Q&A with featured writer Morgane Lashkari
Morgane talks about her experience writing song lyrics, singing and making music
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Soon after Morgane and I met, we sat down to talk and we quickly discovered that we both love to write. Morgane, I learned, writes song lyrics!
I had thought before about the interesting, unique relationship between a singer and song lyrics. Usually, we hear a song and we know who sings it, but we don’t always know who wrote it. Was it the singer? Or someone else?
Intrigued, and having since witnessed Morgane’s inspirational storytelling, I asked if she would be interested in sharing with us for this edition of Doing the Write Thing. Morgane, thank you for sharing some of your musical journey with us!
Bio: Morgane Lashkari
“I’m a singer-songwriter from London, Ontario, who previously went under the pseudonym Layla Mora. I have been singing since I was 4 years old, began learning piano when I was 9, and picked up the guitar when I was 12. With the addition of my instruments, it made songwriting much easier and I fell in love with the art of it.
“Over the years, I have sought out opportunities to share my songwriting and music in different formats. I’ve performed at a few venues around London and Toronto, done countless open mics, collaborated with local producers to release music on streaming platforms, and co-wrote songs for others. It has been about 5 years since I released music publicly but I am always writing! I am in the process of deciding what my next move will be, if I will release music under my pseudonym or under my own name.”
You can connect with Morgane on Instagram (as laylamoramusic or morganelmusic), Tiktok, Youtube or Spotify (as Layla Mora).
Q&A with Morgane Lashkari
When did you first know you’re a writer?
Morgane: When I was really young, maybe 7 or 8, I wanted to write books. I loved the exercises in school where you had to illustrate and write your own stories. However, somewhere along the way I accepted that I wasn’t very good at using prose to immerse the reader, like setting the scene and location. But I loved the idea of writing something and sharing my thoughts in some format.
You shared with me that you usually write songs and lyrics. What drew you to writing in this form?
Morgane: Around that age, 7 or 8, I was listening to a lot of music (on CDs and cassette tapes) and read through the lyric books to learn the words (I still love to do this, but now it’s mostly digital). That’s where I discovered there were songwriters that existed, and sometimes this would be the artist who was singing as well. I always wanted to be a singer but finding out that I could sing AND write my own songs was a new idea. I started trying to write lyrics shortly after but didn’t take it seriously until I was a little older.
This is an example of a song where Morgane wrote the lyrics to fit the music.
Can you tell us about your writing process? For example, when do you do most of your writing, and how deeply do you plan or not plan as you write?
Morgane: I write any time, any place: in the car, in the shower, when I’m about to fall asleep, as I’m listening to other songs, while I’m watching movies, when a friend describes a bad date they had. The notes app is such a useful tool for this.
Before I embraced the digital experience, I had a dedicated songwriting book. It’s nice to have the tangible format because it’s almost like looking back at diary entries but written in code; only I know what and who the lyrics are truly about. But now, the notes and voice memo apps make it easy to capture the melody or the lyrics quickly and on the spot when I don’t have paper.
As for planning, I think most of my songwriting is done spontaneously. I could be watching something and be inspired. I could be walking around my house, maybe a friend said something to me that sparked a thought. It’s random. There have been a few moments when I have sat down with the intention of writing a song to a backing track that was sent to me. Those can be more challenging to write to because the structure of the music is laid out, so I have to fit phrasing and line counts within the musical score.
When I start writing, I either start with the hook/chorus and then add the verses. Or, I’ll start with the first verse and chorus and then STRUGGLE to write that second verse because the first verse flowed out of me so well. I think if you ask other songwriters, they may say the same thing. I wonder if this is similar in other styles of writing? Maybe you can ask the next writer you interview ;)
This is an example of a song where Morgane used lyrics she had in her notes app.
You mentioned that you write songs and lyrics. Can you tell us more about your creative process there? For example, do you sometimes write lyrics and then create or find the music, or the other way around, and sometimes lyrics with no music?
Morgane: When I’m writing for myself, it can happen in many ways.
I will usually write lyrics and melody with my guitar at the same time, press record on my voice memos app and just let the song flow.
When I’m not home or I’m doing something else and inspiration strikes, I’ll just write the lyrics or even record the melody and then I will figure out the chord progression and the rest of the song later.
