I remember hearing for the first time that professional songwriters schedule time to write. They don’t just wait for inspiration to strike and run to the nearest instrument with a paper and pen. Of course every now and then, a song comes along in such a way. But you can’t expect enough creative output to sustain your life as a songwriter by waiting for the next idea to hit you over the head, or tug on your heartstrings.
Truth be told, I didn’t schedule much time for writing in 2024 or 2025. I released ‘FOLKMOSIS’, a culmination of my writing of the first 27 years of my life in 2024, and took on being my own agent again in 2025. That didn’t leave a lot of room for scheduled writing time, or moments of inspiration. So much singing. So much driving! So much organising. Not much writing.
It’s been a wild few years at Beth Malcolm HQ, in terms of my career but also closer to home. It’s been a time of discomfort and joy, of growth and of contradictions. I’ve seen heartbreak happen close up, and watched open mouthed at the continuum of horrors on the news. I’ve reeled at the state of the music industry and its dependence on streaming platforms, and basked in the glow of the support from my audiences. I found home and had my first experience of real love, and experienced to my surprise, the slow exposure of the dark and light sides of you that real love brings with it.
There is so much I want to say about this time, and I’ve had little clue about how even to begin. Do I even have a good song inside me anymore?
I decided to take some real life off over Christmas and New Year. The first lengthy break since I started the wild ride of self employment. I wanted time away for rest and adventure. It’s been a chance to recalibrate. And to be re-inspired.
It took a couple of weeks, and a cold-turkey instagram ban, but soon enough ideas started hitting me over the head, and tugging on my heartstrings. I’ve also felt genuine desire to schedule daily writing time. I deduced that I need to prioritise that time over all else in 2026.
I’m so grateful for these weeks away from my real life, to get my hands in the earth again. To notice birdsong and feel young, to feel grateful for all that I have and those who are so firmly in my corner.
The songs are a-coming. They’re coming!
With love in music, Beth