AustLit

'This thesis aims to contribute a new approach to songwriting centred on the notion of persona. While issues of persona are often treated in relation to performance (sometimes in the context of image or stage act), it is a concept that has not been explored explicitly in a songwriting technique. My applied model of persona-centred songwriting draws upon Auslander’s (2004b) notion of musical persona, focused on performance, and extends that to the process of songwriting. This investigation was driven by a desire to resolve the tension between authenticity discourses prevalent in popular music, centred around notions of individual self-expression, and the commercial reality of sustaining a career as a songwriter, centred around notions of finance and income. I show that using the concept of persona to frame the songwriting process allows the songwriter to write music that feels expressive while still meeting practical commercial considerations. In the thesis, I treat persona as a process arising from performance, from interactions between performers, songs, and audiences. I argue that songwriting is better understood as a process of performance than solely as an expressive act, at least in commercial contexts. The thesis is therefore situated in the terrain between performance and creativity studies, particularly those exploring Csikszentmihalyi’s (2014b) theories of creativity. My applied model is informed by theory that asserts social acts are performance-centred, that creativity is a social act, and therefore that songwriting is an act of performance.

'The thesis is methodologically qualitative, combining action research, participant observation, and Schön’s (1983) model of reflective practice. I apply, and thereby test, the persona-centred songwriting technique in the professional field by creating new work for an Australian musical theatre show, Muriel’s Wedding the Musical. This PhD is a practice-based study, 70% of which consists of the creative works for Muriel’s Wedding the Musical, and 7 the remaining 30% being the exegetical component. The persona-centred songwriting method demonstrated here will be of benefit to songwriters who might apply it to improve the volume of their creative output and, where required, cultivate a critical approach and practical strategies that address binary oppositions between commercial and artistic discourses.'

Source: Abstract.