At Talent Is Timeless, we run Monthly Songwriting Challenges to help keep our members writing, sharing, and connecting. Each month, we spotlight some of the incredible songwriters who placed in these challenges — inviting them to share more about their lives, their creative journeys, and the stories behind their songs.

This month, we’re featuring 63-year-old songwriter Rob Mason from Leicester, UK. Rob joined Talent Is Timeless in January 2024, and his winning song is a perfect example of the kind of creative connection the Monthly Songwriting Challenges are designed to spark. Rob’s song came out of an unexpected collaboration with fellow Talent Is Timeless member Chris Page. After realising they lived just 40 minutes apart, the two decided to meet up — initially so Rob could record vocals for one of Chris’s songs.

“Chris is a talented songwriter, but as he’ll happily tell you, he isn’t a singer,” Rob explains. In return, Chris offered Rob tips to improve the quality of his vocal recordings. From that exchange, a deeper collaboration grew. They decided to write a song together for the January Monthly Songwriting Challenge. Rob began with lyrics and an early tune of his own, but when he got stuck, he sent the words to Chris.

“My tune picked up on the darker aspect of the lyrics,” Rob says, “but Chris picked up on the positive message of the bridge and wrote an upbeat tune that I would never have come up with.”

The contrast became the song’s strength. They recorded the vocals in Chris’s home studio, and the finished track reflects both perspectives working in balance.

“When I joined Talent Is Timeless, this is exactly the sort of thing I was hoping for,” Rob says. “It’s always good to learn from others who have a different experience.”

Rob’s songwriting journey began early. He started writing songs as soon as he got his first guitar at around 11 or 12 years old — a classical guitar strung with steel strings that “only stayed in tune for about five minutes,” as he remembers. Songwriting continued in fits and starts over the years, but it wasn’t until the pandemic lockdown that Rob began writing and recording more seriously. For a long time, work commitments limited how much time he could devote to songwriting. “It was something I just dabbled in occasionally,” he admits. But the spark never went out completely.

A major turning point came about six years ago when Rob started taking singing lessons. “I had a brilliant teacher who showed me how to get the best out of my voice,” he says. Learning to deconstruct songs in order to sing them taught him a great deal about structure and songwriting craft. “I’m a much better writer as a result.”

One of Rob’s proudest achievements so far was having one of his songs chosen as BBC Introducing Track of the Week on BBC Radio Leicester — a moment of recognition that confirmed his instincts were on the right track. Talent Is Timeless has continued to play a motivating role in his creative life.

“The monthly challenges are a great motivator,” Rob says. “They often provide that necessary spark to get a song started.”

This latest challenge, in particular, reinforced the value of collaboration and community.

A surprising detail about Rob’s process is his instrument of choice. Many of his songs are written on a four-string David Oddy tenor guitar, tuned GDGD. “It has a different voice to a standard guitar,” he explains, “and it just seems to inspire me.”

His advice to songwriters over 50 is simple and generous:

“Share your experience — it’s worth hearing.”

Rob’s story is a reminder that songwriting doesn’t have to be a solitary pursuit. Sometimes the best songs emerge when we let someone else hear our unfinished ideas, meet us halfway, and help turn them into something stronger than we could have made alone.

You can listen to Rob and Chris’s winning song here: Reflected

Connect with Rob on Talent Is Timeless here: https://www.talentistimeless.com/members/robm-music/

Connect with Chris on Talent Is Timeless here: https://www.talentistimeless.com/members/pagec/