As biased as we might be, the internet is a truly wonderful thing! Not only does it allow people to enjoy music gigs from the comfort of their own homes, but it allows people to connect with each other, no matter where they are in the world.
Musicians Jenny Sturgeon and M G Boulter live in opposite ends of the UK, and yet, they worked together online to write and create a stunning collection of songs.
In our first Five minutes with… of the 2026/2027 season, we caught up with M G and Jenny to talk about the songwriting process, their latest album, and what they’ve got planned over the next few months.
You started as online pen pals, talking online and transforming snippets of conversation into fully-fledged songs. What impact did this way of communicating with one another have on the writing process?
M G: It was quite a challenge if I am honest, but something quite refreshing.
As I am sure everyone knows, sitting looking at a screen on an online call for too long is tough on the eyes, brain, and the soul, so we would limit ourselves to an hour’s worth of writing and floating ideas. We found this focused our minds a lot on the task at hand and made us write a song for each meet-up we had.
The real challenge was that because of the audio delay on such calls, we couldn’t play the song together, so one of us would lead by recording what we’d written and send that to the other for adding their parts and ideas on.
Jenny: Having never met in person before it was quite a good way to get to know each other quickly – by jumping in at the deep end with ‘let’s write a song!’.
The time limit of working online really helped focus the writing process. It meant we focused more heavily on words and lyrics in the first instance, and I’m sure we would have written very different songs if we’d been writing in person.
Jenny, you live in Shetland and M G, you live in Southend – two amazing spaces, poles apart! What do you love most about each other’s respective homeplaces?
M G: Alas, I have never visited Shetland but would love to go sometime to visit Jenny.
My grandfather worked on Shetland for a while in the 1960s and ’70s, so I have all the Ordnance Survey maps at home bizarrely. From the little corner of it I see from Jenny’s computer screen, it looks a lovely place to dwell.
Jenny: I’ve visited Southend once, the first time Matt (M G) and I met in person last Autumn, and I loved it! It’s so warm, and there is barely any wind. So it’s a welcome change to Shetland!
I’m really looking forward to going back there on this tour, to play a gig in Matt’s hometown. It always feels like a very special thing to get to sing songs in the place where one of the band grew up, as there are so many connections.
Wild Convenor came out at the end of August, and it’s a beautiful album – an organic, introspective look at the world around us. What was the recording process like, and how did you decide which songs to include on the album?
M G: I’m pleased you like it, that means a lot to us. We recorded everything in our homes, so it was a very natural approach to recording, with cups of tea and my dog padding about the place as I recorded.
Either myself or Jenny would lay the base track down to provide structure to the songs, and then the other would add their parts and harmonies and we would grow the track from there. It was very immediate and exciting to do it that way, and there wasn’t much room for ruminating on sounds. We wanted the album to be stripped back and show the songs for themselves.
There are a couple of tracks that didn’t make it onto the album. There was a track called Wasted, which was the third or fourth song we’d written, but we decided not to add it in the end.
Jenny: Pretty much every song that we wrote in the online songwriting sessions made it onto the record. By the time we had four songs we were thinking of making an EP, and then we just carried on.
I really enjoyed the process of sending recording projects back and forward until we decided the tracks were finished. It gave time to experiment and took the pressure off making immediate decisions and takes, as can be in a more typical studio setting.
Following your initial collaboration, you were both songwriting tutors at the Shetland Songwriting Festival in 2022. What advice would you give to anyone who was considering writing folk songs of their very own?
M G: That’s such a good question.
Well, if you are considering writing folk songs, then you are halfway there because you have the inspiration to do it. Once you have the inspiration, you can learn a few things to craft your songs, which you can pick up through practice (i.e., writing more songs).
Always go with your gut; if it sounds and feels right to you, then that’s all you need to keep going. I would add that both myself and Jenny run songwriting workshops, which you’d also be welcome at!
Jenny: Songwriting is a great way to express, challenge and develop your creativity and musicality.
The wonderful thing about songwriting is that there are so many different approaches, methods and possibilities. The more you write the easier it is, and like learning any new skill, practice helps hone your craft.
The most important bit of advice (I think!) is to write about something you’re passionate about or have experience of. If you want to write a song about something, but don’t know much about it, start with research and go from there.
Write everything down, and record your ideas, even just as a phone memo so that you can come back to an idea/recording later and remember how it goes.
You’re touring Wild Convenor in September (including a Live to your Living Room gig at a secret location!); what else have you both got planned for the rest of 2026 and beyond?
M G: We’re really looking forward to the Live to Your Living Room show. It’ll be my first time, and I’ve heard so many good things about it from friends who have played for you also.
For me, I have a busy few months ahead, finishing my next solo album in October before helping record albums with a great Teesside artist called Harriet Bradshaw and someone called Jenny Sturgeon (!) in the New Year. I’m also touring to support a Book and CD project I had come out on Hudson Records called Tidelines.
Jenny: Lots of lovely things coming up! I’ve got a tour with Birdvox (October and November) to celebrate the release of our debut album Shamming the Drama, and in December I’m on a winter-themed tour with Salt House.
Between now and then, I’m off to Norway to start a new project with jazz musician Petter Frost Fadnes and Hudson Records’ Andy Bell. In 2027, I’m starting the year with recording my new solo album, which I’m delighted to have Matt playing on!
Find out more about M G and Jenny’s upcoming projects on their websites: https://www.jennysturgeonmusic.com and https://www.M Gboulter.co.uk.
Jenny Sturgeon and M G Boulter take to the Live to your Living Room stage on Friday 11 September, where they will be showcasing songs from Wild Convenor and their EP Holding Patterns. Buy your tickets from our website.