'A Conversation With...Meredith Disney-Walford'

In this conversation, I caught up with Meredith Disney-Walford, a rising guitarist, songwriter, and producer whose debut EP ‘the child you created but you never could love’ blends intricate guitar melodies and powerful lyricism. In this interview, Meredith opens up about the creative process behind the EP, artistic evolution, and the personal stories behind their music.

Hi Meredith, thank you for taking the time to do this interview!

Thank you for having me! I’ve been following the blog for a while now, so I’m really excited to get the chance to talk to you.

Please could you introduce yourself to our readers

I'm a guitarist, songwriter and producer, with a background in rock and fusion guitar. I make music that combines intricate, layered guitars with introspective, emotive vocals and hip-hop driven production.

You’ve recently released your debut EP ‘The child you created but you never could love’- could you tell us what inspired the title of the EP and how you came about forming the tracks that feature?

The EP’s title track started as a songwriting assignment where I had to write using ekphrasis (using visual art as a stimulus). I saw Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, which inspired the phrase ‘the child you created but you never could love’ (for some context, I was raised Christian but am now an atheist) and that phrase completely captured my feelings about religion. I recorded it quickly as a live demo for the assignment, not planning to do anything with it but later, when I was putting together songs for the EP, I found the demo again and realised it still held lots of emotional weight, so I decided to fully produce it. Both versions are on the EP. With the other two songs ‘you broke me so beautifully’ and ‘I loved you so selflessly that selfishly I forgot how to love me’ they were written about the same relationship but from completely different emotional places. ’You broke me so beautifully’ was written about four years ago around a week after the breakup. I originally planned to take it to a band I was in, but I had this overwhelming urge to keep it. It’s angry, raw and blunt whilst being vulnerable. When it came to deciding the EP track list, this song shows a different side to my artistry being more musically interesting and less lyrically abstract so I wanted it on there.

‘I Loved You So Selflessly that selfishly I forgot how to love me’ came around two months before I recorded the EP and wasn’t even meant to be on it as I had decided the track list. With this song I had the image of a dying rose and the lyric ‘you would sl-t your wrists whilst you skinned me alive.’ The song itself was originally completely different, it was in 4, in DADGAD and had a conventional structure and whilst I liked the lyrics, something about the instrumental didn’t work for me. I remember showing it to around 5 different people who all basically said, ‘it’s stunning but it needs a

bridge’. I spent hours across the span of three weeks trying to write a bridge but because the original chorus (now the b section) is so emotive, anything I tried felt forced and unnecessary. Two days before recording, I took my guitar and the lyrics and completely rewrote it. The pain is still there but it’s processed, its mature, its intimate and it’s heartbreaking. As soon as I had the final version, it became my favourite song I’d written so I scrapped a different track to make space for it on the EP.

I absolutely love your vocals and how they heighten the cathartic feeling that underpins the EP, particularly in ‘you broke me so beautifully’. How do you translate those feelings into your songwriting? Is there a process you usually follow?

I am an incredibly emotional person and express it within my songwriting, not just lyrically but harmonically too like a I,IV,V in C#minor feels completely different to me than a ,IV,V in Eminor. Vocally, I honestly have no idea how to sing; I just open my mouth and hope for the best. When writing, I tend to gravitate towards a phrase that describes my emotions which inspires the rest of the song. I then grab my acoustic guitar and write the emotional climax before, going back and telling the story. At the moment I’m really enjoying the metaphorical, abstract storytelling but sometimes it’s more literal - it depends on my mood. I tend to spend three hours on the initial writing and then around an hour on editing as that’s how my best work happens - after a few months I’ll produce and mix the track. Most importantly though, I have to keep writing, production, and mixing/ mastering separate or I get completely overwhelmed.

You’ve mentioned in previous interviews that you wanted to create music that fully embodied you as an artist. Was there a turning point where you decided: “This is what I have to do”?

