June 10, 2025 • 28 mins
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Are you a songwriter? Are you looking to turn your
songwriting passion into a full time gigig? Whether you are
just at the start of your songwriting journey or a
seasoned industry professional, this show is made for you. You.
We would welcome to the Songwriter Show, bringing together songwriting, news,
interviews and communitating.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Now welcome your houset, Sronto.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Welcome back to the Songwriter Show. I'm your host Srontos,
a sol artist and songwriter who's always believed in the
power of words. Here on the Songwriter Show, we bring
you behind the scenes with some of the most inspiring
songwriters out there, and we give you a glimpse into
the stories that help shape their songs. Tonight, I'm so
happy to have on the show Ivy Amore. She's a
(00:48):
Saint Louis based songwriter and she doesn't want for diaries
or subtweets. Instead, the understated R and B powerhouse gets
her due in the studio or desire angst the remorse
use into empowering confessionals. For Ivy, being her authentic self
even in the face of judgment, is true strength and healing.
(01:09):
You catch her enchanting audiences with her vocals and Her
brazen lyrics and her upbeating, emotion driven soundscapes can help
draw listeners into her world.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
And now welcome this week's special guest guests.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
So welcome to show Ivy. How you doing tonight?
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Good, I'm very happy to be here. How are you?
Speaker 3 (01:28):
I'm good, I'm doing well. We're happy to have you here.
So tell us a little bit about how did you
get started in the R and B genre.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
I've always kind of been into R and B.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
My mom, well, when I was younger, my mom, she
used to listen to a lot of like Sierra and
Mariah Carry and you know, Whitney. So I feel like
I've always been into R and B and pop kind
of both of them together.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
I would describe my music more as.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
So okay cool. And how were you when you started
playing or singing?
Speaker 4 (02:02):
I started officially singing when I was like seven or eight.
I would be singing in my room before that. But
and as for any instruments I've played, I think I
started playing the piano around like eight or nine.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
How would you describe yourself? Are you mostly about the piano?
Are you mostly about your voice? Do you ever play
piano up on stage?
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Or is it all about the vocals, so I'm mainly
a vocal girl. Really.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
Actually, recently I've been trying to learn how to play
the guitar because I want to be able to play
the guitar and sing on stage, because I think that's
a little easier than playing the piano and singing. So yeah,
I'm really I've really recently been into the guitar.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
I've recently started learning the guitar better than doing stuff
in logic and screwing around. And I actually researched this
because I was like, it took me a long time
to figure out the piano and play it well, and
they say guitar is a lot easier. And again I'm
not trying to fend anyone out there, but just in general,
if funeral music theory and you can play the piano,
from what I've researched and what I have seen so far,
(03:09):
it is. But it's still the hardest thing I have
is trying to get my left hand on that front board,
trying to not hit, you know, be next to a
string and that the right hand's doing okay, but the
left hand that's the challenge for me. Anyway.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
That's so funny because For me, I feel like my
challenge is my right hand and making sure that I'm
like strumming at the right time.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Yeah, so you struggle with your left because I feel like, I.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
Don't know, maybe I've put more work into putting my
fingers in the right spots, but the strumming is where
I kind.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Of like lack so far. So but I'm getting better.
I'm getting good.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
It's only been a few months so far, so I'm
moving forward with it.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
So tell us a little bit about your songwriting process.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
So, mainly with my songwriting process, I like to work
with whoever i'm working with. So on my last album,
I've worked with actually a few producers. So anytime I'm
working with someone, what I like to do is work
on the music first, like you know, the background music,
and get it to a point where I'm like, okay,
(04:15):
now I can feel this out and I can start
writing what I want to write to this vibe, you
know what I mean. So with my new song Why, Actually,
honestly though, with Why, it was a little different because
I came into the studio with my friend Ben and
I was like, you know, I want to write about
(04:35):
this lousy guy that I just want to like get
rid of I love that, like angry, like I'm done
with you song, and I was like, yeah, So honestly,
it really depends on my mood for the day. Like
if I have an idea in mind and I'm like,
I need to write about this right now, then the
(04:56):
writing always usually comes first when it's like like that.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
But sometimes when I'm feeling like I just want to
make like.
Speaker 4 (05:04):
A vibe, I feel like the production part comes first.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
Yeah, I get what you're saying. I I oscillate back
and forth. I mean, sometimes I'm all about lyrics and
the music and the mixing, and those vocals suck. Let
me recut them, and it's tough, you know, I get it.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Yeah, but I love it.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
I Mean, my favorite thing about working on music is collaboration.
Like when I was making my song Lie with Ben,
we would go back and forth on ideas and he'd
be like, maybe you should, uh, you know, change this
part to sound a little higher, and I'd be like, no,
that doesn't sound right. I think we should do this,
And you know, it was a lot of back and forth,
(05:44):
and I feel like that's the important part of like music,
collaboration because to me, I don't think you'll be able
to move forward that much if you don't have people
critiquing you, or you don't have someone like showing you
new ideas or better ideas.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Yeah, you bring up an awesome point. I think a
lot of indie artists and fans of the show, most
of them are not with a label. If you're with
a label, you have a whole A and R department
and all sorts of critiques and more professional stuff at
your fingertips. But I think we all find maybe one
or two people we trust. You get feedback. I try
(06:21):
to get reverbination reviews, which are one hundred or so
or two hundred of songwriters and fans, and you try
to learn from everybody. But that's I think the missing piece.
