The Songwriter Diaries

LA based songwriter from Denver who is known for her combination of addictive melodies and lyrical emotional intensity. Studied songwriting at The Lillehammer Institute of Music Production and Industries in Scandinavia under the direction of Grammy-winning production duo Stargate.

Cate signed with Artist Publishing Group in 2021 and has been growing rapidly in the songwriter community, already landing her first #1 Billboard Dance song ‘Wish It Was You’ which she features on with Audien. Additionally she co-wrote the Lexi Jayde single “Drunk Text Me”, Tomorrow x Together“Trust Fund Baby”, Sara Kays “Watching TV” and her latest single Sam Feldt x Cate Downey “Enough To Drink”

Follow Cate!

Website - https://catedowney.com/ 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/catedowney/ 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/catedowneyy/ 

SoundCloud - https://soundcloud.com/catedowney 

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@catedowney9454 

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/3SHmKHBjw1ks5yXtblJWPn 

Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/cate-downey/1435862263 

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@catedowneysings 

Twitter - https://twitter.com/catedowneyy 

Support The Songwriter Diaries!

Support the Podcast - ⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thesongwriterdiaries/support⁠⁠

Website - https://www.thesongwriterdiaries.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesongwriterdiaries/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100052236679702

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6Eak4PDD8l71fkeLPt73xJ

Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/the-songwriter-diaries/id1542050159

The Cody Sisters Band is the very heart of contemporary acoustic music in Colorado, the United States and UK. Their propulsive instrumental solos and warm harmonies combine to grip the listener. Along with their bass player Will Pavilonis, Megan (guitar, mandolin, vocals) and Maddie (guitar, mandolin, banjo, vocals) have forged a new sound that has no equivalent match in the acoustic world today. Their sound is original, exhilarating, and heartwarming all at the same time. With strong ties to traditional American acoustic music, they continue to stun their audiences both in the US and abroad.

Follow The Cody Sisters!

Website - https://thecodysistersmusic.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/codysisters/ 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/codysisters 

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/TheCodySisters 

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/2dbfnU1Grj204sZ1vvbe6q 

Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-cody-sisters/1254665988 

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thecodysisters

Support The Songwriter Diaries!

Support the Podcast - ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thesongwriterdiaries/support⁠

Website - ⁠https://www.thesongwriterdiaries.com/⁠

Instagram - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thesongwriterdiaries/⁠

Facebook - ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100052236679702⁠

Spotify - ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/6Eak4PDD8l71fkeLPt73xJ⁠

Apple Podcasts - ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/the-songwriter-diaries/id1542050159

Anna Vaus is a singer/songwriter based in Nashville and raised in San Diego, California. Anna blends her West Coast cool with refreshing hooks and unmistakably relatable lyrics. Her music has been likened to that of Taylor Swift, Kacey Musgraves and Maggie Rogers (Billboard, Holler Country). She partnered with Luke Laird (Kacey Musgraves) to co-produce her latest EP, “Younger Version of Myself," which was released last fall.

While Anna has toured with artists like Willie Nelson and graced stages like The Grand Ole Opry, she welcomes the greener side of grass roots. During COVID, Anna teamed up with her fans to create The Girl in a Backyard Tour, a sixty date tour that brought her live show directly to her fans’ backyards. Anna is currently signed to Big Machine Music as a songwriter and has had songs recorded by Carly Pearce, Chord Overstreet, and more.

Follow Anna!

Website - http://www.annavaus.com/ 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/annavaus/ 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/annavaus

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/annavaus 

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/3ftsk3ROAgHws85G83ppw1

Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/anna-vaus/1434236422 

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@annavausmusic 

Twitter - https://twitter.com/annavaus

Support The Songwriter Diaries!

Support the Podcast - ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thesongwriterdiaries/support⁠

Website - ⁠https://www.thesongwriterdiaries.com/⁠

Instagram - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thesongwriterdiaries/⁠

Facebook - ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100052236679702⁠

Spotify - ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/6Eak4PDD8l71fkeLPt73xJ⁠

Apple Podcasts - ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/the-songwriter-diaries/id1542050159

Derek Dames Ohl is like warm butter on hot bread with blustering conduct. As a modern day herald Derek keeps his roots close with a six string on his back, ping-ponging across the United States sharing songs at every bar or dive that dares. Sounds that eclipse and perfect everything from country, blues and honky-tonk. His pride in keeping the American roots tradition alive, with punchy guitar playing will surely have every listener on their feet and stomping the floorboards. Derek has been related to artists like John Prine and Guy Clark with his quirky one second, and woeful the next songwriting style.

Derek got his start in the industry playing bass with Boulder, Colorado’s own Flash Mountain Flood. For the first five years of bandhood, the boys played an average of 200+ shows a year which earned them a spot on the Denver Westword’s “Best New Bands In 2017.” After countless tours and at least a dozen headlining shows at the local Fox Theatre, Flash released their debut album ‘Speak to Heaven’ to critical acclaim. Flash Mountain Floor plays more selectively these days, but you can find them at festivals like Frozen Dead Guy Days, Boulder Creek Fest, Beanstock, and many more! 

