Kyra Hamami

Week 1: Web of Lies

My first song: ‘Web of Lies’ is a song inspired mostly by alternative/indie artists that use a lot of synth in their works. I wanted to add a ‘Lorde’ type of theme to the song by making it sound darker and moodier compared to my other songs. I started off by creating the lyrics to the song, which I had gotten from past experience. The context to the song is that my hypothetical ex-boyfriend cheated on me with my best friend. Here I have mentioned the words ‘deceit’ and ‘betrayal’ to stick on theme to the context. Whenever I write lyrics, I usually write a lot of thoughts out then choose the best ones to fit with the vibe of the song. When I was proof reading my lyrics, I had realised I used a lot of phrases that wouldn’t match up to the syllables of the song, so I had decided to cut a lot out. All of my work has been done on Logic Pro X.

During my creative process, I started by selecting a Synth on Alchemy to provide an intense but airy sound. Along with that, I had chosen some chords that I thought would suit the song as well as my pitch of singing and repeated it to find the groove of the song. After that, I added the bass and used Phat Fx to create an ominous tone. This composition only had a few instruments in it, which I had intended to have. I wanted to make a composition that did not focus on having major differences between sections but rather sticking to the flow of the song. I would say that during this creative process, I used a lot of repetition because I have to admit that I fell in love with the synth and bass together. For the beat, I had played out the notes on my midi keyboard, consisting of only the Kick, High-Hat and Snare. For vocals, I had used the effect called 60s Vocal Phaser, which panned my voice around the headphones as it was recording for the intended effect.

This week I didn’t get to communicate a lot to my classmates in person, however I had gotten some insight from one of my peers, discussing how we were going to write our lyrics. I think I should add in some more differentiation next time between sections.

Week 2: Pills

For my Second Song: Pills

I wanted to make another chill, ‘go with the flow’ kind of composition. However instead of writing the lyrics first, I got some help from my peers with a beat to start of the composition. The inspiration of this composition is Erykah Badu’s ‘Didn’t Cha Know’ where the beat derived. I think I found this quite hard because usually my creative process is quite different, and I really did not know how to start anything else. After some time playing around with different chords, I decided to attempt to sing over the beat to see what direction I was heading in. I definitely wanted this to sound a lot more jazz/funk compared to my usual compositions.

For the lyrics of this song, I decided to take inspiration from a lot of artists who talk about drugs on their songs because I had visualised the beat to uncover something psychedelic, which I enjoy in my music. Again, like my past composition, I wrote out a whole page of lyrics and narrowed it down once it came to producing and singing the lyrics out on top of the beat. I wanted the chorus to be simple and memorable, which is why I stuck with the single word ‘Pills’ as the title.

I had asked one of my peers to lend me a beat in turn for helping them with one of their projects, but other than that, I didn’t have much collaboration on this composition. Personally, I think that I did the best I could with no instruments and just a beat and vocals. I think in the future, I want to learn how to mix samples with original melodies to be more creative.

Week 3: So Dearly

For this week’s composition, I wanted to create an indie/pop-themed song however, I realised that a lot of Indie songs require live instruments to sound authentic. My inspiration for this composition is Okey Dokey’s ‘Threw my Love Away’ which I absolutely adore.

Being an Indie song, I wanted the lyrics to be bittersweet, as if I’m writing a song for a coming-of-age movie. The lyrics I wrote is kind of my love letter to home because I miss it so much. Even though it is the second year of University, I wrote it in a freshman’s year perspective.

Similar to the last composition, I started out by creating my beat first using my Midi keyboard. I realised that I find it way easier creating beats using only kicks, snares and high-hats, because sometimes the others could be too overpowering. After coming up with some chord progressions for the verse and pre-chorus, I played around with the chords and cut it as different times to make the sound more interesting than just plain layered chords. I also used other synths to replicate the chords but in melody form to create a sort of harmony to the chords and make it sound in tune.

I didn’t have much collaboration with this track, and mostly focused on personal reflections. Something I learnt about myself is that I am really used to my voice being the main thing in songs I am composing, so I find it hard to add further ideas and complicate the composition.