I don't know about you, but I want to collaborate.
It's hard for me to find people to collaborate with.
And that's the hardest part is you want people to
be critical, but then some of these critiques you get,
(06:41):
you're like, well, that's way off base too. So I
don't know that's the challenge I have anyways in indie artists.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
But you know, I completely agree because honestly, like how
you said, you struggle with certain people. I feel like that's.
Speaker 4 (06:54):
Been my experience for with maybe ninety percent of the
people that I've maybe been able to even meet. But
it's actually funny a lot of the people that I
have worked with, it kind of happened like naturally. Like
one day I was going into the studio and Ben
he was actually interning at the studio that I worked at,
(07:17):
and he was like, yeah, I really love making R
and B music, And I was like, that's funny.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
I really loved being R and B and he was like, well,
that's perfect. Let's work together sometimes. And then it just happened.
Speaker 4 (07:27):
So I feel like a big thing that even I'm
still working on is getting out there or even like
getting online and contacting artists that you like, Like you
hear this song and you're like, hmm, maybe we would
sound good together.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:42):
So yeah, I just I'm working on being more vocal
with everyone.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Yeah, And again, I don't know about you, but my
personal experience and like twelve years ago, when I didn't
know at all what I was doing and I would
just sing and write lyrics and I feel like nobody
wanted to touch me. And then somewhere in the middle
I'd reach out to people or they'd reach out and
I'd be like, yeah, let's do it. But at this point,
it's weird because I feel like people get intimidated when
(08:10):
you're like, what do you want to do? You want
to do R and B, you want to do DM,
you want to do rock? What do you want to do? Great,
here's a logic file, here's all like twenty tracks. You
want to come up with lyrics, and then I'll tweak
them and we can do a duet or whatever. And
then I never hear from people again. So either they
get intimidated or they're just you know. So it's it's
weird because you want to work with people a little
bit above your level, but I honestly don't have the
(08:31):
answer I wish I did. It's hard to find people
collaborate with. It's hard to find people that you're I've
always been driven. I'm always trying to get better, and hey,
I can't read cheat music. Now I can reachcheat music
and just keep going. And I feel like people kind
of settle. Most of the people I've met, they settle
with their guitar or their songwriting or something, and they're
just either not open to ideas or they want people
(08:53):
that want to sound like ACDC and that's all they
want to do, and they're very like focused on just
their thing, right, you know.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
I just feel like for me, what I've had to
do is that's hard, you know. I just I've always
felt like what I need to do is just be more.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
Vocal and just trying to reach out even if I'm embarrassed,
because I understand the side of feeling embarrassed or feeling like, eh,
maybe I can't work on this song, or like maybe
my voice doesn't work with this I've felt that some
with like some producers I've worked with.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
I don't know. All I know is I.
Speaker 4 (09:32):
Just want to keep moving forward and keep bettering myself.
So I just have to keep putting myself out there.
I think the best advice for like any artist today,
just keep putting yourself out there and don't doubt yourself.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
And even if you know you come in contact with a.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
Bigger artists or bigger producer and you start getting nervous,
I think it's just best to continue and try your
best anyway, because who knows, you might make a great
song out of it, and then you might be top
of the charts, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
Yeah, And I think that's really all you can do.
I've been on both sides of it, so I feel
bad when people tell me, like, hey, my songs kind
of suck or my voice sucks. I'm like, I get
that I still have limitations and not confident in certain
things that I'm working on. So I think at the
end of the day, I want all of us to
get better together.
Speaker 4 (10:25):
Well, I think that's why. I don't know about you,
but for me, when I was younger, I knew there
were some parts of my voice that I struggled with,
and so I tend to just stay in the lane
that I know that I'm great in. Like when I
was younger, I was more of a contralto, which is
(10:45):
like a lower singing woman, and I used to stick
to singing like lower songs, like Rihanna songs or like
Tony Braxton songs. But as I've grown older and trained
my voice and done lessons and whatnot, my voice says
my vocal range has expanded expeditiously, So now I still
(11:08):
continue to stay in my lane. But I also think
it's important to if you know that you're struggling with something,
you should just keep working on it if you really
really that important to you. You know, like I listen
to like I said, I sang in a lower range,
and one of my favorite artists is Arianna Grande and
(11:29):
that awesome, yes.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
And you know how she sings all high.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
So I would just like choose artists that I know
their range is a little different from mine and just
keep practicing their songs and singing and singing. And now
I just feel a lot more comfortable with my whole range.
And I just think everyone should if it's really that
important to you, like even playing guitar or piano or
(11:53):
anything like that, just keep working on it and keep pushing.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
Yeah, I hear you. Okay, do you have like a
fond music called mymge from your childhood you want to share?
