I’ve been thinking about what it means to be a songwriter.
Some writers specialize — pop, country, blues, folk. They carve out one lane and stay there. I’ve never been able to work that way.
For me, songs just arrive. Sometimes it’s protest and conscience (If I Had a Dollar), sometimes it’s tender nostalgia (Been Many a Year), sometimes it’s pure chaos (Yay Yay Yo), and other times it’s gothic heartbreak (Frankenstein’s Creation).
Each one sounds completely different, but I don’t reject them. I don’t try to force them into a genre box. I capture them all because they’re all part of me.
That’s the joy of songwriting for me — being surprised by what comes out. I never know if I’ll end up with absurd fun, quiet reflection, or a ballad that feels like it was pulled straight from the shadows. And honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I’d love to hear from others here: do you find yourself staying in one lane, or do you let the words and music take you wherever they want?
#Songwriting #Creativity #MusicCommunity #Stage32 #Brentango
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Being a Percussionist drummer,
Music as a composer is my other Pillar in my business model.
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Kerry Kennard, cool. Is there a place where I can hear some of your music?
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Wyman Brent - yes - my profile has my website address.
I will share my reels from YouTube in this post.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQ1rLO8UJMBpJfRgmfOCH5gn58ElwjiCg&si=...
I will look soon. I am on the way to my doctor to find out how fast I am dying.
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Wyman Brent - I sent you a request!
Hope you’re ok !! Prayed and hope your way!
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Kerry Kennard, thank you so much. I have an incurable lung disease though I never smoked. I do not worry about it much. Still having fun in life.
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Wyman Brent I definitely don't stay in one lane....But I don't have quite the variety you do. No boxes for me either. Let the words or music flow as it desires.
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Hello Wyman,
I also shared recently how music affects me and how it inspires my work. I wanted to share with you a note I wrote here on Stage32.
https://www.stage32.com/lounge/anything_goes/Nene
I’m deeply touched by the news about your illness. I remember the kind messages you once wrote to me in private, and I carry them with gratitude. I wish you strength, light, and the best that life can still offer. And please know, you are being read, you are being heard, here.
May the best still come to you.
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Kat Spencer, I am happy to hear that. No limits.
What kind of music do I write? The honest answer? Almost everything.
My catalog covers a spectrum so wide that no box, no matter how huge, can contain it all.:
Techno gospel and spiritual electronica (yes, that’s a thing)
Banjo EDM (because why not?)
Heartbreak ballads that cut deep
Social commentary songs that pull no punches
And total unhinged insanity like Didgeridoo Dementia
For me, songwriting is play, exploration, and expression all rolled into one. Some songs make people laugh, others make them think, and others just make them hit repeat because they can’t quite believe what they heard.
That’s the beauty of it: no matter the style, it’s all me.
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Koby Nguyen, thank you very much. I believe that kindness is so much better than hatred. Kindness is so much better than indifference. I would much rather spread joy than darkness. May the best also come to you.