Week 4: City Lights

This weekend, I went to a party where they played 2000’s techno pop, and it made me think about the songs my generation has grown up with from David Guetta and Calvin Harris to Kesha and Lady Gaga. With that being said, I derived inspiration from Calvin Harris and Florence Welsh’s ‘Sweet Nothing’.

I wrote these lyrics after having dinner with my high school friends, and reminiscing about Jakarta (where I grew up) and how nice it was to drive outside at night. When reading these lyrics I mention ‘City lights’ and ‘skyscrapers’ both which heavily feature in Jakarta’s skyline. To me, this song is something I would have written in my senior school in high school, which has a lot of meaning. Especially in lines where I say ‘Skyscrapers touch the skies, like we aim to do’, going through IB was quite hard and we just needed to keep pushing forward to get to the top.

In terms of creative process, I started by writing the lyrics and then figuring out which chords I wanted for the uplifting song. After that I just decided to get creative with how I was playing my chords and different instruments to suit along with them. I doubled some instruments to have sections where Phat Fx was evident, and some where I would just have it plain to justify importance. I mostly just played around with different instruments of alchemy until I got to the sounds I liked the most.

Since the beginning of songwriting, I have been making a list of all my favourite sounds to use on Alchemy so that I could use it for future compositions. I think this is my favourite composition out of the four I have already composed.

Week 5: Currents of Time

For this week’s composition, I stuck to the theme of high school and reminiscing, so for this composition, I decided to write about losing touch with a best friend. I think one of the biggest transitions into university is definitely having to say goodbye to your friends who are going to be in another country or time zone, and keeping up takes a lot of effort.

I didn’t have much inspiration for this song, I followed the same creative process as my last song because I wanted them to have the same vibe. I started with choosing an instrument of alchemy and creating a chord progression, then played them into my Midi keyboard in a drastic yet calm way to become the main rhythm for the song. After that, I got out an electronic drum kit and started working on a beat. To be honest, I had a hard time trying to create a beat for this specific track because I didn’t really know what I wanted the melodies for the vocals to sound like. I did, however, use a lot of synths, which I filtered with Phat Fx, to make them more compressed and mellow. Unlike my other tracks recently, I added in an electric guitar noise to play a sub-melody because I thought it added an interesting effect.

I don’t think I did as well on this composition compared to my other past compositions, so I think my goal is to work harder to create a track that I really like and wouldn’t be afraid of showing other people. In terms of collaborating, I didn’t have much collaboration or input on this song.

Week 6: Reckless Youth

For this weeks composition, I teamed up with one of my friends to write the lyrics to this song. It is based off of her relationship with her high school ex-boyfriend and how breaking up once doesn’t mean you can’t try again. The song is also about being young and making mistakes especially in relationships and self-doubt. I think this also helped me release a lot of emotions I had about high school into this song.

In terms of creative process, I had collaborated to write the lyrics first and then talked about what kind of genre/vibe I wanted to give off with this song. Usually the breakup songs I usually compose are always sad and using at least one piano. My inspiration for this composition is most Olivia Rodrigo songs however I couldn’t fully replicate her vibe. I used two pianos to create two different ways of playing the chord and it complimented each other well. Unlike my other few compositions, I didn’t use Alchemy or Phat Fx, and sticked to the regular sounding instruments on Logic Pro X. For the pre-chorus of this song, I added in another way of playing the chord to add differentiation between the two sections. I added in multiple voice layers because I like the vibe of a teenage angst song, such as Avril Lavigne or Paramore. I wanted to layer my voice against each other to create an affect.

I think I figured out that I’m not that great at creating instrumental breaks because I can’t usually make them sound interesting enough. I either somehow make them too complicated or too plain which is not great in either way. This song was one of the easiest to create but I wish I did better in some sections because I think the song could have way more potential.

Week 7: Moonlight

For this composition, I am in Indonesia due to family circumstances and could not come into class for any collaborations.