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Yes, it's so funny, so you know Wicked the movie.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
I was very big in like music back in eighth grade,
and my choir teacher she really liked me, and she
just was always really nice to me and giving me
parts to sing and stuff and whatnot.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
So finally eighth grade graduation came and she.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
Was like, uh, I have a song for you and
this other girl to sang, and so we sang one
of the last songs from the second half of the
Wicked play, which is in the second movie that isn't
out yet, but I sang for Good with another girl
in my class. And I did not tell my family
(12:46):
that I was doing this, but I was.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Like, please come to my graduation, just.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
Come, that's cool.
Speaker 4 (12:51):
And my mom was like, oh, okay, fine, I'll come,
you know, because it was just eighth grade graduation whatever.
So she showed up and then apparently she was sitting
there with my uncle and they saw my name like
on the pamphlet and they were like, what's Janelle's name
doing here?
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Or what's what's Ivy's name doing here?
Speaker 4 (13:10):
And so uh, basically, then I walked up on stage
and I started singing.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
That's really cool. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (13:18):
So she was so shook and it's hilarious and it
was a fun day. But that day she was like,
all right, we're getting you serious. So after that, I
started going to the studio and that's when I started
making music. Back then, I was making music under my
name Janelle, though, but now I'm Ivy.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
All right, I'll tell you what, Ivy. Let's take a
listen to your song, and we'll come back and talk
a little more. Okay, okay, hi, everybody check this out
here we go bye?
Speaker 5 (13:45):
By? Why by?
Speaker 6 (13:48):
Why?
Speaker 4 (13:49):
Why?
Speaker 6 (13:49):
Why?
Speaker 7 (13:50):
Why?
Speaker 6 (13:52):
Why? Why? Why?
Speaker 5 (13:54):
Why?
Speaker 3 (13:55):
Why?
Speaker 6 (13:55):
Why?
Speaker 2 (13:57):
You got me so confused?
Speaker 6 (14:01):
I don't know what to do? You say you love
me too? After all the we've been through.
Speaker 8 (14:10):
You made me feel so high, you made me come alive.
Speaker 6 (14:16):
Don't want to say goodbye?
Speaker 8 (14:18):
Better try a million times. I won't be a really
little toy. What you do got me annoyed, let me
out there in the void, but I loved you. Just
to say, I won't be a really little toy. What
you do got me annoyed, let me out there in
(14:42):
the void, but I loved you just the same.
Speaker 5 (14:46):
Why why why why.
Speaker 6 (14:50):
Didn't let you get to me bye?
Speaker 5 (14:59):
Why? Why couldn't you just sadden leap free? Couldn't you
just let me be.
Speaker 6 (15:12):
The one to blame? And now you love me from
my point, but can never be the same. You're just
too hard to dame. Baby. You should let me go,
let me hind yourself low.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Hello.
Speaker 8 (15:29):
You should be the one to know the word we
had was just a show?
Speaker 5 (15:35):
Why a legic into me?
Speaker 8 (15:45):
What what.
Speaker 6 (15:52):
You just said?
Speaker 5 (15:53):
Leap free?
Speaker 6 (15:55):
Couldn't you just let leave me.
Speaker 5 (16:03):
This life with you?
Speaker 6 (16:07):
But I wish you the best, now give it away.
Speaker 5 (16:13):
I can't gape.
Speaker 6 (16:17):
In circles. I'm trying to keep up with you like
an never more did against me? What couldn't you know
(16:42):
just send me friends? Couldn't you just.
Speaker 5 (16:45):
Let me be.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
My?
Speaker 5 (16:52):
Why?
Speaker 4 (16:53):
Why?
Speaker 3 (17:16):
Ivy? Thank you for sharing that song with us, Tell
us what that song means to you.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
So Why, honestly is one of my current favorite songs
of mine right now.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
It is about a guy that I thought was or
could have been the one for me, and after hanging
out with him, I quickly realized that he was just
using me for who I am. And I think it's
very hard to let go of someone that you convinced
(17:48):
yourself that they were going to be good, they were
going to be good in your life, and they were
good to you. And basically why is about going back
and forth with why did you treat me like this?
Why do I still feel this way about you? Why
is it so hard for you to let me go?
There's so many why questions that the song is about,
(18:12):
and but yeah, it's basically about this guy that just
kind of won't leave you alone and you kind of
don't really know what to do with it. But towards
the end of the song, the singer she definitely figures
out what to do about it.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
Cool. Yeah, it's a great promise. So if you could
watch only one genre of movies for the rest of
your life, which genre would you pick?
Speaker 2 (18:32):
Ooh, I would pick That's hard because I really.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
Like romance movies, but sometimes they I don't think I
would like watching that for my whole life. I guess
i'd have to say thrillers, because I really like figuring
out what is happening. Like right now I'm watching Okay,
this isn't a movie, but right now I'm watching Severance,
and I really like how the show is just you
(18:58):
figuring out what they even got going on.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
Yeah, oh yeah, I'd have to say thriller.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
If your music was a specialty drink, what would it be?
