Songwriting Magazine | Summer 2026 | Issue 43

Kasabian’s Serge Pizzorno, Rodney Crowell, Natasha Hamilton, Shalamar, Sam Ryder, Frankie Cosmos, The Shires, Tift Merritt, Mystery Jets, and more...

Summer is a season of festivals, road trips and long evenings with a guitar never too far from reach. Whether you're writing in a spare bedroom, backstage at a gig, or simply looking for your next spark of inspiration, we've packed this issue with stories from songwriters who have spent decades discovering where great songs come from – and where they're prepared to take them next.

Our cover star, Serge Pizzorno, reflects on more than two decades as Kasabian's chief songwriter. From the band's early days to the creation of their latest album, he talks candidly about instinct, confidence, self-doubt, and the lessons that have shaped one of British rock's most distinctive catalogues.

Joining him is one of Nashville's finest storytellers, Rodney Crowell. Looking back at a long-overlooked chapter in his career, the songwriter’s songwriter explores the songs that almost disappeared and why they still matter today. We also catch up with former Atomic Kitten, Natasha Hamilton, whose first solo album marks a new chapter after years of singing songs written by others, as she embraces the freedom – and vulnerability – of finding her own voice.

Our ever-popular How We Wrote series returns with another three unforgettable stories. Shalamar’s Howard Hewett takes us back to the making of their enduring soul classic, I Can Make You Feel Good, Sam Ryder revisits the remote writing session that unexpectedly led to Eurovision favourite, Space Man, and Jimmy Robbins explains how It Goes Like This, a song about songwriting, helped launch Thomas Rhett into country music's top tier.

Elsewhere, Frankie Cosmos' Greta Kline guides us through every song on Next Thing, while Ben Earle deconstructs The Shires' Watching Me Watching You. We've also filled our Technique section with practical advice, from Mike Meiers & Judy Stakee of Hitmakers on what the music industry is really looking for in 2026, to Ethan Gold on writing songs inspired by dreams, Mutter Slater on writing in character, Joe Wadsworth on what AI still can't replicate, and James Linderman answering your latest songwriting questions.

There's plenty more waiting inside. We explore the strange and stirring world of football anthems, turn heartbreak into hooks in Song Starters, hear the lessons Tift Merritt has gathered throughout her career, find out why Don Williams was Garth Fundis’ hero, peek inside Mystery Jets' Blaine Harrison's creative toolkit, spend a week with Rosa Walton, and introduce three exciting new artists: Alicia Kayley, Iona Luke and Family Stereo.

Add in our latest news, gear, reviews and opportunities, and you've got another issue designed to keep your creative fires burning all summer long.