FAC Insights: Interview with Joshua "Satch" Satchell (Songwriter and Founder of SongTeller

FAC Insights is a forum for us to showcase and share long form pieces looking at various parts of the music industry and the society that shapes it. Pieces take the form of videos, interviews, discussions, articles and more.

This month, we’re thrilled to feature Joshua “Satch” Satchell in an interview highlighting his work as a songwriter and founder of SongTeller.

Please tell us a bit about yourself, your background and your career.

First and foremost I’m a songwriter. From writing and sharing my own story in songs as an artist, to helping others tell theirs, I really believe in the power of transformative songwriting - both for us personally and for the world through human connection! Before becoming a full-time songwriter, I worked as the Lead Lecturer in lyrics at multiple London music universities, and have seen songwriters from all over the world transform their lives through the craft. I’m also the co-chair of the LGBTQIA+ Advocacy group at The Ivors Academy, sit on their Ethics Committee, and sit on the board of an amazing charity named ‘Swan Song’ who send songwriters into hospices to co-write with the terminally ill or bereaved families.

So what lead to you becoming a songwriter for other artists?

 In 2023, I released my debut album ‘Present in the Post’ which was a genre-queer autobiographical exploration of my transition, and I ended up headlining the first ever trans stage at Pride in London. I had written these songs as a way of getting me through a really dark time, so to then have a crowd of thousands of people sing them back, was just such a powerful moment to me. All any of us creatives really want is for people to relate to our art, and vulnerability and authenticity are what relatability is a reaction to! Maybe it seems like an unconventional choice at that point to pursue writing with other artists as opposed to writing another record for myself, but I’d been co-writing with other artists for a while and really felt like I could offer something different. One of the ways I added value in writing rooms was by being someone who knew a lot about vulnerability, authenticity and identity (apart from being a massive songcraft nerd!) I knew I wanted to help more artists achieve that unparalleled feeling of human connection, that comes from vulnerably sharing parts of their story in song and having listeners relate. If I’m honest - I don’t think I ever won’t be writing songs for myself (once an artist always an artist) - but I just get the most satisfaction from writing songs everyday with other people.

Could you tell us a bit more about your work with SongTeller, Transpose, and why you founded the organisation?

Sure - SongTeller is an organisation I founded which puts on songwriting camps. We put artists in the room with songwriters, who can help them work out what they have to say and how they want to say it. We began by hosting camps at some of the music universities with their top young artists, where I would bring in accomplished writers and producers to co-write. They worked unbelievably well, with artists being able to access a level of collaborator they might not have previously been able to, resulting in them creating a next level of song to help springboard their careers. After seeing the impact SongTeller camps can have, and a year and a half of writing for other artists, I wanted to bring them to the mainstream. 

 Transpose is the first of our mainstream camps. I know first hand the barriers trans people can face in music, and wanted to do something to advocate for the super talented trans writers and producers I know, who face more barriers than their cisgender peers. Whether it’s explicit prejudice, unconscious bias, or juggling medical appointments and statistically lower mental health, it can often be harder for trans creatives to access opportunities. However, you will be hard pushed to find a better point to be observational from than the margins, a place trans people have often spent a lot of time. Trans people also have to imagine a future for themselves which is not always visible. So observational, imaginative, creative, while having insight into vulnerability, authenticity, and identity? Sounds like a recipe for great songwriters. Fortunately, the artists we’ve booked seem to agree, as do the organisations we’ve partnered with who have jumped at the opportunity to show allyship in the hostile political climate we currently find ourselves in. 

What advice do you have for artists who want to write great songs?

Songwriting is a muscle, and like anything else the more you do it the better you get. There is also nothing that will make you better at songwriting faster than co-writing. Also, study - books like Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattinson are a great place to start. Lastly, don’t use A.I. - it steals more than just our copyrights (as if that’s not enough) - it steals our creative satisfaction, human connection, collaborative achievements and cognitive abilities e.g. ruins that songwriting muscle you’ve worked to build!

You can follow Satch’s work @therealsatch on Instagram, and all things SongTeller at www.SongTeller.co.uk.