Amy Swift is a singer and songwriter from London. She grew up in South East London on her parents' Motown, jazz and blues records and was going to gigs from about 15. ~

Her career started on Myspace and in a part-time job selling subscriptions at Music Week, where she "bullied" her way into industry events. Amy Winehouse was breaking through at the same time, so Amy took an alias, Berry Farley, which was her nan's name. 

Features on house tracks followed, then fronting Pacific State with The Shapeshifters and a deal with Universal. She was grateful for all of it, but she never wanted to be just a voice on a house track, because she had stories to tell.

She and Radim talk about where songs come from, and about learning to write to a brief for sync, TV, adverts and even a musical for a cruise ship. They also cover the "twisted fairy tale" of publishing contracts, a week-long writing camp in Denmark with no phones, and why her track Moving ended up using the first demo vocal she recorded.

Takeaways

• Songs start with a feeling. Ask yourself how you feel and what you want to say, then the melody and words follow.
• Anyone can write, because we all share heartache, loss and grief.
• Writing to a brief is a different way of thinking. The constraints can free you up instead of limiting you.
• Sync work became a real income during COVID. It also put her music in front of hundreds of thousands of people through a Netflix show.
• Be open about the commercial side of being an artist. There's no shame in having more than one way to earn from music.
• Labels and publishing deals aren't the be-all and end-all, and they can leave you stuck.
• Less is more. When it feels good, stop, because overcooking can take months or even years.
• Your songs capture a moment in time, and that's what makes them beautiful years later.

Daring Forever. Podcast with Radim Malinic

daringcreativity.com |  desk@daringcreativity.com

Books by Radim Malinic Paperback and Kindle > https://amzn.to/4biTwFc
Free audiobook (with Audible trial) > https://geni.us/free-audiobook
Book bundles  https://novemberuniverse.co.uk

Lux Coffee Co. https://luxcoffee.co.uk/  (Use: PODCAST for 15% off)
November Universe https://novemberuniverse.co.uk (Use: PODCAST for 10% off)