Taylor Swift opened up about her songwriting process and how she keeps track of ideas that could eventually find their way into her music.
In an interview with the Recording Academy for The Icon Sessions with Taylor Swift, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter shared that inspiration can come to her at any moment, even when she is not actively writing a song.
"I think that I am very welcoming of any idea however it lands. You know, I don't write a song every day, but I will have a cool twist of a common phrase almost every day. I got like a notes app. It's just scroll-scroll-scroll... It's scroll forever," she shared.
Taylor explained that keeping a collection of ideas becomes useful once she enters a songwriting session and finds herself in a creative flow.
"And that comes in handy because when I am in a session or when I do lock in too that flow state of writing a song, I can scroll through and immediately: 'This fits. This is perfect. Oh my god, this is what this is about,'" she said.
The singer also pointed out that she does not follow a specific formula when it comes to songwriting, saying that ideas do not necessarily have to be developed the moment they arrive.
"So, like I don't think we need to be like purists about when these ideas come to us and having to like chase down that idea because it just came to you, like I have to get out of bed and write this right now. If you have to then go do it. But if you can like save like an idea fragment that's a lyric in one space so that when you are in your session you can access it," she explained.
"If I have a melody whether it has a melody attached to it, no matter what, grab my phone, no matter what embarrassing social [situation] I am in," she said.
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Taylor stressed the importance of immediately recording melodies and ideas, noting how easily they can be forgotten.
"Because you think you will remember it, you will not. And we've all been there. We are drifting into sleep, [but] that is so catchy, that I am going to remember it and I am so tired. Don't listen to those voices that you are tired. You need to record it right now," she highlighted.