The Future of Songwriting

Throwing Muses frontwoman and critically acclaimed solo artist Kristin Hersh meditates on the future of her craft in this wry, existential and passionate addition to Melville House UK's new FUTURES series. Over a long, hot Christmas in Australia, Kristin Hersh considers her future as a songwriter. Is it possible to create music and not show off about it? How can artists establish and refine a following without becoming part of the commercial problem? And just how many times is it healthy to watch It's a Wonderful Life in three weeks? In The Future of Songwriting, Hersh chooses to interrogate these questions through dialogue. From in-depth conversations with a comedian friend about the similarities between songs and jokes, via a fruitful visit to Sydney's 'bone museums', to a revelation from a herbal healer in New Orleans, she delivers a fierce, funny and existential meditation on the art of the song - and its future.

Kristin Hersh is one of the most accomplished rock songwriters of modern times. She is a founding member of Throwing Muses, who blazed across the US grunge scene between 1983 and 1997. Since then, she has continued to release critically adored records, both solo and with 50FootWave. Throwing Muses reformed in 2002, and Hersh began to chronicle her life, with books including Seeing Sideways: A Memoir of Music and Motherhood (2021). She launched the crowdfunding model 'Strange Angels' in 2007, which allows fans to subscribe to her work at different levels of investment.