Why I Chose Spoken Word
By Matthew Wilson For a long time, I assumed that being a songwriter meant singing my songs. I wrote conventional lyrics and worked on my voice, hoping that with practice I'd become the kind of musician I admired. I did enjoy parts of that process. But I often found myself more interested in the idea behind a song than in finding the right melody for it. I liked arranging sounds, experimenting with atmosphere, and seeing how much a few words could carry. Spoken word wasn't a decision I made one morning. I tried it, made another piece, and gradually found myself returning to it. Hearing my speaking voice against music felt different from hearing myself sing. I could give a sentence the pace I wanted and let it sit for a moment before moving on. My process often begins with something I've been thinking about. I write, revise, and then build a backing track around the words. Sometimes a sound suggests where the next passage should go. Other times I remove a layer because it co...