A Cardiff musician has managed to complete a mammoth task; he has written a new song every day throughout 2011.
Singer-songwriter Ardie Collins started the project on New Year’s Day 2011 and finished it on New Year’s Day 2012.
The Lisvane local, 23, said: “I suppose it was the idea that you’re playing the odds really. There are going to be 365 songs, but they’re not all going to be brilliant – but there’s a chance some might end up being okay, or even good.”
He came up with the idea after seeing similar projects on the internet: “I had seen similar things done with photography projects and I had an idea of doing it on summertime last year (2010). I saw another guy who did it through 2010 and I was following what he did for a bit of inspiration. I think I have got a bit better at songwriting and I suppose that was kind of the aim.”
Ardie used a piano, guitar and ukulele to write his songs.
“I always go for the music first,” he said.
“The songs tend to be simple – it’s a case of finding some sort of chord structure on the guitar and playing around with it. There have been plenty of songs I have managed to write in half an hour and when I get back to them I’m happy with what I have done.”
Ardie has been writing songs since he was 14 and published his work online under the pseudonym ‘Cooper’.
He said: “It was kind of a secretive thing and I did get quite a positive response.”