Speaker 2 (19:11):
I guess, does it have to be an alcohol drink?
Speaker 3 (19:14):
No, it could be anything. No, it doesn't have to
be alcohol.
Speaker 4 (19:17):
I was gonna say, I guess my music would be
like kombucha, because not everyone likes kombucha, but people that
like kombucha really like kombucha and it's really good.
Speaker 7 (19:29):
For you.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Yeah, okay, Like, what's the weirdest merch that you've ever
sold to your fans?
Speaker 4 (19:35):
I don't have any merch that's like too weird. All
my merch, I guess hmm. Maybe i'd say a hat
that says hayes ivy more on it, but nothing crazy.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
Honestly, Is there an instrument you wish you could learn.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
Instantly besides the guitar? Yeah, make me a saxophone. I
really like brass instruments, and I think saxophones are really cool.
And if I could play the saxophone, Oh, I would.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
I don't know what I would do with that skill.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
Yeah, that'd be kind of badass. When you say how
I play the sax like it's gives you like street cred.
Speaker 4 (20:13):
I think yeah, And it's just it's so I really
like jazz, and I like how free jazz is and
how a saxophone sound.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
I don't know just everything about it. I just think
it would be really cool to know you're like, yeah,
I play the saxophone.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
I got two more questions for you. If you could
be any animal, which one would you be?
Speaker 5 (20:32):
And why?
Speaker 7 (20:33):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (20:33):
I would one hundred percent be a lion.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
A lion.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
Okay, why because I really like cats and I think
being a lion. I don't know.
Speaker 4 (20:44):
I watched The Lion King recently and I really like
how they live like they have you know, the.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
King, and then they have like well.
Speaker 4 (20:53):
That might just be the cartoon, but still like, I
don't know, they're very respectful and they're pretty like the
lions and their mains or even like the lions without
mains in the baby Cubs.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (21:06):
There's just something about lions and leopards and pats and
panthers that I just think is really cool.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
I love lion kings. That's a great choice, all right.
The last question night for you? Where can people stream
your stuff and buy it or check it out?
Speaker 2 (21:20):
So my website is Ivy Amore music dot com.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
I V E Y A m O U R m
U si C dot com and you can find my
music on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube, basically anywhere,
even SoundCloud. You can find my new song y on there,
and you can find my EP from last year Hayes
(21:47):
on there.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
All right, cool. I want to thank you so much
Ivy for being on the show tonight.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
Yeah, thank you so much for having me Oh, you're
very welcome.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
So to all the listeners out there, thank you so
much for spending a little bit of your precious time
with the two of us tonight. We know you have choices,
and we thank you so much for being at part
of the Songwriter Show tonight. If you're an artist with
a story to share, please fill out the guest form
on songwritershow dot com. To the rest of you, I
hope you'll join us next time every single Tuesday evening
as we continue to uncover the inspiring journeys behind the music.
(22:18):
Here's to creating and connecting and letting all of our
stories be heard. Have a great night. I love you all.
Speaker 9 (22:32):
Maybe fair test don't happen for guy like sending my
last lets away.
Speaker 3 (22:45):
There's no easy way to say.
Speaker 10 (22:48):
I hate my life the time I've lost what because
the failure?
Speaker 5 (22:57):
I'm kids.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
Like, can't we stay up.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
Forever?
Speaker 3 (23:12):
There's some place I.
Speaker 10 (23:14):
Lead it up behind, I stepped beside and I get
lost in the pixels of blood dancing across the stream.
Speaker 6 (23:28):
I wish that was me up there. I wish that
was my life.
Speaker 10 (23:35):
I wish the.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
Pixels of.
Speaker 10 (23:39):
But tet me where.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
I only hear things the way.
Speaker 5 (24:01):
I want to hear them.
Speaker 10 (24:04):
The sharpest words.
Speaker 7 (24:06):
I always my own, and most nights I cry alone,
just netherlone pick those same stays. Don't know what life means,
and most sights are go inside that dreams.
Speaker 6 (24:28):
Why can't we stay up.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
For a.
Speaker 3 (24:36):
Fair place.
Speaker 10 (24:37):
I leave it all behind beside, step beside, and I
get lost in the pixels of life gets it across
the screen.
Speaker 5 (24:52):
I wish that was me up there.
Speaker 6 (24:56):
I wish that was my life.
Speaker 7 (24:59):
I I wish the pixels of light would take me away.
Speaker 10 (25:07):
To This is always the place I leave the world
(25:33):
behind as I step inside and I get lost in
the pixels of lines dancing up across the street.
Speaker 6 (25:46):
Irish that was me there.
Speaker 10 (25:50):
I wish that was my life as I wished that
all the pixels of the fly away.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
Thank you for listening to The Songwriter Show. To keep
the momentum going, head over to www Dot songwriter show
dot com and joined our free music community of artists, songwriters,
and producers.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
That's www.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Dot songwriter show dot com.
Speaker 6 (27:21):
Many many.
