👋 Hi, I'm Nicholas Roberts. I create and perform music and write this daily blog about creativity, culture, and my life.

I live in Los Angeles with my wife and golden retriever.

Email me: hello@nicholasroberts.io

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Songwriters usually don't write alone, particularly those working in popular genres like pop, hip-hop, and country music.

Instead, these songs typically originate from co-writing sessions where groups of songwriters and music producers get in a room together and work on a single song until it’s completed.

A full song with lyrics, melodies, tempo, and a chord progression.

The final, release-ready song won’t be completed until later.

I've participated in hundreds of co-writes over the years. Some with bandmates, some with groups of 5 or 6 songwriters, sometimes just me as a songwriter in a room full of producers, and sometimes over Zoom with an artist and other writers.

In my opinion, the ideal co-write involves 3 people and should take 3 hours to write a complete song.

Like a small group at a party, 3 people is the perfect number to involve everyone equally. Any more than that and it’s hard to keep the conversation balanced.

Any less time and there’s not enough time to fully develop an idea. Any more than that and I start to worry that our ideas aren’t very good if we still can’t figure out which direction to go.

Hour 1

The first 10-15 minutes of a co-writing session at a studio or in a writing room is usually spent on introductions and greetings.

And to be honest, if traffic is bad, there's a good chance at least one of us (me) will be late.

Then, the next 30 minutes are spent getting to know each other and hearing about how the day or week has been going from everyone.

These conversations form the foundation of any good writing session.

At the end of the day, friendship is more valuable than any song we could write. And I genuinely enjoy getting to know new people and artists.

Even if the co-write doesn't result in a song at the end, writing sessions are a great way to get to know other creators in the community.

I've been in plenty of sessions where the only way to get the song done is to skip the pleasantries and jump straight into writing. Those are OK.

But we’re mostly writing from muscle memory, not from a place of truth.

Hour 2

The next hour is where the crucial stuff happens. Here, the melody and the chorus come together.

After our conversation and getting to know each other, usually a theme has emerged.

Something happening in one of our lives is the catalyst for starting the song. It could be a difficult week at work, family drama, a cool movie, or anything that captured the conversation.

This is usually when we start playing the song on loop or someone is jamming on an instrument with different chords, patterns, and tempos.

We're throwing spaghetti against the wall to see what sticks.

Not every melody is good. Not every lyric is good. And that's OK.

But the ideas that catch everyone’s attention are the ones worth keeping.

I’m not worried about the verses and pre-choruses just yet. Those can come after the chorus is established.

Hour 3

With a melody and punchline for the chorus locked in, it's time to flesh out the lyrics. What story are we trying to tell? Who is the protagonist and why are they singing these lyrics?

Is it to get back at an ex? Is it to empower themselves?

What message are we trying to communicate, in whose voice, and when did it happen?

The chorus can serve as an anchor for the rest of the song.

All of the lyrics are in service of the chorus, to drive home the point.

If we’re coming up on time towards the end of hour 3 and we don’t have all the lyrics figured out yet, it’s time to write placeholders—lyrics that don’t make sense or ones that may be improved later on.

The important thing is that the song is done.

Before the session is over, one of the writers will sing a scratch vocal for reference. This isn’t meant to be used in a final release, but just as a way to remember what ideas came from the session.

And if I’m honest, most of the time the placeholder lyrics or throwaway ideas end up being kept. What sounded cheesy on the day may actually be what the song needed.

With the song completed, it’s back to real life. Next is for the artist to sing real vocals, but that’ll happen another day.

That’s the ideal 3-hour, 3-person co-write.