Louise Goffin On the Making Of ‘What I Love The Most’
What is the creative process like?
The creative process, for me, often begins effortlessly. When I pick up an instrument or sit at the piano, songs seem to flow naturally. At this stage, it’s essential not to overthink—just let the words come as I’d genuinely speak. This often leads to something more authentic than trying to be clever. Ultimately, the creative process feels like a dialogue—an exchange between the inspiration I absorb, how it shapes me, and what I create in return.
Could you discuss the lyrical themes or messages conveyed in 'What I Love The Most?’
The lyrical themes in ‘What I Love the Most’ revolve around taking control of your own life and embracing the idea that everything happens for a reason. It emphasizes that, regardless of how events unfold, there are valuable lessons to be learned. By understanding those lessons, we can use them as fuel to make more empowering decisions moving forward.
What did you enjoy most about making this EP?
Working with my musical sons has been truly inspiring. After spending extensive time in my home studio, I took “Whole Damn Reason” and “Dominoes” to Muscle Shoals, recording at East Avalon Studios with David Hood on bass for “Dominoes.” Collaborating with Charles Holloman, Colin Lott, Evan Lane for drums, and Caleb Elliott on cello brought these songs to life.
“Whole Damn Reason” was co-written with my youngest son, Hayden Wells, while “Backseat” started as a rhythm idea with some chorus lyrics I brought to my older son, Elijah Wells, who created an incredible track. The plan was for me to take the track home to develop the lyrics and melody further. I later showed the song to singer-songwriter Salomé Monroig, and she immediately loved it. It came together beautifully with her fresh phrasing and lyrics. At that point, it was intended for her to record, but after she shifted her artistic direction, the song sat on a hard drive for more than a year.
When I revisited it, I was struck by how good it was and dove back in, writing more lyrics, adding guitars, and layering other overdubs. Hayden later contributed bass, keys, and vocals, crafting a first mix that, despite breaking sonic conventions, felt perfect in its raw and fast energy—I didn’t want to change a thing.
Can you share a story about a collaboration that was particularly challenging or surprising?
“Dominoes” was written on Zoom with Ben Forrester, who lives in the UK and whom I'd met through one of Chris Difford's online songwriting retreats during the pandemic. The song came together so smoothly that my phone memo from the session sounded almost ready to release. Backseat had a technical twist that recording engineers might appreciate: I accidentally exported the session at the wrong sample rate, which altered the speed—and somehow made it better! From there, I had to figure out how to adjust the speed to keep the track from falling between keys so I could overdub guitars, which meant learning how to varispeed each track so everything lined up with one another. Coincidentally, my son, 350 miles away, was teaching himself the same thing for his own song. It was a funny moment when I said, “I’m learning how to varispeed tracks so they sync perfectly,” and he replied, “No way—I’m doing the exact same thing!”
What keeps you motivated and passionate about continuing to create and perform music?
That’s an easy answer. I’ve never stopped feeling the way I did when I was just starting out. There’s always something new to learn, something exciting to experiment with, and endless possibilities to explore. Music is what you make of it—there are always rules to break and fresh ways to express what you want to say.
