Selected highlights

Milestones

A working timeline of key moments in the development of Family Business, including songwriting, collaboration, recording, performance and portfolio presentation.

February 2026

Defining the album concept

Activity: Project planning / concept development
People involved: Charlotte
Outcome: Defined Family Business as a five-song project about my own experiences.

I clarified the main theme of the project and decided that the songs would work together as a connected body of work rather than as separate unrelated tracks. This helped me understand the album as a portfolio centrepiece and gave me a clearer direction for the website, visuals and written commentary.

February / March 2026

Tracklist and song identity

Activity: Songwriting / project structure
People involved: Charlotte
Outcome: Confirmed the five-track structure and began shaping each song’s individual role within the album.

I worked on lyrics for each song, going through my back catalogue to see if I could get any inspiration. I also started working on backing tracks with my producer, Josh.

March 2026

Collaboration with Josh

Activity: Production / collaboration
People involved: Charlotte and Josh
Outcome: Developed production ideas and worked through practical scheduling around studio and student availability.

March / April 2026

Collaboration with Ginny / Emma

Activity: Vocal collaboration / arrangement
People involved: Charlotte, Ginny, Emma
Outcome: Collaborated to finish lyrics and instrumental choices.

March / April 2026

Studio and recording work

Activity: Recording / production
People involved: Charlotte, collaborators, available studio support
Outcome: Captured demo material and developed evidence of the songs in progress.

Recording the songs made me more aware of the practical side of music-making. Some parts moved quickly, while other parts depended on access to equipment, rooms and people. This made me realise that leadership is not always about controlling everything; sometimes it is about keeping the project moving while adapting to reality.

20 April 2026

Live performance / gig experience

Activity: Performance
People involved: Charlotte and Josh
Outcome: Performed original material and gained confidence presenting work publicly.

Performing my own songs helped me understand how the music works outside a private writing or recording space. The audience’s response gave me more confidence that personal material can still connect with other people. It also helped me think about how I present myself as an artist, not just as a student completing a project.

April 2026

Website and portfolio development

Activity: Portfolio / branding
People involved: Charlotte and Mark
Outcome: Developed the online portfolio structure around Family Business, CV, practice evidence and earlier work.

Creating the website helped me think about how I want to be seen professionally. I had to make decisions about artist name, colour palette, images, biography, CV and how much of the process to show. This connected directly to the market analysis because the site needs to work for listeners, collaborators and industry visitors, not just for assessment.

April 2026

Social and release planning

Activity: Professional development / release planning
People involved: Charlotte
Outcome: Began aligning artist identity across platforms and thinking about how audiences discover music.

I started thinking about how the project would exist outside the university submission, including Spotify, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and SoundCloud. This made me realise that the music, visuals and online presence need to feel consistent if the project is going to reach the right audience.