Toronto artist Robert Ball joined us to talk about writing a smooth soul-drenched song with a theatrical musical in mind. Download the lyrics to I Want a Man to follow along.

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Our songwriting challenge for 2026 is to write a traditional country song. To help us launch this challenge, we were joined by singer-songwriter and music educator Blair Packham. Thanks Blair!

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Stay tuned to the podcast and our dedicated webpage for this challenge to get the date for submitting YOUR traditional country song to the challenge and have it featured on the podcast.… Read the rest

Maclayne joined us to talk about writing songs from concepts and her song There You Are. Download the lyrics and chords to follow along. We were treated to a rare live performance by Maclayne!

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Maclayne is a Calgary and Toronto-based independent singer-songwriter whose music is as hooky and quirky as it is sincere and moving.… Read the rest

Grammy-winning They Might Be Giants’ John Flansburgh joined us to talk about songwriting from listening and intuitions. Download the lyrics to Outside Brain to follow along.

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They Might Be Giants treat the entire history of popular music as a trampoline rather than a rulebook.… Read the rest

Hamilton-based singer-songwriter Garrett Lajoie talked about taking on February Album Writing Month for the last ten years and how that experience has shaped his approach to songwriting. Download the lyrics to Window Shopping to follow along.

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Delyn Grey returned to the show for the third time to talk about her new release My Mind is a Riot and her upcoming album Delynquent. Download the lyrics to follow along.

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My Head is a Riot was released in February and is the first song off of Delyn’s twelve-song 2026 project, “Delynquent,” written, recorded, and produced in her garage with her dad.… Read the rest

Canadian country artist Amanda Keeles joined us to talk about her latest album and starting a song based on a beat she found on her digital piano. Download the lyrics to Leads Me to You to follow along.

Check out Amanda’s earlier appearance on the show.… Read the rest

Max Tojicic joined us to talk about writing songs by intersecting interesting chords with personal experiences. Download the lyrics to Lavender Bouquet to follow along.

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Geneviève Racette talks about taking a personal experience and writing it into an accessible pop song. Download the lyrics to Common Denominator to follow along.

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Singer-songwriter Mark Ippolito talked about his experience with February Album Writing Month (FAWM), challenging himself to write a full album of songs in 28 days. Check out his album on Bandcamp.

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