Folk Music Ontario and SOCAN presented a songwriting masterclass with William Prince on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020, online via Zoom, to a limited audience that signed up for the event.
The down-to-earth Prince – winner of the 2020 SOCAN Songwriting Prize, for his song “The Spark” – offered stories from his life, and insights into the art and craft of his songwriting, in a conversation with SOCAN A&R Representative Aidan D’Aoust.
Prince discussed how he’s dealing with the pandemic, and some of the positives that have come from it: He’s been able to spend more time with his son, and watch him ride his bike for the first time, now that he’s not touring so much. He’s also had time to focus on his health, and more time to write music.
Prince also talked about his parents’ wedding DJ business, and how it exposed him to lots of music when he was a boy, as he helped to prepare mixtapes and select songs for the weddings. He also mentioned the importance of Gospel music as he was growing up.
As for his actual songwriting process, Prince said that he usually starts by jotting down lyrics on Hilroy Canada Exercise Books.