Follow Derek!

Website - https://derekdamesohlmuzak.com/home 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/derekdamesohlmuzak/ 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/derekdamesohlmuzak/ 

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/7570TvOJqcg192xJQBthtU

Support The Songwriter Diaries!

Support the Podcast - https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thesongwriterdiaries/support

Website - https://www.thesongwriterdiaries.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesongwriterdiaries/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100052236679702

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6Eak4PDD8l71fkeLPt73xJ

Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/the-songwriter-diaries/id1542050159

Well-versed in the art of puns and guitar-shredding, Kate Cosentino’s music is something of jazzy sleekness atop the lyrical precision of witty slam poetry. Whether you saw her rock the stage as a part of Niall Horan's team for Season 23 of The Voice or saw one of her many goofy social media posts, Cosentino's fun-loving personality, unique sense of style, and witty songwriting shine through in everything she does.

The Nashville-based singer’s discography is aflush with lyrical quippings that indulge in clever wordplay and poignance in the same breath. Songs like "Prettiest Girl in the Room", "Did I?" and “Imposter Syndrome” deal with struggles in a dark world, but Cosentino doesn’t shy away. If anything, her music lets the light in. Donning her personal sound with the fitting description of “Regina Spektor and Norah Jones meeting a Charlie Puth bassline,” Cosentino’s genre-bending style coupled with her authentic storytelling talent make for consistently compelling works of art. Her EP Note to Self was released in May of 2022 and received praise from several outlets including Rolling Stone India. It’s an upbeat homage to her college days covering romantic escapades, identity crises, and struggles with body image. Her newest release is her swan song from Season 23 of The Voice - a jazzy cover of Blondie’s Call Me.

Follow Kate!

Website - https://www.katecosentino.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/katemcosentino/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/kate.coz13 

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/K8thegreat13 

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/3J9oPSOtWiwtitCxyKWD1v

Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/kate-cosentino/526537070 

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@katemcosentino 

Support The Songwriter Diaries!

Support the Podcast - https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thesongwriterdiaries/support

Website - https://www.thesongwriterdiaries.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesongwriterdiaries/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100052236679702

Spotify - ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/6Eak4PDD8l71fkeLPt73xJ⁠

Apple Podcasts - ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/the-songwriter-diaries/id1542050159⁠

Sarah Gargano is a 24 year old singer/songwriter born and raised in NYC. Sarah has been writing since she was fifteen & released her first EP in 2018. American Songwriter quoted Sarah as having “highly melodic acoustic-based songs consistently feature insightful and introspective lyrics that often tackle unusual subjects.”

A travel fanatic, Sarah opened for Jeffrey Lewis in Huddersfield, England & continues to play gigs in many different cities. She has a degree in creative writing and sociology and outside of her music career, Sarah enjoys frolicking in flower fields, crying over fictional characters, arts-n-crafting, taking pictures, antique hunting, journaling, and eating cookie dough. She also runs her own small jewelry business on the side, known as The Crafty Songwriter. 

Follow Sarah!

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sarahgargano29/

Lyric Video - https://www.punknews.org/article/79662/exclusivevideos-watch-the-new-lyric-video-by-sarah-gargano

Support The Songwriter Diaries!

Support the Podcast - ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thesongwriterdiaries/support⁠

Website - ⁠https://www.thesongwriterdiaries.com/⁠

Instagram - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thesongwriterdiaries/⁠

Facebook - ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100052236679702⁠

Spotify - ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/6Eak4PDD8l71fkeLPt73xJ⁠

Apple Podcasts - ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/the-songwriter-diaries/id1542050159

Bold and unflinching, Mary Heather Hickman's songs tell stories that pack a punch. From no-holds-barred confessionals about her questionable taste in men ("Treasure") to tongue-in-cheek accounts of illicit teenage love ("Baptist Parking Lot") to modern-day murder ballads ("Ouachita River"), her songwriting is both personable and edgy, delivered with a sly dose of tongue-in-cheek humor. While her music has radio-friendly polish, Mary Heather never loses her down-home drawl; the characters in her songs feel like the type of old friends you'd finish a bottle of tequila with. This is evidenced by her growing fan base; with over half a million TikTok followers and counting,  Mary Heather Hickman proves there is an audience for the gritty, unapologetic style of songwriting she specializes in.

Born in El Dorado, Arkansas, and raised just outside Dallas, Texas, Mary Heather has traditional country roots. She has spent the past five years penning songs on Nashville's Music Row, bringing the best of red-dirt music and Nashville commercial appeal into an undeniably entertaining package. She has honed her live show over the years, opening for artists such as Justin Moore, Hank Williams Jr., Toby Keith, Eli Young Band and Whiskey Myers, and playing high-profile venues such as the AT&T Stadium (Dallas Cowboys) and the Oklahoma Music Festival. She was also a contestant on Season 6 of NBC's hit show, The Voice.

