Sodajerker On Songwriting

Chaka Khan joins Simon and Brian to discuss her new album Chakzilla, a dance-pop record co-written with Sia and Greg Kurstin, and named after the Godzilla films she grew up loving. Chaka also looks back on classic hits like 'I'm Every Woman' and 'Through the Fire', writing poetry for Rufus and Prince, receiving 'Ain't Nobody' fully formed from David "Hawk" Wolinski, and lying at Anthony Jackson's feet to study his bass playing.

Brandon Flowers of The Killers joins Sodajerker to discuss his new solo album Thrasher, a country record cut live at Nashville's RCA Studio A. Brandon explains how the album returns him to the music his father raised him on, and the lessons that still underpin his fighting spirit today. He also discusses how U2 informed 'Mr. Brightside', what he learned about pre-choruses from Oasis, and writing on the piano Elton John sent to his house.

On Friday 4 September 2026 we're running the first Sodajerker Songwriting Lab at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, with acclaimed songwriters Sacha Skarbek and Ben Parker of the Skarbek Songwriting Academy. The workshop will feature a live Sodajerker interview with our guests, then a day of writing in small groups with guidance and feedback from Sacha and Ben. Places are limited, so have a listen to the announcement and decide whether you'd like to join us!
To enrol for the Sodajerker Songwriting Lab visit https://sodajerker.com/lab

On this very special episode, the legendary Phil Collins joins Sodajerker to mark the 45th anniversary of his solo debut Face Value, which arrives as a deluxe reissue in September. Phil explains how songs like 'In the Air Tonight' grew out of "mucking about" in his home studio, and why intuition counts for more in his writing than formal technique. He also discusses writing with Genesis, working with Brian Eno, Lamont Dozier, and the Earth, Wind & Fire horns, and creating the Oscar-winning 'You'll Be in My Heart' for Disney's Tarzan.

Singer-songwriter and producer Beth Orton joins Simon and Brian for a conversation about the writing of her latest record The Ground Above. Beth shares how she turns instinctive first ideas into finished songs, the independence that came with producing her own records, and the influence of two formative relationships: her early collaborations with William Orbit and her guitar lessons with Bert Jansch.