PODCAST · music
Music for Cupcakes
by Candice Kortlever
Do you love discovering random indie songs that almost no one else has heard of? Do you enjoy learning fun facts and juicy backstories about angsty, catchy anthems? Candice Kortlever has been writing indie pop songs for over a decade, but they've just been gathering dust in her mind and on her hard drive. In this podcast, she'll be diving into the past to reminisce about her old songs, how she wrote and recorded them, and why other people might enjoy them.
Episodes
-
music for mooncakes.
For my final episode of Season 2, here are the stories behind the songs I wrote for my children while I was pregnant with them. I talk about why I call my unborn babies "mooncakes," how I feel about playing instruments at home, and the upscale technology I used to record the vocals. This episode...
-
loyalties.
Probably the biggest departure from my usual genre(s), "Loyalties" is a song based on the fantasy book "Aurora Knights: Loyalties" by Robert Wiesehan, a friend from my undergrad years. I talk about the layers of symbolism in the music and lyrics, a stagger-breathing trick I used to make it seem...
-
does everyone lose?
I wrote this song in 2014 about some of my frustrations with social media back then. Things have only gotten worse these days, but there are still some redeeming qualities. Maybe. I talk about both the positive and negative effects social media has had on my life, as well as a few fun tidbits…
more -
sleepytime.
This is the story behind a sweet lullaby my partner Ben wrote, while desperately trying to teach our firstborn how to sleep on her own. I recorded him singing it and created a whimsical lullaby around his melody, and it's been our signature family lullaby ever since. I talk about our daughter's...
-
meet me halfway.
Welcome back to Season 2 of Music for Cupcakes! First up is a song that I lovingly describe as "if Burt Bacharach's 'Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head' had a really mediocre baby with the Sesame Street theme song." Paired with some cynical lyrics about how relationships need a lot of hard work,...
-
today.
To wrap up the first season of my podcast, here’s an episode all about the song I surprised Ben with during our first dance on our wedding day! On the surface, this song might seem like a grand romantic gesture (which it was!) but it actually began as a coping mechanism for dealing with the silly...
-
please forgive me.
This is kind of a harsh song, but writing it was a form of much-needed therapy during a particularly frustrating season of my life. I talk about the weird situation that inspired the song, (and why it was the first domino on the path towards our Australian relocation), why writing this was so...
-
time.
This week’s song is a 2-minute folksy tune that was maybe part of a joint project that never came to be. It was the first song I wrote after moving to Seattle, and brings back a lot of memories of my “honeymoon period” in the Emerald City - before the rose-tinted glasses got inevitably blown off…
more -
baby girl.
Not gonna lie, this was a challenging episode to make. It’s about a song I wrote when I was really upset with my family and their philosophy about adult life decisions. I talk about my feelings on parenting and letting go of your children, why it shouldn't matter how people perceive your actions...
-
triangle.
This is a song about a semi-fictional love triangle, written back in 2008. I talk about the concept of love triangles, using the bridge as the intro (again! my favourite!), and what makes the verse melodies of this song so unique (for me).
-
to Darren from Abbie.
Back in 2008, I wrote a custom wedding song for my then-roommate Abbie. She recorded the lead vocals and the song was professionally produced at a studio, and it was played at their ceremony as a huge surprise for her husband-to-be Darren - but none of that was actually the plan in the first…
more -
broken.
Every songwriter needs to pen at least one ukelele song, right? About... politics and journalism..? In this episode, I discuss the silly reasons why I bought a ukelele in the first place, the recent-ish historical tragedy behind the lyrics (it's probably not what you'd expect), and the huge...
-
hire me!
I wrote and recorded this song in one day, as part of a project to help stave off boredom while my then-boyfriend was on a road trip. It's about job-hunting, which is not the greatest songwriting genre, but the studio version of this song is one of my most polished-sounding tracks. I talk about…
more -
we'd never make it.
This bittersweet mutual breakup ballad is an ode to inevitable goodbyes. "People need to hear this song," a former coworker of mine told me once after sharing it with some of his friends. In this episode I talk about what inspired this song, my favourite bridge, and why I kept the…
more -
i am more.
This simple yet catchy breakup anthem is one of the very first songs I ever wrote and recorded, and it's still one of my favourites. Here's the evolution of how a few clunky keyboard chords transformed into a playful pop-punk number. With lyrics inspired by some terrible poetry I wrote in…
more -
a little origin story.
Hi there! Before I dive into my songs and the stories behind them, I should probably introduce myself and how I got into songwriting in the first place. Here's a little origin tale about how music and creative writing shaped my childhood, and what inspired me to start crafting my own songs as a...
-
hi! hello there!
Hi! I'm Candice, and I'm a songwriter. I've been writing songs since 2008, but I've never done anything with them professionally. I've decided to start this podcast as a way to reminisce about my old songs, and to share a part of my story with you. I'll be sharing background stories about my…
more
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
Do you love discovering random indie songs that almost no one else has heard of? Do you enjoy learning fun facts and juicy backstories about angsty, catchy anthems? Candice Kortlever has been writing indie pop songs for over a decade, but they've just been gathering dust in her mind and on her hard drive. In this podcast, she'll be diving into the past to reminisce about her old songs, how she wrote and recorded them, and why other people might enjoy them.
HOSTED BY
Candice Kortlever
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Music for Cupcakes have?
Music for Cupcakes currently has 17 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Music for Cupcakes about?
Do you love discovering random indie songs that almost no one else has heard of? Do you enjoy learning fun facts and juicy backstories about angsty, catchy anthems? Candice Kortlever has been writing indie pop songs for over a decade, but they've just been gathering dust in her mind and on her hard...
How often does Music for Cupcakes release new episodes?
Music for Cupcakes has 17 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Music for Cupcakes?
You can listen to Music for Cupcakes on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Music for Cupcakes?
Music for Cupcakes is created and hosted by Candice Kortlever.
URL copied to clipboard!