In conversation: Ayanna Witter-Johnson, composer, singer-songwriter and musician

Ayanna Witter-Johnson is a MOBO nominated singer, songwriter, pianist, cellist and composer. Ayanna's diverse career has seen collaborations with artists such as Andrea Bocelli and Peter Gabriel, and with televised appearances including Later… with Jools Holland and the BBC Proms.

As a celebrated composer, Ayanna has been commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra, Kronos Quartet and Chineke! Orchestra. Ayanna is a Board Director of The Ivors Academy and Classical Council member.

When did you first realise you wanted to write music?

I don’t remember a specific moment when I decided to write music, but I do remember that as a young child, while working through my ABRSM piano grades, I wanted to have a piece of mine included in the syllabus. I even wrote a letter to head office making a formal request when I was about ten years old. I actually received a reply, which blew me away, perhaps that moment planted a seed somewhere in me.

I also spent a lot of time making up songs with my grandfather, who is brilliant at improvising silly songs in the moment. Fast forward to my teenage years, and I composed my first “official” piece of music as part of my Music GCSE. That definitely felt like an exciting experience, but I hadn’t yet realised that I could actually be a composer. I genuinely assumed that those kinds of composers were all long gone, given that most of the classical composers I knew as a young pianist and cellist were from the past.

What’s a non-negotiable in your writing process?

Curiosity. I have to allow space to explore an idea without immediately judging it. Whether it starts with a lyric, a groove, or a harmonic progression on the piano, I try to stay in the spirit of play for as long as possible before switching into editing mode. The moment things become too self-critical too early, the music tends to close up.

What do you wish you’d known about the business side earlier?

That writing the music is only half the job. Understanding publishing, rights, registrations, and how income actually flows through the industry is not only empowering but incredibly important for establishing financial sustainability and protecting the value of your work.

So much of being an artist and composer nowadays is entrepreneurial. For those studying composition formally, I really think there should be mandatory modules in business management to better prepare students for the reality of building a career.

What’s one thing you’d urge members to do this month to protect their work?

Register your songs. It sounds simple, but making sure your works are properly registered with your performing rights organisation, and that you keep clear records of splits and collaborators, can make a huge difference later. It’s much easier to do it when a piece is fresh than to try to untangle it years down the line.

What’s changing fastest in songwriting and composing right now?

The speed of creation and distribution. With technology and AI tools, ideas can be generated, produced, and released incredibly quickly. But interestingly, that makes authenticity and artistic voice even more valuable. The question is becoming less “Can you make music?” and more “What is the unique perspective you bring to it?”

One small joy of the job and one hard truth about the job?

A small joy is the moment when a musical idea suddenly clicks, when a melody, lyric, concept, or harmonic progression falls into place and you realise the piece has found its centre.

A hard truth is that the path isn’t linear. Alongside the wins, the wonderful premieres and fantastic performances are also periods of uncertainty, disappointment and unmet expectations. Pieces you’ve put hours, weeks, or months into don’t always receive the rehearsal time or performances that allow them to be heard in their best light. There isn’t often much room to fail safely, and many outcomes can feel high stakes, as one project often leads to the next.

That said, through all of it I’m constantly growing in experience and resilience, and I appreciate those moments as part of an incredible journey that I’m very proud to be on.

www.ayannamusic.com

@AyannaWJ