Western’s Don Wright Faculty of Music student and songwriter Ryder James has always loved songwriting, but the real spark came when he was seven years old. He was watching his brother’s baseball game when someone handed him a broken ukulele.
“I would write and play the most horrible sounding songs on the ukulele,” said James. “But I just fell in love with being able to create something that was mine and share my own creation with other people.”
That unwavering passion for songwriting has now garnered him national recognition as ‘One to Watch’ by SOCAN’s 2025 Young Canadian Songwriters Awards. James said he was thrilled to learned he made the list and decided to become a member of Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN).
“Since winning, I’ve been more confident. I’m getting myself out there more, sharing my songs and performing more.”
It wasn’t the first accolade James received for his songwriting talent.
He also won Western’s 2024-25 high school composition and songwriting competition in the songwriting category with his entry, “Monsters,” an indie song exploring anxiety and internal demons.
He wrote the song just a couple of weeks before the competition. When asked what inspired the song, James explained he wanted to turn towards a more emotional track.
“Everyone has a monster – no matter what it is, no matter what you’re dealing with. And this song is sort of saying that having a monster is sometimes okay.”
Music professor Norma Coates served as one of the judges and noted the piece was “a very likeable indie song… with wonderful vocals and guitar playing. Fully orchestrated, it could be a memorable anthem.”
“I could really imagine hearing it on the radio, and he has a great command of the acoustic guitar, coming up with interesting chords. Lyrically, he knows how to build a song and tension.”
James’ range also spans pop, R&B, acoustic ballads and even cinematic pieces inspired by film. He produced a Spider-Man inspired track after he downloaded a new plug-in sound pack (which adds a new sound to the keyboard) that reminded him of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
“I envisioned the scenes as I wrote it – seeing him about to jump off a building as the music begins to crescendo, then swinging when the beat drops and taking off the mask as the tempo slows.”
Currently in his first year of popular music studies, James said he came to Western as an experienced musician in many instruments and knew how to sing but not the math behind it. He credits the program for helping to further hone his skills.
A glimpse into the songwriting process
The voice memos app on James’ phone contains nearly 2,400 audio recordings, evidence of his constant creative flow.
“I get this little spurt out of nowhere and then I have to go away for a second to record it. If I’m with a guitar, I’ll press play and for 15-20 minutes, whatever’s on the top of my mind or whatever I hear in my head, I will try to produce it.”
Once he’s recorded for about 15 minutes, he will listen solely to that recording for the rest of the day to piece together where elements should be placed and whether he should do another take to build on his initial work.
“I kind of piece the puzzles together, so the verse could go there, then the chorus, verse, chorus and maybe bridge,” said James. “I feel like writing lyrics is a more personal thing. It’s pretty much just freestyling melodies, and then the melodies are the outline of the lyrics. It’s a very fun process.”
When he gets stuck in the lyrics, James said he’ll switch to working on another song.
“I always have about 15 songs that are almost finished, and I just need that one little push to finish it.”
His next song, Going South, and others will be released on TikTok later this year.
James plans to form an indie-rock band in the near future, and his dream is to one day write songs for other artists, such as Gregory Alan Isakov and Hozier.
Encouraging young songwriters to take the leap
The same competition that introduced James to Western is open for new compositions and songs until next month.
Western’s 2025-26 high school composition and songwriting competition is accepting submissions until Dec. 15.
The competition is open to students attending a Canadian high school and provides an opportunity for young musicians to develop their skills. In addition to cash prizes, winners and runners-up are offered a lesson or coaching opportunity at the Faculty of Music.
James notes that one of the benefits of songwriting and composing is that it provides an outlet.
“I hope we can attract more of these students to our pop and our classical programs, because we have a music faculty that stands out across the country for its breadth and depth,” said Coates.
James encourages students to take the leap and enter the competition, even if they are feeling unsure.
“I was scared, but I dove right in, and I ended up being very lucky. You just have to go for it.”