Speaker 5 (27:36):
Many name
Speaker 6 (27:42):
And hang a hello, Hang ahead,
Are you a songwriter? Are you looking to turn your
songwriting passion into a full time gigig? Whether you are
just at the start of your songwriting journey or a
seasoned industry professional, this show is made for you. You.
We would welcome to the Songwriter Show, bringing together songwriting, news,
interviews and communitating.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Now welcome your houset, Sronto.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Welcome back to the Songwriter Show. I'm your host Srontos,
a sol artist and songwriter who's always believed in the
power of words. Here on the Songwriter Show, we bring
you behind the scenes with some of the most inspiring
songwriters out there, and we give you a glimpse into
the stories that help shape their songs. Tonight, I'm so
happy to have on the show Ivy Amore. She's a
(00:48):
Saint Louis based songwriter and she doesn't want for diaries
or subtweets. Instead, the understated R and B powerhouse gets
her due in the studio or desire angst the remorse
use into empowering confessionals. For Ivy, being her authentic self
even in the face of judgment, is true strength and healing.
(01:09):
You catch her enchanting audiences with her vocals and Her
brazen lyrics and her upbeating, emotion driven soundscapes can help
draw listeners into her world.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
And now welcome this week's special guest guests.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
So welcome to show Ivy. How you doing tonight?
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Good, I'm very happy to be here. How are you?
Speaker 3 (01:28):
I'm good, I'm doing well. We're happy to have you here.
So tell us a little bit about how did you
get started in the R and B genre.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
I've always kind of been into R and B.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
My mom, well, when I was younger, my mom, she
used to listen to a lot of like Sierra and
Mariah Carry and you know, Whitney. So I feel like
I've always been into R and B and pop kind
of both of them together.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
I would describe my music more as.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
So okay cool. And how were you when you started
playing or singing?
Speaker 4 (02:02):
I started officially singing when I was like seven or eight.
I would be singing in my room before that. But
and as for any instruments I've played, I think I
started playing the piano around like eight or nine.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
How would you describe yourself? Are you mostly about the piano?
Are you mostly about your voice? Do you ever play
piano up on stage?
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Or is it all about the vocals, so I'm mainly
a vocal girl. Really.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
Actually, recently I've been trying to learn how to play
the guitar because I want to be able to play
the guitar and sing on stage, because I think that's
a little easier than playing the piano and singing. So yeah,
I'm really I've really recently been into the guitar.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
I've recently started learning the guitar better than doing stuff
in logic and screwing around. And I actually researched this
because I was like, it took me a long time
to figure out the piano and play it well, and
they say guitar is a lot easier. And again I'm
not trying to fend anyone out there, but just in general,
if funeral music theory and you can play the piano,
from what I've researched and what I have seen so far,
(03:09):
it is. But it's still the hardest thing I have
is trying to get my left hand on that front board,
trying to not hit, you know, be next to a
string and that the right hand's doing okay, but the
left hand that's the challenge for me. Anyway.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
That's so funny because For me, I feel like my
challenge is my right hand and making sure that I'm
like strumming at the right time.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Yeah, so you struggle with your left because I feel like, I.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
Don't know, maybe I've put more work into putting my
fingers in the right spots, but the strumming is where
I kind.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Of like lack so far. So but I'm getting better.
I'm getting good.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
It's only been a few months so far, so I'm
moving forward with it.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
So tell us a little bit about your songwriting process.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
So, mainly with my songwriting process, I like to work
with whoever i'm working with. So on my last album,
I've worked with actually a few producers. So anytime I'm
working with someone, what I like to do is work
on the music first, like you know, the background music,
and get it to a point where I'm like, okay,
(04:15):
now I can feel this out and I can start
writing what I want to write to this vibe, you
know what I mean. So with my new song Why, Actually,
honestly though, with Why, it was a little different because
I came into the studio with my friend Ben and
I was like, you know, I want to write about
(04:35):
this lousy guy that I just want to like get
rid of I love that, like angry, like I'm done
with you song, and I was like, yeah, So honestly,
it really depends on my mood for the day. Like
if I have an idea in mind and I'm like,
I need to write about this right now, then the
(04:56):
writing always usually comes first when it's like like that.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
But sometimes when I'm feeling like I just want to
make like.
Speaker 4 (05:04):
A vibe, I feel like the production part comes first.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
Yeah, I get what you're saying. I I oscillate back
and forth. I mean, sometimes I'm all about lyrics and
the music and the mixing, and those vocals suck. Let
me recut them, and it's tough, you know, I get it.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Yeah, but I love it.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
I Mean, my favorite thing about working on music is collaboration.
Like when I was making my song Lie with Ben,
we would go back and forth on ideas and he'd
be like, maybe you should, uh, you know, change this
part to sound a little higher, and I'd be like, no,
that doesn't sound right. I think we should do this,
And you know, it was a lot of back and forth,
(05:44):
and I feel like that's the important part of like music,
collaboration because to me, I don't think you'll be able
to move forward that much if you don't have people
critiquing you, or you don't have someone like showing you
new ideas or better ideas.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Yeah, you bring up an awesome point. I think a
lot of indie artists and fans of the show, most
of them are not with a label. If you're with
a label, you have a whole A and R department
and all sorts of critiques and more professional stuff at
your fingertips. But I think we all find maybe one
or two people we trust. You get feedback. I try
(06:21):
to get reverbination reviews, which are one hundred or so
or two hundred of songwriters and fans, and you try
to learn from everybody. But that's I think the missing piece.