In 2021, her original song "Treasure" went viral on TikTok, debuting on country radio and amassing millions of streams across digital platforms. It was featured on The Bobby Bones Show, Women of iHeart Country, and hit the Top 30 on the MusicRow Country Breakout Chart and Billboard Indicator chart.

Since then, she has continued to work with producer Tyler Bell on more music.  She has also been touring and working as a songwriter, garnering cuts from various up-and-coming artists.  You can listen to her latest single, "Britches," on all streaming platforms. Her new single, “Small Town Saturday Night” is set to release April 14, 2023.

Follow Mary Heather!

Presave “Small Town Saturday Night” - https://ffm.to/stsn

Website - https://maryheatherhickman.com/home

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/maryheatherhickmanmusic

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/maryheatherhickman/

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@maryheatherhickman

Twitter - https://twitter.com/maryheatherh

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/maryheatherhickman

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/7HCxS7azUAuU5SyWIY5fDl

Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/mary-heather-hickman/1115390483

Support The Songwriter Diaries!

Support the Podcast - ⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thesongwriterdiaries/support⁠⁠

Website - ⁠⁠https://www.thesongwriterdiaries.com/⁠⁠

Instagram - ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thesongwriterdiaries/⁠⁠

Facebook - ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100052236679702⁠⁠

Spotify - ⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/6Eak4PDD8l71fkeLPt73xJ⁠⁠

Apple Podcasts - ⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/the-songwriter-diaries/id1542050159

Support The Songwriter Diaries!

Support the Podcast - ⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thesongwriterdiaries/support⁠⁠⁠

Website - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.thesongwriterdiaries.com/⁠⁠⁠

Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thesongwriterdiaries/⁠⁠⁠

Facebook - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100052236679702⁠⁠⁠

Spotify - ⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/6Eak4PDD8l71fkeLPt73xJ⁠⁠⁠

Apple Podcasts - ⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/the-songwriter-diaries/id1542050159

Chris Koza is a composer and performer based in Denver, Colorado and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Both solo and with his band Rogue Valley, he has supported and shared the stage with artists such as Brandi Carlile, Gordon Lightfoot, Ingrid Michaelson, The Jayhawks, Neko Case, Kathleen Edwards, Dan Wilson, and Stephen Kellogg,  among others. His music appears regularly on ABC’s General Hospital, 60 Minutes, and Good Morning America, and his song Be Wild  was featured in a State of Minnesota tourism campaign. In 2021, Chris recorded a version of Willie Nelson's classic On The Road Again, for a Winnebago campaign benefitting National Parks. His song (Rogue Valley) The Wolves and the Ravens was featured in Ben Stiller’s film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Chris often performs solo with an acoustic guitar but also performs as a duo, trio, and 4-or-5 piece band. 

In his writing, Chris both honors and builds on the vast genre of Americana music. For every song that sounds like it could be strummed from a boxcar clacking slowly across a grassy midwestern plain, there's a tune sailing from a city rooftop, echoing across a valley of streets and traffic, or a melody twisting and shimmering like a dim frequency deep into the starry night. 

Solo, with Rogue Valley, and his moniker Nobody Kid, Chris has self-produced, written, and released sixteen albums and EP's. In 2023, Rogue Valley will release their 6th album Shell Game and Chris is working on a compilation of B-sides and rediscovered sessions called Graveyard Shift, of songs and sparks spanning the last twenty years.

Follow Chris!

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chriskoza/

Website - https://chriskoza.com/ 

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/6qEEJACVqXMjTg2tIDDqtI

Support The Songwriter Diaries!

Support the Podcast - ⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thesongwriterdiaries/support⁠⁠⁠

Website - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.thesongwriterdiaries.com/⁠⁠⁠

Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thesongwriterdiaries/⁠⁠⁠

Facebook - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100052236679702⁠⁠⁠

Spotify - ⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/6Eak4PDD8l71fkeLPt73xJ⁠⁠⁠

Apple Podcasts - ⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/the-songwriter-diaries/id1542050159

Amava is a vibrant 26 year-old who grew up in the folds of the Cascade Mountains in the Pacific-Northwest. With a background in indie-folk music, her soundscape treads the waters of folk-style, metaphor heavy writing through the lens of modern day pop and hyperpop song themes and production. Amava blends the line of indie-folk storytelling over a warped, magnetic pop sound. She cites the incredible women in the pop and indie music sphere as her inspiration, such as Charli XCX, Caroline Polachek, SOPHIE, Phoebe Bridgers, Maggie Rogers and Lorde.

Follow Amava!

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/itsamava/

TikTok -  https://www.tiktok.com/@amava

Music  - https://ffm.to/amavafeelthings

Support The Songwriter Diaries!

Support the Podcast - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thesongwriterdiaries/support⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.thesongwriterdiaries.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thesongwriterdiaries/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Facebook - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100052236679702⁠⁠⁠⁠

Spotify - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/6Eak4PDD8l71fkeLPt73xJ⁠⁠⁠⁠

Apple Podcasts - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/the-songwriter-diaries/id1542050159⁠