Songwriter for Independent Artists

From ‘liminal’: the state between two things. Most of the artists I work with are somewhere in between, between the feeling and the words for it, when they show up. That seemed like the right thing to name the practice after. The a fell off somewhere along the way.

Yes — I work remotely and location isn’t a barrier. I’m based in Aotearoa New Zealand, but if the project fits, we’ll sort the timezone.

That depends on the type of collaboration and what we agree upfront. For custom toplines and co-writes, ownership terms are always discussed and agreed before we start — nothing is assumed. If you have questions about how this works, bring them to the first conversation.

Usually it starts with a conversation — references, the feeling you're after, where the project is at. From there I'll typically have something back within a week: a rough topline sketch, a structural demo, or a fully produced reference depending on what the project needs. Topline writing especially tends to move fast once the direction is clear. Nothing is presented as finished — we iterate from there. Most collaborations reach a final form within two to four rounds.

Send an email to hello@liminl.music. Tell me what you're working on — even if it's vague. A reference, a feeling, a fragment of an idea is enough. I read every message and respond to all serious inquiries, usually within 48 hours.

It depends on what we're making. For toplines and co-writes, you'll receive a final mix reference, stems if needed, and any lyric/chord documentation required for publishing registration. For sync projects, stems and metadata are standard. We agree on deliverables at the start so there are no surprises at the end.

A topliner is a songwriter who specialises in writing the vocal melody and lyrics on top of an existing track or beat — the "top line" of the music. Topliners work closely with producers and artists to create the song that sits above the production. If you have a track and need a melody and a lyric that actually means something, that's toplining.