I don't know about you, but I want to collaborate.
It's hard for me to find people to collaborate with.
And that's the hardest part is you want people to
be critical, but then some of these critiques you get,
(06:41):
you're like, well, that's way off base too. So I
don't know that's the challenge I have anyways in indie artists.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
But you know, I completely agree because honestly, like how
you said, you struggle with certain people. I feel like that's.
Speaker 4 (06:54):
Been my experience for with maybe ninety percent of the
people that I've maybe been able to even meet. But
it's actually funny a lot of the people that I
have worked with, it kind of happened like naturally. Like
one day I was going into the studio and Ben
he was actually interning at the studio that I worked at,
(07:17):
and he was like, yeah, I really love making R
and B music, And I was like, that's funny.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
I really loved being R and B and he was like, well,
that's perfect. Let's work together sometimes. And then it just happened.
Speaker 4 (07:27):
So I feel like a big thing that even I'm
still working on is getting out there or even like
getting online and contacting artists that you like, Like you
hear this song and you're like, hmm, maybe we would
sound good together.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:42):
So yeah, I just I'm working on being more vocal
with everyone.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Yeah, And again, I don't know about you, but my
personal experience and like twelve years ago, when I didn't
know at all what I was doing and I would
just sing and write lyrics and I feel like nobody
wanted to touch me. And then somewhere in the middle
I'd reach out to people or they'd reach out and
I'd be like, yeah, let's do it. But at this point,
it's weird because I feel like people get intimidated when
(08:10):
you're like, what do you want to do? You want
to do R and B, you want to do DM,
you want to do rock? What do you want to do? Great,
here's a logic file, here's all like twenty tracks. You
want to come up with lyrics, and then I'll tweak
them and we can do a duet or whatever. And
then I never hear from people again. So either they
get intimidated or they're just you know. So it's it's
weird because you want to work with people a little
bit above your level, but I honestly don't have the
(08:31):
answer I wish I did. It's hard to find people
collaborate with. It's hard to find people that you're I've
always been driven. I'm always trying to get better, and hey,
I can't read cheat music. Now I can reachcheat music
and just keep going. And I feel like people kind
of settle. Most of the people I've met, they settle
with their guitar or their songwriting or something, and they're
just either not open to ideas or they want people
(08:53):
that want to sound like ACDC and that's all they
want to do, and they're very like focused on just
their thing, right, you know.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
I just feel like for me, what I've had to
do is that's hard, you know. I just I've always
felt like what I need to do is just be more.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
Vocal and just trying to reach out even if I'm embarrassed,
because I understand the side of feeling embarrassed or feeling like, eh,
maybe I can't work on this song, or like maybe
my voice doesn't work with this I've felt that some
with like some producers I've worked with.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
I don't know. All I know is I.
Speaker 4 (09:32):
Just want to keep moving forward and keep bettering myself.
So I just have to keep putting myself out there.
I think the best advice for like any artist today,
just keep putting yourself out there and don't doubt yourself.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
And even if you know you come in contact with a.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
Bigger artists or bigger producer and you start getting nervous,
I think it's just best to continue and try your
best anyway, because who knows, you might make a great
song out of it, and then you might be top
of the charts, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
Yeah, And I think that's really all you can do.
I've been on both sides of it, so I feel
bad when people tell me, like, hey, my songs kind
of suck or my voice sucks. I'm like, I get
that I still have limitations and not confident in certain
things that I'm working on. So I think at the
end of the day, I want all of us to
get better together.
Speaker 4 (10:25):
Well, I think that's why. I don't know about you,
but for me, when I was younger, I knew there
were some parts of my voice that I struggled with,
and so I tend to just stay in the lane
that I know that I'm great in. Like when I
was younger, I was more of a contralto, which is
(10:45):
like a lower singing woman, and I used to stick
to singing like lower songs, like Rihanna songs or like
Tony Braxton songs. But as I've grown older and trained
my voice and done lessons and whatnot, my voice says
my vocal range has expanded expeditiously, So now I still
(11:08):
continue to stay in my lane. But I also think
it's important to if you know that you're struggling with something,
you should just keep working on it if you really
really that important to you. You know, like I listen
to like I said, I sang in a lower range,
and one of my favorite artists is Arianna Grande and
(11:29):
that awesome, yes.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
And you know how she sings all high.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
So I would just like choose artists that I know
their range is a little different from mine and just
keep practicing their songs and singing and singing. And now
I just feel a lot more comfortable with my whole range.
And I just think everyone should if it's really that
important to you, like even playing guitar or piano or
(11:53):
anything like that, just keep working on it and keep pushing.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
Yeah, I hear you. Okay, do you have like a
fond music called mymge from your childhood you want to share?