I spent most of my teenage years writing for collaborative projects, co-writing for other artists, or working in bands. Those experiences were really valuable and taught me a lot, but writing within those settings usually comes with lots of guidelines and expectations. Now that I know my musical identity, I find that kind of structure inspiring as it helps me tap into different parts of myself — but at the time, I didn’t know who I was or what I wanted to say. I ended up stepping away from that scene to find who I was creatively and what I wanted from the industry. For a while, I thought that would be exclusively session work. I also promised myself that if I ever released music completely under my own name, it would have to represent all parts of me. While on my session path, I kept writing but without the pressure to release anything. Since I didn’t have to fit a theme or genre, everything I loved musically melted together — and it was from that fusion that I decided I was ready to release.

You’re also currently studying at Trinity Laban, how have your studies shaped you as an artist?

It’s such an inspiring place and honestly a music nerd’s dream. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to fully explore every aspect of my artistry, with the mentorship and guidance of musicians who are at the top of their fields. I’m constantly learning—not just in lectures, but also through the network I’ve built and by working daily with friends who are amazing musicians in their own right. I’m always experimenting with what I’m learning and actively applying it to my own work. Most importantly, I’ve come to understand why I do what I do. I’m so much more intentional now—whether

it’s in my use of harmony or even the compressor I choose. Everything has purpose, and that shift really helped me find myself.

Are there any artists or bands who have influenced your music or perhaps inspired you during the writing process for ‘the child you created but you never could love’?

In terms of general influences:

• My first musical inspiration was when I was six and heard John Frusciante’s playing on Red Hot Chili Peppers’ ‘Californication’. I got my first guitar a year later and learned lots of classic rock/metal and 90s/00s alt rock in my early

years

• At 8 I heard Demi Lovato’s ‘Heart Attack’ which was the first time I ever remember being drawn to vocals and production - I don’t listen to much of Demi’s pop stuff anymore but it’s always special to me.

• At around 14, I discovered emo which was where I found my musical home and began writing and teaching myself how to sing. I also began exploring hiphop.

• At 15, I discovered the fusion guitar greats like Eric Johnson, Joe Satriani and Mateus Asato which really shaped how I approach melody.

As for the EP, when producing and mixing I referenced:

• ’Even A Worm Will Turn’ - Westislonely - mainly for the vocal delivery/ production

• ‘Transatlanticism’ - Death Cab for Cutie - for the tight layering and somber, hopeless atmosphere

• ‘Sempiternal’ - Bring Me the Horizon - for the drum production/mix

• ‘Peripheral Vision’ - Turnover - for the atmospheric ambience and ‘Come Over When You’re Sober Pt.1/2’- Lil Peep - for creating the beats /sub bass and, the drum volume.

I also worked super closely with Matthew Wells, who co-mixed all the songs, helping to bring them to life.

Do you have any exciting plans for the rest of this year?

With my solo project, I am currently writing and hope to record a second EP by the end of this year or early next year. In my guitar world, I have a lots of sessions coming up that I’m looking forward to and, I’m recording some social media

showcase reels.

Finally, could you recommend some of your current favourite songs to our readers?

Yeah no worries, in no particular order:

1. ‘haunt u’ - Lil Peep - I’ve listened to Gus daily for around three years now, and this track is my favourite Peep song at the moment. It’s super meaningful to me!

2. ‘Hospital for Souls’ - Bring Me The Horizon - This song is so haunting from the lyrics themselves to Oli Skyes’ screams, it’s incredibly beautiful. I also love Lee Malia’s guitar tone and playing throughout, it serves the song so well.

3. ‘Unshatter’ - Linkin Park - The mix is so pleasing to me and Emily’s distorted vocals are stunning on this track.

4. ‘Transatlanticism’ - Death Cab for Cutie - This whole track is just one of the best songs ever written, the production and lyrics come together so perfectly to transport you to a world for 8 minutes.

5. ‘Liquor & Cigarettes’ - Chase & Status, Hedex and Ardee - I’m obsessed with the production on this song from the absolutely filthy beats, the brass synth stabs and, the random noises that come in and out of the track. It is so satisfying to listen to.

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview, do you have anything you would like to say to your fans and listeners?

Thank you for taking the time to read this interview and for all the love and support with ‘the child you created but you never could love’. It means the world to me to have people not only listen to my music but to connect with it in their own way.

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A huge thank you to Meredith for taking the time to answer my questions! You can listen to Meredith Disney-Walford's debut EP 'the child you created but you never could love' on Spotify and hear the EP in full on my Spotify Reviews Playlist.