The story of The 52 Songs Project ✍️


In December 2020, at the end of the year that changed all of our lives, I decided I wanted to write more songs. 

I put a post up on social media asking if anyone wanted to join me in attempting to write one song a week for a year, a lot of people did. So I created a private whatsapp group and called it The 52 Songs Project. There were 20 of us, mostly strangers, and we all agreed to make it a kind of sanctuary where we could share work, give support and feedback to eachother, exchange knowledge and resources, and talk completely openly about our wildest music dreams.

Word spread quickly, leading to more groups. Our community grew to over a hundred passionate music makers. I hosted private weekly podcasts with industry guests, live workshops, and monthly prize draws to keep everyone motivated. Natasha Rahman, an early member, offered help, making our project even bigger and better.

With Natasha's brilliance, we revamped the project. We introduced weekly events like Song-In-An-Hour sessions (a fun Zoom call where members from different groups teamed up to write a song in an hour), Virtual Coffee Club (bi-weekly chats for sharing music goals and advice), and monthly Writers Nights in London's Strongroom Studios (a non-judgmental space for performing new material and getting live feedback).

We later brought on Elizabeth Khabaza, our organisational guru. She managed our calendar, kept our finances in check, and helped us to orchestrate a Berlin meetup, our first international event. Throughout the journey, members scored major wins, including: sold-out gigs, record deals, radio play, sync placements, and mentorship. As our community flourished, so did our industry connections, leading to even more opportunities for our members.

While The 52 Songs Project membership is temporarily on pause, we’re keeping the community alive on Instagram with the help of 52SP’s newest teammate, our community manager Jess McGowan. Join us at @the52songsproject for our latest updates, news, industry events and weekly sparks of inspiration!

See you there, 

Jane Barkley Young 

Founder

Team 52SP

  • Jane Barkley Young

    FOUNDER

    2020 - Present

  • Jess McGowan

    COMMUNITY MANAGER

    2023 - Present

  • Natasha Rahman

    DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

    2021 - 2022

  • Elizabeth Khabaza

    EVENTS PRODUCER

    2021 - 2022

Words from our community…

“Such an epic project that I’ve been fortunate to be a part of”

@darlajadeuk / Artist and Topliner

___________

“The best thing I’ve done for myself all year”

@edenlolemusic / Artist

___________

“I’m so grateful for all of you guys! What an amazing thing to be a part of and some incredible friends made along the way. Can’t wait to continue working with all of you in whatever we do. ❤️”

@castelinor / Artist, Songwriter and Producer

___________

“For any songwriters looking to better themselves and meet new people, you won’t find a better community than this!” -

@joshuaziggy / Artist

___________
“Just uploaded song 52 and I am so grateful for this group. I started this year off absolutely sure I couldn’t write a whole song by myself. My confidence wasn’t low, it was non existent. This is the most supportive group of people I have ever met in my life, I’m so lucky to be able to call you my friends. You change lives with this project and I’m eternally grateful to you,” -

@moaforpresident/ Artist

___________

”Thank you for being my tribe and supporting and encouraging me. Congratulations on creating 52SP and being so selfless in helping so many musicians. ”

@missdjdeed / Artist/DJ

___________

“It’s pushed me to write and honestly it’s the best decision I’ve made all year”

@soundslikesoph / Songwriter and Producer

___________

“Get involved with this…such a great thing to be a part of!”

@jump.turner / Artist, Songwriter and Producer

___________

“52SP is one of the best things I’ve ever done. I never thought I’d be able to write a song a week and here I am nearly at the end of it. The support from Jane & the group is so inspiring and motivating and is a great community of creatives. It’s a very welcoming, open and no pressure environment where you feel safe to share your ideas and be your vulnerable self.”

@terrianneofficial / Artist and Founder of Singing for Sanity

___________

“I love The 52 Songs Project and never want to leave!”

@tayahettienne / Singer/Songwriter

___________


“I’m writing more than I ever have before with The 52 Songs Project. ”

@kahllamusic / Artist

___________


“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank you enough for the time, energy and generosity you’ve shown me and everyone else in helping us all pursue our musical dreams. ”

@tjpetersmusic / Artist

___________