Paula Cole on her writing process, the books that have inspired her and what writing teaches her

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Grammy-winning artst Paula Cole has released seven solo albums of original songs. Cole has performed with icons in many genres of music, from Peter Gabriel to Dolly Parton, Herbie Hancock to Emmylou Harris, and Amy Lee of Evanescence to Burt Bacharach. Cole’s emotionally deep performances and her poetic, intelligent writing makes her stand out from the masses of contemporary music. Her compositions have been covered by a diverse range of artists—including Hancock, Annie Lennox, Katherine McPhee, and JoJo—and she has sold approximately 3 million albums. As the first woman in history to solely produce and receive the Best Producer Grammy nomination for her album This Fire, Cole has broken boundaries with a searcher’s spirit. From her top 10 hits of the 1990s to her more recent, critically acclaimed albums, Cole continues to write, produce, record, and perform heartfelt, meaningful, lasting music that defies categorization.

In this episode, Paula shares her writing process, prompts she gives her students and what she's learned from journaling and writing.  She talks about how she found her sound as an artist and the artists who have inspired her.  How walking helps her write.

Singer/songwriter Sam Robbins' song about his father from one of Paula's prompts: https://open.spotify.com/track/6R1NtDvc6i24t7pZROFaED?si=44837935583f449c

https://www.petersykesmusic.com/

Scarlet's website:

https://www.scarletkeys.com

Scarlet's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scarletkeysofficial/

To purchase Scarlet Keys' book "The Craft of Songwriting:

https://www.amazon.com/Craft-Songwriting-Music-Meaning-Emotion/dp/0876391927/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PP55NU6E9ST6&keywords=the+craft+of+songwriting&qid=1659573139&sprefix=the+craft+of+songwritin%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-1