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Yes, it's so funny, so you know Wicked the movie.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
I was very big in like music back in eighth grade,
and my choir teacher she really liked me, and she
just was always really nice to me and giving me
parts to sing and stuff and whatnot.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
So finally eighth grade graduation came and she.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
Was like, uh, I have a song for you and
this other girl to sang, and so we sang one
of the last songs from the second half of the
Wicked play, which is in the second movie that isn't
out yet, but I sang for Good with another girl
in my class. And I did not tell my family
(12:46):
that I was doing this, but I was.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Like, please come to my graduation, just.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
Come, that's cool.
Speaker 4 (12:51):
And my mom was like, oh, okay, fine, I'll come,
you know, because it was just eighth grade graduation whatever.
So she showed up and then apparently she was sitting
there with my uncle and they saw my name like
on the pamphlet and they were like, what's Janelle's name
doing here?
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Or what's what's Ivy's name doing here?
Speaker 4 (13:10):
And so uh, basically, then I walked up on stage
and I started singing.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
That's really cool. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (13:18):
So she was so shook and it's hilarious and it
was a fun day. But that day she was like,
all right, we're getting you serious. So after that, I
started going to the studio and that's when I started
making music. Back then, I was making music under my
name Janelle, though, but now I'm Ivy.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
All right, I'll tell you what, Ivy. Let's take a
listen to your song, and we'll come back and talk
a little more. Okay, okay, hi, everybody check this out
here we go bye?
Speaker 5 (13:45):
By? Why by?
Speaker 6 (13:48):
Why?
Speaker 4 (13:49):
Why?
Speaker 6 (13:49):
Why?
Speaker 7 (13:50):
Why?
Speaker 6 (13:52):
Why? Why? Why?
Speaker 5 (13:54):
Why?
Speaker 3 (13:55):
Why?
Speaker 6 (13:55):
Why?
Speaker 2 (13:57):
You got me so confused?
Speaker 6 (14:01):
I don't know what to do? You say you love
me too? After all the we've been through.
Speaker 8 (14:10):
You made me feel so high, you made me come alive.
Speaker 6 (14:16):
Don't want to say goodbye?
Speaker 8 (14:18):
Better try a million times. I won't be a really
little toy. What you do got me annoyed, let me
out there in the void, but I loved you. Just
to say, I won't be a really little toy. What
you do got me annoyed, let me out there in
(14:42):
the void, but I loved you just the same.
Speaker 5 (14:46):
Why why why why.
Speaker 6 (14:50):
Didn't let you get to me bye?
Speaker 5 (14:59):
Why? Why couldn't you just sadden leap free? Couldn't you
just let me be.
Speaker 6 (15:12):
The one to blame? And now you love me from
my point, but can never be the same. You're just
too hard to dame. Baby. You should let me go,
let me hind yourself low.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Hello.
Speaker 8 (15:29):
You should be the one to know the word we
had was just a show?
Speaker 5 (15:35):
Why a legic into me?
Speaker 8 (15:45):
What what.
Speaker 6 (15:52):
You just said?
Speaker 5 (15:53):
Leap free?
Speaker 6 (15:55):
Couldn't you just let leave me.
Speaker 5 (16:03):
This life with you?
Speaker 6 (16:07):
But I wish you the best, now give it away.
Speaker 5 (16:13):
I can't gape.
Speaker 6 (16:17):
In circles. I'm trying to keep up with you like
an never more did against me? What couldn't you know
(16:42):
just send me friends? Couldn't you just.
Speaker 5 (16:45):
Let me be.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
My?
Speaker 5 (16:52):
Why?
Speaker 4 (16:53):
Why?
Speaker 3 (17:16):
Ivy? Thank you for sharing that song with us, Tell
us what that song means to you.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
So Why, honestly is one of my current favorite songs
of mine right now.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
It is about a guy that I thought was or
could have been the one for me, and after hanging
out with him, I quickly realized that he was just
using me for who I am. And I think it's
very hard to let go of someone that you convinced
(17:48):
yourself that they were going to be good, they were
going to be good in your life, and they were
good to you. And basically why is about going back
and forth with why did you treat me like this?
Why do I still feel this way about you? Why
is it so hard for you to let me go?
There's so many why questions that the song is about,
(18:12):
and but yeah, it's basically about this guy that just
kind of won't leave you alone and you kind of
don't really know what to do with it. But towards
the end of the song, the singer she definitely figures
out what to do about it.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
Cool. Yeah, it's a great promise. So if you could
watch only one genre of movies for the rest of
your life, which genre would you pick?
Speaker 2 (18:32):
Ooh, I would pick That's hard because I really.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
Like romance movies, but sometimes they I don't think I
would like watching that for my whole life. I guess
i'd have to say thrillers, because I really like figuring
out what is happening. Like right now I'm watching Okay,
this isn't a movie, but right now I'm watching Severance,
and I really like how the show is just you
(18:58):
figuring out what they even got going on.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
Yeah, oh yeah, I'd have to say thriller.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
If your music was a specialty drink, what would it be?
