I am so excited to present you a project by my dear friend Arthur aka phoneswithcords. You Have Until Lunch is a YouTube channel with the following slogan:
“Watch your favorite songwriters/artists write a song in just 30 minutes! Curated by phoneswithchords.“
When I discovered this project, I knew instantly that I wanted to collaborate with Arthur, so we will feature all the artists that he posts on the YouTube channel. A small support for this amazing project.
I reached out to Arthur to ask more about the project:
How would you describe the project You Have Until Lunch in a few sentences?
You Have Until Lunch is a way for songwriters/artists to pull back the curtains on their own creative process and be vulnerable with their audience.
How did you come up with the idea?
I’ve been sitting on the idea for years and I had originally thought it would almost be like a live-streaming type show. The artist would try to write a song in 30 minutes and then once the time was up we would sit down over lunch and I would interview the artist about the experience. After lots of thought, I realized a simpler idea would be to have the artists film themselves and let each video stand alone as a sort of “snapshot” of that particular moment. No edits on the video or anything…just 30 minutes of an artist creating in the moment.
How did you create the name?
The name “You Have Until Lunch” just came to me one day and it got stuck in my head. I loved the idea of having a limited amount of time to create something right before a break. We have the common phrase, “Let’s break for lunch.” My interest is the moment right before lunch…right before you turn your focus away from being creative. I think beautiful things can come from these last moments.
I know you had the idea for some time in your head. Why launch it now?
I am learning to just trust my gut and not overthink things. This is a struggle for most people. The idea resurfaced for me in November of 2023 and I thought to myself, “Let’s just do it.”
What’s your plan for the future?
My plan for 2023 is to put out one session a week. Sessions will be released on Mondays.
Do you plan to involve more people in the project?
I have reached out to a lot of artists and many are already on board. Excited to connect with more people and see where it goes.
Do you have a goal with this project?
My main goal is to document the various ways and moments songs come into being. I also would love to see some community form around the idea. I hope it brings artists together…that they don’t feel alone. We all stare at the same blank page. It’s scary, but it doesn’t have to stay that way.
Can artists reach out if they are interested in joining this project?
Right now, I’m not really taking submissions. I’d like to see how things shape up in 2024 and then maybe open it up to people. I want to get some sessions under my belt and get the idea out there.
Here are the last three sessions:
You can follow the project on: