Maila Gibson

Sneak Preview - Thank You For You

Maila talks more about the songwriting process and shows us all that shes normal like you and me. Thank God she gets writers block too! ha!

This song is just beautiful. I love the "Keep it Simple" approach to the lyrics and music. This is one of those songs that will sound awesome with just you and an acoustic guitar.
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Maila:� My original idea for this song was that it would be simple with just piano and voice.� This is another one of those songs that came to me very easily.� I played around with it a little on my keyboard.� I'm by no means a prolific piano player, so I brought it to Ben.� We finished the arrangement on a bus while we were in Japan in 2001 with his acoustic guitar.� That was a real memorable experience.�
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Opening yourself up via lyrics can often be a release whether its something happy, angry or sad. How hard is it for you to write a love song?
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Maila:� Love songs�can be�difficult for me to write.��Sometimes I say my songs are "life" songs.� Often, I write songs about more than one person.�"Thank You For You" is a perfect example of that.� A lot of people came to mind while writing it.� I thought of Ben, my mom, the Lord, and others who have influenced my life.

Do you ever have writers block? I tried to keep a little book with cool lyrics that i would jot down as ideas every now and then but they never materialize into anything that would become a song... what is your writing process like?
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Maila: I get writers block all the time.� I find that writing music isn't something I can schedule in.� I've tried that before.� I'd sit down with my guitar, pen, and paper�only to be disappointed that nothing would come to mind.��I notice that I get ideas for songs when I'm washing dishes, driving, or in the shower.� The worst is when I dream a song and wake up the next day knowing that I dreamt a really good song but can't remember anything about it.� My�writing process usually�starts with a title or an opening line.��Melodies and lyrics come to me at the same time.� I used to carry a tape recorder with me, but it broke.��That's a really good tool to have.� Now, I try to�write the lyrics down�immediately which means�a lot my lyrics�end up on napkins, receipts, newspapers, whatever I can find.��Because my instrument is my voice, I sing�the song as I write, ingraining the�melody in my head.� Then I sing it to Ben, who I call my ghostwriter, and he translates the chords.� Keep on jotting your ideas down.� Someone told me when I was in high school never to throw any ideas away.� You never know when�you might use them.�I was also told by Michael Ruff, a great songwriter, that there's no such thing as writer's block.� He feels that even though you're not writing, you're experiencing things everyday that end up affecting you in some way or another.� You're reading books, watching movies, people watching, laughing, crying-all these things and the feelings that accompany them lend themselves to your creativity.

Click here to download a sneak peak of Thank You For You

Thank You For You (Maila Gibson, Ben Vegas)
� 2003 Mailani Music Publishing. All rights reserved. BMI.