Speaker 2 (19:11):
I guess, does it have to be an alcohol drink?
Speaker 3 (19:14):
No, it could be anything. No, it doesn't have to
be alcohol.
Speaker 4 (19:17):
I was gonna say, I guess my music would be
like kombucha, because not everyone likes kombucha, but people that
like kombucha really like kombucha and it's really good.
Speaker 7 (19:29):
For you.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Yeah, okay, Like, what's the weirdest merch that you've ever
sold to your fans?
Speaker 4 (19:35):
I don't have any merch that's like too weird. All
my merch, I guess hmm. Maybe i'd say a hat
that says hayes ivy more on it, but nothing crazy.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
Honestly, Is there an instrument you wish you could learn.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
Instantly besides the guitar? Yeah, make me a saxophone. I
really like brass instruments, and I think saxophones are really cool.
And if I could play the saxophone, Oh, I would.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
I don't know what I would do with that skill.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
Yeah, that'd be kind of badass. When you say how
I play the sax like it's gives you like street cred.
Speaker 4 (20:13):
I think yeah, And it's just it's so I really
like jazz, and I like how free jazz is and
how a saxophone sound.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
I don't know just everything about it. I just think
it would be really cool to know you're like, yeah,
I play the saxophone.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
I got two more questions for you. If you could
be any animal, which one would you be?
Speaker 5 (20:32):
And why?
Speaker 7 (20:33):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (20:33):
I would one hundred percent be a lion.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
A lion.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
Okay, why because I really like cats and I think
being a lion. I don't know.
Speaker 4 (20:44):
I watched The Lion King recently and I really like
how they live like they have you know, the.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
King, and then they have like well.
Speaker 4 (20:53):
That might just be the cartoon, but still like, I
don't know, they're very respectful and they're pretty like the
lions and their mains or even like the lions without
mains in the baby Cubs.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (21:06):
There's just something about lions and leopards and pats and
panthers that I just think is really cool.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
I love lion kings. That's a great choice, all right.
The last question night for you? Where can people stream
your stuff and buy it or check it out?
Speaker 2 (21:20):
So my website is Ivy Amore music dot com.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
I V E Y A m O U R m
U si C dot com and you can find my
music on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube, basically anywhere,
even SoundCloud. You can find my new song y on there,
and you can find my EP from last year Hayes
(21:47):
on there.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
All right, cool. I want to thank you so much
Ivy for being on the show tonight.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
Yeah, thank you so much for having me Oh, you're
very welcome.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
So to all the listeners out there, thank you so
much for spending a little bit of your precious time
with the two of us tonight. We know you have choices,
and we thank you so much for being at part
of the Songwriter Show tonight. If you're an artist with
a story to share, please fill out the guest form
on songwritershow dot com. To the rest of you, I
hope you'll join us next time every single Tuesday evening
as we continue to uncover the inspiring journeys behind the music.
(22:18):
Here's to creating and connecting and letting all of our
stories be heard. Have a great night. I love you all.
Speaker 9 (22:32):
Maybe fair test don't happen for guy like sending my
last lets away.
Speaker 3 (22:45):
There's no easy way to say.
Speaker 10 (22:48):
I hate my life the time I've lost what because
the failure?
Speaker 5 (22:57):
I'm kids.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
Like, can't we stay up.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
Forever?
Speaker 3 (23:12):
There's some place I.
Speaker 10 (23:14):
Lead it up behind, I stepped beside and I get
lost in the pixels of blood dancing across the stream.
Speaker 6 (23:28):
I wish that was me up there. I wish that
was my life.
Speaker 10 (23:35):
I wish the.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
Pixels of.
Speaker 10 (23:39):
But tet me where.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
I only hear things the way.
Speaker 5 (24:01):
I want to hear them.
Speaker 10 (24:04):
The sharpest words.
Speaker 7 (24:06):
I always my own, and most nights I cry alone,
just netherlone pick those same stays. Don't know what life means,
and most sights are go inside that dreams.
Speaker 6 (24:28):
Why can't we stay up.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
For a.
Speaker 3 (24:36):
Fair place.
Speaker 10 (24:37):
I leave it all behind beside, step beside, and I
get lost in the pixels of life gets it across
the screen.
Speaker 5 (24:52):
I wish that was me up there.
Speaker 6 (24:56):
I wish that was my life.
Speaker 7 (24:59):
I I wish the pixels of light would take me away.
Speaker 10 (25:07):
To This is always the place I leave the world
(25:33):
behind as I step inside and I get lost in
the pixels of lines dancing up across the street.
Speaker 6 (25:46):
Irish that was me there.
Speaker 10 (25:50):
I wish that was my life as I wished that
all the pixels of the fly away.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
Thank you for listening to The Songwriter Show. To keep
the momentum going, head over to www Dot songwriter show
dot com and joined our free music community of artists, songwriters,
and producers.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
That's www.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Dot songwriter show dot com.
Speaker 6 (27:21):
Many many.
Speaker 5 (27:36):
Many name
Speaker 6 (27:42):
And hang a hello, Hang ahead,
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