Kate Jackson is a singer-songwriter, former frontwoman of the band The Long Blondes and a University of Sheffield alumna. She mostly writes lyrics to written music and in this video, she encourages you to get writing by reading some of her own teenage poetry. Kate was a fine art student in Sheffield when the Long Blondes were formed in the early 2000s as a five-piece indie rock band. In 2006 they were named the best-unsigned band in the UK by both the Guardian and Vogue, and they released 12 singles and two studio albums until they split in 2008 following the ill health of singer Dorian Cox.
As a solo artist Kate has produced a double a-side with former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler, and has recently formed a new band called Kate Jackson and the Wrong Moves. She is also painter and printmaker.
Listen out for the following key points:
- Try to figure out the place or time that you are most inspired and use this as a way to stimulate your songwriting. For Kate, this is when she is travelling, particularly train journeys, as it allows her to be anonymous.
- Kate starts out with a loop of music and is inspired by the imagery that the music evokes - in this way, the music will always dictate what the song is going to be about.
- Kate talks about the difference between the verse and a chorus in her songs - a verse can be whatever it wants to be, but the chorus will define the song.
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