Last updated on August 20, 2024 – 10:35 AM
The Swan Song Project, a podcast by Leeds-based charity that supports terminally ill people and bereaved people to write and record original songs, has reached its 100th episode.
The charity was founded in 2017 by songwriter Ben “Buddy” Slack, who lost his grandmother and regretted not having written songs with her.
He began writing songs with hospice patients across Leeds and Bradford and the charity now has a team of songwriters working with people from all over the country.
The charity's slogan is “Celebrate Life, Make Memories, Leave a Legacy” and its aim is to help as many people as possible leave a legacy in song.
When the pandemic began in 2020, the charity was unable to visit the hospices where it previously based its operations, and as a result, the charity began interviewing songwriters for what would become the Swan Song Project podcast.
Each episode will feature a different songwriter who will share the songs they sing, how they wrote them, songwriting tips and songs that are meaningful to them relating to bereavement.
Ben says: “I had the idea for it quite some time before I started the podcast but I just didn’t have the time.
“We had the opportunity to try that out during lockdown and it worked really well – a lot of our songwriters were at home too so it was easy to record a bunch of episodes.
“At Swan Song, we want to help people feel confident writing songs and thought it would be inspiring to hear professional songwriters at work.
“It's always moving when I hear people's stories of how music has helped them get through bereavement. Sharing those stories is very special and I hope it helps others who are suffering through their own bereavement.”
The podcast features a variety of songwriters, including Mike Scott (The Waterboys), Frank Turner, Emily Barker, Larry Love (Alabama 3), Ruth Lion and Justin Sullivan (New Model Army).
The Swan Song Project is currently preparing to release its 100th episode, which will feature two people who wrote songs in collaboration with the project, rather than the usual professional songwriters.
The episode features Richard Gibson, who wrote a song for his son Leo, who committed suicide in 2021. The song is “Forever Young (Boy Wonder).”
“Music was a big part of his life and when I heard about the Swan Song Project I immediately knew writing a song would be the perfect way to honour his memory,” Richard said.
Also featured is Mari Isdale, a 39-year-old living with terminal cancer who wrote a song called “To the Stars and Back” for her family.
Mari said, “This song is the best thing I've written to express my love and gratitude to my family. This song is a blessing to us and brings happiness even in the midst of our sadness.”
Ben added: “It feels really special to reach 100 episodes of the podcast – we wanted it to be a really special episode. Richard and Mari were fantastic guests and were very open about their experiences. I hope listeners enjoy it and are inspired – I was inspired while recording it too.”
Episode 100 of The Swan Song Project Podcast will be released on Tuesday, September 3rd and will be available on all podcast platforms.
