One of the things I was most looking forward to was the prospect of of songwriting at Sony Music Publishing. I discovered that I was going to be meeting Jenn Bostic, a fabulous singer songwriter who incredibly Id seen perform at Birmingham Symphony Hall earlier in the year without realising I was going to be meeting her not only face to face but also to be songwriting with.

To prepare for the meeting, Id already made a (quite a long!) list of ideas and half started song ideas to take with me. The day of the session arrived starting with filming out and around 12 South which is a gorgeous area of Nashville, pretty shops and cafes along a main road. 

I must admit I was anxious to get started and eventually we met up with Jenn for lunch at a lovely cafe, in. a corner with a picture of Dolly looking over us. This was a great way to get settled and get to know each other before the business of songwriting commenced. After lunch we travelled to Sony Music Publishing HQ in Nashville where a room has been specifically arranged to be made available for us to work. Walking past the grand piano at the entrance brought real butterflies!

When we settled in, the film crew left us to it and Jenn made me feel really at ease as I talked through my song ideas. We settled on the theme of me travelling to Nashville and how I was feeling and together we wrote a song that I really love. Then the crew returned and I sang the song for the camera. Im really grateful to Jenn for her kindness and found it was a really positive experience of co-writing.

Since returning home from Nashville, I have played the song live several times and who knows, maybe I'll record it sometime!

One of the fun activities of travelling to Nashville, Tennessee was getting a custom made hat at the legendary Planet Cowboy in 12th Avenue South.

The day started with a trip out in the hire car (which was mahoosive!) with lovely Jenna from the Talent is Timeless team where we were treated to a magnificent cowboy hat, custom made as we wished. Jenna opted for a Brown hat which looked sooo good on her and I went for something more caramel in colour, I already knew what I was going to wear it with. I chose blue and cream ribbons because these are colours I typically gravitate towards and took with me a little dragon pin badge from home to secure a feather in place. The dragon is the national symbol of my home country of Wales in the UK. For me, the dragon represents having a fire within and mighty wings to rise above anything. I chose this for my hat to remind me on days when Im feeling a little less, that I have it in me and can draw strength from my fellow country men (and women) who have gone before to follow my dreams.

Whilst I was at Planet Cowboy I saw the most amazing boots that matched the hat perfectly but decided that I should be thoughtful about how I spent my money. However, I couldn't get them out of my head so when I found we had to go back to the area the following day I caved in and bought them! I know just the occasion when they are going to get their first outing, I'll keep you posted. 

After finding out the amazing news that I was going to Nashville to be recorded as part of a new TV show, the preparations soon swung into action. I didnt have long to get ready!

My trip was to include 

• record the series theme tune at the legendary ocean way studies
• co-writing with an experienced songwriter at Sony Music Publishing
• meeting a music publisher to gain first hand advice on getting my songs heard by the right people
• getting a new hat

I was told to have three solid outfits ready for filming - queue a frenzy of trying things on and looking for outfits that could work together. I got business cards printed to hand out when necessary and of course I had to learn the song that would be singing. I got my friend Guy Surtees to help me record a draft version so we could find the right key and then practice so I was ready when it came to recording day. Then there's the usual things when you go on a trip, booking Willow ( the family dog) into kennels, getting currency, booking train tickets to the airport - all the while trying to hold it together with all the excitement.

At last the day to depart came. It was such a thrill to see the Nashville sign at the date at Heathrow airport.  I knew I had arrived at Music City when I found myself chatting to none other than Beth Neilson Chapman - both of us waiting for our guitars to come to baggage claim (they'd got stuck on a conveyor belt!)

I was greeted by the film crew in arrivals, so there's a film of me somewhere, trying to wheel a trolley, balancing my luggage with my guitar on top up an uphill corridor, trying not to get overwhelmed at the experience! How do you act naturally when you know you being filmed and trying really hard not to look at the camera? I was going to have to get used to this!

Outside we were greetd with the most beautiful sunrise and then onto the hotel. I was asked if I wanted to just relax after my flight or join other guests who were on a songwriting retreat for an evening of music at the legendary Brown's bar. Of course I opted for the latter, I wasn't going to miss out on anything even though by then my body was telling me it was around midnight!

At so I was finally there, in Nashville, already meeting stars, experiencing fabulous live music and excited for my adventure to begin.

In September 2025 I was contacted by Talent is Timeless (the age positive song writing movement) founder Saskia Griffiths-Moore, to ask if she could come visit me at my home in South Wales. Id been a member for about 4 years and she wanted to talk to me about my song “The House”, a song about growing up with my beautiful family in South Wales.

We spoke on a zoom call late September to prepare for her visit in October. She asked if it would be ok if she filmed her visit because she was creating some spotlight content on some of the members to which I said that was fine, in fact, how exciting right? On the same call she asked casually if I might also be able to make myself free for a few days in November. I asked whether I needed to take time off work and whether Id need to put my dog, Willow, somewhere to which the answer was yes. She wanted to keep the purpose for the November dates as a surprise but all would be revealed during her visit in October. 

Now, I love a surprise so I didnt want to ask too much about why I needed to take time off work but Id made an assumption that the thing she wanted to surprise me with would be a trip to London. Id done this a few times previously with Talent is Timeless to maybe I would be doing some songwriting at a workshop and maybe meet up with a few other member, which I knew would be fun.

The day of Saskia's visit came and there she was with a full film crew at my door! We took endless takes of me making her a cup of tea in my kitchen which was a bit of fun, I also played my song The House on the piano with her accompanying me on the guitar for the camera which was a lovely moment. We took Willow for a walk along the local canal and chatted about my music and how since Id joined Talent in Timeless, encouraged by the lovely members Id met, Id decided to just go for it and start a music career and try not to get in my own way. My mantra “feel the fear and do it anyway” and just say yes to opportunities whenever I can.

We went to visit my parents at their home on which the song The House was based. The curtains of my parents' neighbours were definitely twitching that day when the full film crew pulled up! So there we were, in my parents living room, chatting and being filmed, my parents and me feeling like film stars! It was a little odd but very touching to hear them tell Saskia and the film crew how proud they were of me and my sister who is also very musical. We'd been known locally as the “Von Trapps of the Valleys” growing up as we'd sang as a family around the local chapels, so everything musical in both my sister and my lives is really down to them and their encouragement.

Id already invited Saskia to a local gig I was playing that evening and this was where the surprise would be revealed. Id invited family and friends to come along for support and a few of them were invited to give a little soundbite for the camera. Then the moment came…….Saskia jumped up to announce to the room that she'd been impressed at how id just gone for it and wanted to offer support and encouragement by taking me to……..Nashville!!

The whole room fell silent as she revealed the list of experiences that she had planned for me which then erupted into massive excitement. To be honest I think I went into to shock because I later had to ask her to repeat and write down whatever she said, I just couldnt take anything in after Nashville was mentioned. Wow!

The whole trip was to be filmed as episode 2 of a TV show that be being created and pitched to major TV networks and for me, will culminate in a headline gig in London in 2026!

And so here it starts, my incredible trip to Nashville.