When Psychology And Songwriting Intertwine
Courtney Santana
Courtney Santana: The most successful artists I've ever seen are the ones who are able to connect with their audience. And it's not just, “I wrote the song. Now you sit and listen to it.” I want you to feel something, whatever that emotion is that's coming up. Let's feel it together.
My background is in mental health and psychology. So maybe I'm maybe mixing some of that in there too. Who knows?
Cris Cohen: Was psychology a detour along the singing path? Vice versa? Or are they genuinely two sides to the same coin?
Courtney Santana: I think they're two sides to the same coin. I think it's our family gift. My mom was a therapist. I studied psychology and started a nonprofit for domestic violence victims. My daughter is getting her master's degree in psychology. And my son loves coaching kids. We just have that kind of heart for connecting with people.
Cris Cohen: Has your experience with psychology and therapy and delving into the human mind influenced your lyric writing?
Courtney Santana: Yes. So, I told you that I was a survivor of domestic violence. My kids and I lived in a shelter 24 years ago. I hated every minute of being in there.
But they were just like, “Journal.”
And I was like, “I don't want to journal. That's too much. Let me write music.”
And while I was in there, I wrote over 200 songs. It was all about me unloading the anger and the hurt and the dismay and the despair. All of that came out while I was writing those songs.
So, I really feel that I started out in psychology. I went to school for it. But then I ended up using it for my own life.
And now I use it with my clients. We actually do journaling and music therapy to process emotions that they may not be able to express by just talking about it.
Courtney Santana website: https://courtneysantana.com/
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