Sodajerker On Songwriting Sodajerker

For this very special 200th episode, Simon and Brian revel in the boundless creativity of musician Jon Batiste. The Late Show bandleader joins Sodajerker from his piano to explain the writing process behind his life-affirming record We Are, how he understands music in terms of frequencies, and what he feels is his superpower as an artist.

Birdy joins Simon and Brian for a chat about her most personal album to date, Young Heart, the art of co-writing, and the influence of Joni Mitchell. Birdy also describes how she challenged herself by going to write in LA and Nashville, and how this helped her to develop her confidence and work through writer's block.

Singer-songwriter David Gray chats about his beautiful new album Skellig, the social and political leanings that underpin his music, and classic songs from his monumental hit White Ladder. David also remembers the time he spent in Liverpool as a young man and explains how his current lifestyle challenges his creativity.

Paul Smith and Duncan Lloyd of Maxïmo Park discuss their latest album Nature Always Wins and how they recorded the album remotely during lockdown. The pair provide an in-depth account of their creative process and how they strive to avoid clichés when writing about topics like childhood, parenting, ageing, and the social politics of tragedy.

Singer-songwriter and producer Róisín Murphy breaks down the creative processes behind her album Róisín Machine and explains how she develops tracks, lyrics and remixes across a range of electronic music styles. Róisín also talks about collaborators like Richard Barratt (DJ Parrot/Crooked Man) and Eddie Stevens, and her hits for Moloko created with Mark Brydon.

One of our all-time favourite guests, singer-songwriter and producer Mike Viola returns to the podcast to discuss his fantastic new album Godmuffin. During the conversation, Mike explains how he makes time for creativity, how the past informs his present, and how he is coping with the loss of his friend Adam Schlesinger. Mike's first appearance on the show was in episode 20.