During the process of this track, I had to work on FL Studios, an application I wasn’t used to because It was the only source of production I had. So I watched a lot of tutorials and learned a lot of things on FL that I found much easier to do compared to Logic Pro X. One of these things is the making of beats, I find making beats on Logic Pro way harder than FL. Like my previous composition, the inspiration for this song is also Olivia Rodrigo, but specifically ‘Vampire’. I got inspired by when we had to analyse Vampire in class and write down different features, such as instrumentation, textures, etc., that the song had.

I started off by playing the piano and coming up with something that sounded similar to the piano intro on ‘Vampire’. I think unlike Vampire, my composition, especially my voice sounds more melancholy than Olivia’s, while her voice has more anger and intensity.

The lyrics of this composition were written around the same time of ‘City Lights’, a previous song I made, and took a lot of the spare phrases on that song which I added to this one. I think unlike my other compositions, I added a lot more instruments which created more ambiance. In my opinion, this track sounds the most professional in terms of instrumentation, compared to my other tracks.

For my personal reflection, I think that Fl Studios could be a very interesting alternative to Logic Pro and could also level up my compositions in a certain way. I wish I had more time to do collaborations with my classmates; however, I am trying to do the best I can with what I have.

Edit: I used Logic Pro X to re-record my vocals on my Shure mic when I got back to London

Week 8: Letters

For this composition, I am in Indonesia due to family circumstances and could not come into class for any collaborations.

Like my previous composition, I used FL Studios instead of Logic Pro X which made the experience a little more hard than usual. But I came to really enjoy the use of FL Studios and I think that I could benefit a lot from the application. So as you can see (and hear), I have implemented a lot more instruments compared to my usual compositions. This is because I did a lot of research as to what famous music producers do in their creative process. I think something that I didn’t expect was how fast the tempo was going to be when I was doing the instrumentation. When I tried to sing over the track, I realised that I had to sing extra fast compared to usually. For the instrumental break I just decided to remix some hums I recorded for the track and added them in, condensing and autotuning, so that it sounds playful. 

Personal reflection: I think being my last song, I had a lot of new methods i discovered along the way to make this my best song so far. I genuinely wish I had more collaborations with classmates but with what was happening with family, I could not do any.

Edit: I used Logic Pro X to re-record my vocals on my Shure mic when I got back to London

Week 9: Reflection

I think within these compositions, I have shown growth in terms of applications, especially with FL Studio being a big help. Exploring FL Studio instead of Logic Pro X has broadened my understanding of music production, offering a different perspective on workflow and creative possibilities. Learning the intricacies of FL Studio’s interface has been a journey of experimentation and discovery. Converting initial lyric ideas into songs weekly has honed my songwriting skills, allowing me to appreciate the unique features each software brings to the creative process. This dynamic experience has not only expanded my technical proficiency but also enriched my ability to transform concepts into musical expressions consistently.

As I reflect on my music production goals, I aspire to craft more intricate and compelling backing tracks. Recognizing the need for improvement, I’m determined to delve into advanced techniques within my chosen software. The emphasis on refining instrumental breakdowns is crucial, aiming to inject creativity and depth into these segments, transforming them from plain to captivating. This pursuit reflects my commitment to elevating the overall quality and richness of my music, pushing the boundaries of my skill set to create more engaging and nuanced backing tracks.

Week 10: Conclusion

Reflecting on my musical journey, I acknowledge a recurring challenge in my compositions—tendencies toward similarity and monotony. This realisation serves as a pivotal point for growth. To break free from this pattern, I’m committed to venturing outside my comfort zone in future projects. Exploring new genres, experimenting with diverse instruments, and embracing unconventional structures are all on the agenda. This deliberate shift aims to infuse freshness and creativity, transforming my compositions into dynamic and engaging pieces that defy predictability.

The passing of my grandmother was a profound and challenging moment, disrupting the flow of my creative pursuits. Unfortunately, it meant I couldn’t collaborate with my peers as planned, as I had to travel abroad to grieve and be with family. The emotional toll of loss naturally impacted my work process; my focus wavered, and the usual energy for collaborative efforts was temporarily subdued. While this presented a hurdle in the short term, I recognize the importance of allowing space for healing and understanding that creativity often flourishes when nurtured through personal well-being.