The Songwriting Process w/ Josh Baldwin

Songwriter and artist Josh Baldwin joins Loop Community Founder Matt McCoy to talk about the songwriting process and his latest album.

“Stand In Your Love”

Matt: Can you tell us about “Stand In Your Love” and how it just took off?

Josh: “I went on a trip to Dallas with a worship leader buddy of mine. He had just broken his ankle and punctured a lung. He was on crutches and asked if I wanted to come with him and carry things. I went down there just to help him. I stayed a day later to write with some of the Gateway team, Mark Harris and Rita Springer. We wrote Stand In Your Love that day, and it was kind of just going to be a Gateway song, but last minute it made the Victory album for Bethel. I knew that the song felt special, but I just thought it was going to be a great worship song for the church. Then we decided it was going to be the lead single and go to radio, and I’d never done anything like that. That’s when it started taking off.”

Matt: When you’re in a write, do you know that a song is a special song right away?

Josh: There have been times when a song feels special, but I’m such a feeler and sometimes my feelings can mislead me. There have been a handful of songs though that have felt special when they’re written, whether they came fast or after months of me working through it. But there have been some where I wasn’t sure how good they were or if they would work in the church that have ended up taking off.

The Process

Matt: “What is your favorite part of the songwriting process and what is your least favorite part?”

Josh: “Writing can be the hardest part for me. But it depends on the song. My new song “Where the Glory Is” felt easy and flowed right out. We never changed anything about it. Even the vocal take that’s on the album is the demo. The first time I sang it, it felt easy. The most fun part of songwriting for me is the actual recording and the process of crafting the arrangement and the band. I feel the most pressure when it comes to writing and once that part is done, the rest of it is just fun. Figuring out what the song is going to sound like and feel like. I have a lot of control over the writing part and I tend to beat myself up a little more with that. With the producing and recording I know my strength and weakness in it and I let it go a little bit, and lean on other guys more.”

Matt: “With writing too there are so many possibilities and the words are so important.”

Josh: “Exactly. I feel like I’ve grown in songwriting and I can get a theme for the song right out of the gate. I know what we’re going after. Years ago I’d go into it very broad and just want to write a worship song. When you hone it in, it takes away tons of options that aren’t good for the song anyways.”

Click below to watch the full interview. Be sure to check out Josh Baldwin’s album “Where The Glory Is” and download the Master Tracks on LoopCommunity.com.