye”. I’m a huge Jeff Buckley fan! Actually that song is probably one of my most favourite songs in the world, full stop! That whole record changed my life.

Source: Total Girl (November 2003)
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