If I’m writing for others, it’s usually the music that comes first and I write the lyrics and melody based on that.
When you’re done writing a first draft, what is your editing process?
Morgane: If I have only written lyrics, sometimes I will place words that I think convey the message and then use a dictionary or thesaurus to find alternatives that are maybe a better fit, that have more syllables, or that rhyme better with the phrase.
In some cases, like when I write in a flow state where I’ve recorded the lyrics, melody and guitar chords in one go, I will keep those lyrics as is. When I listen back, I can’t think of better ways to word what I said because it was so raw and the music and lyrics fit so tightly together.
I maybe get too attached to some lyrics…even though they could be better or I could make them more relatable, I don’t want them to lose their sentiment.
Where do you tend to find or get ideas for your songs and lyrics?
Morgane: I have found inspiration in many places. I was watching the movie Past Lives last year and was really moved by the story of a lost love and the “could have been”, so I wrote a song based on that!
Many of my songs are about experiences in my life or conversations with friends and I love putting in subtle hints to indicate who the song is about, a style that Taylor Swift is well-known for.
I also really like thinking of a concept and writing based on what I have seen in the world around me that fits that topic. I wrote a song more recently that is themed around gambling and a divorce, but I’ve never been married!
You mentioned you sing and play guitar and sometimes piano. I've heard over and over again the advice to read what we write out loud when we're editing. What might influence whether you sing what you write out loud, and do you have any advice on this for other songwriters?
Morgane: If I can hear the melody in my head with the lyrics, then I will sing it out loud. But sometimes it’s just words or a phrase and the melody is yet to be defined.
What you mentioned about reading what you’re editing out loud, this is definitely a part of my process. Sometimes words sound better spoken and then you sing the melody and all the syllables don’t fit, so I go back to the thesaurus in search of an alternative.
My husband recently referred me to an artist whose lyrics resonated with me; I thought that if those lyrics were printed in a book of poetry, I'd buy a copy. You mentioned that when you write poetry, it ends up as a song. Can you tell us more about that transformation/creative process?
Morgane: I would love to just write poems but when I try to do this, I can eventually hear the music in my head. There are one or two poems I’ve written that won’t become songs because I have found that the words are best left on the page. They are in a little pocket book that I have dedicated to this type of writing.
But the transformation process is so natural to me; the words becoming a song is the default. Other ways to express my thoughts in words are the exception.
Morgane says, “This is an example of a song where I wrote the vocal melody and lyrics at the same time and the producers created the rest of the song from that.”
Typically, we consume lyrics in the forms of songs we hear, for example, on the radio. But not everyone works alongside a singer who has a spot on the radio! Do you have advice for fellow songwriters regarding possible outlets for publication?
Morgane: Be open to collaborating but make sure you also protect your work. When you put your soul into a piece of writing, don’t lose it to people who may take your talent for granted or want to take advantage of it.
A lyric that is fitting for this: “Dear Reader, if it feels like a trap, you’re already in one.” - Taylor Swift.
What is some advice you would give to other writers?
Morgane: “Whether you are criticized or praised, release your work. It is how you will grow.”
It’s advice I heard from a producer I love and I still struggle to apply sometimes because when I write, I hold onto my work, with the expectation that I can perfect it in some way. I think writers, songwriters, artists, and the like will relate to that. But I hope that anyone reading that will also carry it as a reminder to themselves.
“Whether you are criticized or praised, release your work. It is how you will grow.”
Morgane, thank you so much for sharing your musical journey with us! Like you said, writing comes from our soul, and I appreciate that you shared with us. The relationship between music and lyrics and singing is so unique!
Dear readers, if you’d like to hear some of the songs that Morgane has worked on creating, below are some examples.
For this song, Morgane wrote to fit the lyrics to fit the music:
Morgane says, “This is an example of a song where I wrote the vocal melody and lyrics at the same time and the producers created the rest of the song from that.”
This is a song where Morgane used lyrics she had in her notes app:
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Q&As are available to all subscribers, with early access granted to paid subscribers. Access is granted to free subscribers 1 to 2 weeks later.
I hope you enjoy and wish you happy writing!
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