Songwriting — a way to look inside one’s self
Songwriting is a very interesting form of art. Or at least, it’s one of the various forms of art that I can understand and relate to.
If you look at Isyana Sarasvati’s Instagram bio, you’ll find “I don’t speak through words, I speak through melodies and rhythms.” written on it.
This then explained further by her through this one hour of a so-called interview with her husband Rayhan Maditra, where Isyana said that it has always been difficult for her to communicate with others through words. Thus, songwriting and music came into place, and it has been helping her to deal with her feelings and emotions, as well as a way to communicate with people.
And then we also have Hayley Williams, the lead singer of the band Paramore, who is also now doing solo projects and just launched her second solo album: Flowers for Vases/descansos. If you have been listening to Paramore or Hayley’s music, you’d know that all songs were written by Hayley deeply reflect her life. It almost feels like we’re reading a diary of one’s journey of life. She evolves with her songs, and she lets us watch her grow.
Perhaps it sounds obvious to say that songwriting involves transforming what’s been happening in our life (or around us) as a material of our crafts. But what really stands out for me about songwriting is that sometimes it includes looking inwards and see what’s inside ourselves. All the good and the bad.
For me, songwriting and music-making is a very sacred process. And sometimes, I get shocked by what I wrote. I always believe that a craft is a representation of the artist’s belief in life. Through their crafts, we get the idea of what’s right and wrong from their perspective, as well as how do they see life in general.
That’s why sometimes it’s hard for me to read my own lyrics out loud, let alone to sing it. Because whenever I read the lyrics, that’s when the “Oh, so this is how I think? This is how I see life? This is how I see myself as?” moments hit.
There are times when I found out that I’ve been valuing myself really low, and sometimes I found out that I was very angry when I thought I wasn’t, and there are so many more examples. All through songwriting.
And just like what Isyana stated in the interview mentioned earlier, I also find songwriting as a way to deliver what I’ve been wanting to say when I can’t do it in real life. Through songwriting, I was able to sort through complicated matters in my head and poured them out in the form of lyrics. Even though not all of them ended up being a song. Sometimes they just sit there in my notes app or my notebook, untouched, and forgotten. But I can always look back at them and realize that this is how I’ve been growing. Just like how I see Hayley’s music as a diary of her life, I also use songwriting to reflect upon my life.
This is why I always get excited whenever my friends make their own music, especially when they write the lyrics too. I can see what’s inside their head, and I get the chance to understand what’s important for them. And for me, to be able to understand them not only through our interaction but also through their crafts makes me feel… really good. (I run out of words to describe it, hahaha, sorry!)
Now it makes me wonder. To all of my friends who make music, why do you make music? Why did you write the things that you wrote? And how writing lyrics changed you?
