Guest post written by Darkening Song author Delphine Seddon
Delphine Seddon writes female-driven contemporary fiction and poetry. For the past twenty years, she worked in the music business – as an artist lawyer, as head of business affairs at a major record label, as an artist manager and as a chief operating officer – across some incredible rosters of talent which included Dua Lipa, Liam Gallager, Little Simz and Adele. In her debut novel, Darkening Song, set in the music business, she has written from lived experience. Originally from Staffordshire, England, Delphine now lives by the sea in rural West Wales.
About Darkening Song: Daisy Jones & The Six meets Euphoria and fiercely feminist, Darkening Song follows the story of two young women; a teen star from Manchester failed by the music industry which made her an idol, and her ambitious manager, forced to make an impossible choice between friendship and power. The book is going to be adapted into a Major TV Series. Out April 20th 2026.
I remember the first time I heard Firestarter by the Prodigy. I was fifteen years old, sitting at the kitchen table doing my school homework and listening to Radio 1. I was born in 1981 and grew up in a world of records and tapes and then came this radical new invention, the CD! I didn’t have a massive vinyl collection though, I was a mixtape girl – I used to sit up in my bedroom with a two deck tape player, listening to the chart countdown and recording the songs I liked. So anyway, here I was surrounded by maths textbooks and Firestarter came on the radio and stopped me in my tracks. It was raw and exciting and dangerous and F-you. What that song said to me was, ‘You do not have to be the person other people want you to be, you can be your own person.’ I get goosebumps even now just thinking about it. I think music can do that – it can speak to you in ways beyond the lyrics of a song, it can speak to you even when there are no lyrics. It’s a very powerful thing. I never imagined, when I first started working in the music business in my early twenties, that one day I’d be writing a book set in the music business. But when I was at Warner Brothers Records, I could almost feel a story brewing inside me. I didn’t know what the plot was, I didn’t know what my characters would be called, but I knew there would be two girls, working in partnership with each other in this very heavily male dominated environment, going up against ‘the system’ and winning against all odds. But of course, what ‘winning’ means isn’t a simple matter, and both of them have had experiences in their pasts which ultimately colour the decisions they make. I think, to the extent I had an objective in writing Darkening Song, I wanted to explore human behaviour, particularly the ‘why’ behind how power, fame, success, and money can have a negative effect on who we are and the choices we make. These forces operate in the wider world, way beyond the music industry. But for me personally, I love reading books with a music theme, so I’ve written a list of some of my favourites – I hope you enjoy!
Kill Your Friends by John Niven
American Psycho in the Music Business
I read this book when it first came out in 2008, which is almost 20 years ago. At the time, I was working as a talent lawyer, and my clients were mainly bands (it was the band era!). But I was dealing with major record labels a lot and the people who worked there, and I remember thinking, parts of this book feel scarily real. The author, John Niven, used to be an A&R guy (tasked with signing artists to a record label), and even though the book is a satire in which the fictional A&R guy is literally killing people to advance his own career, the uncomfortable truth is that the music business can be ruthless, with people metaphorically stabbing each other in the back to get ahead.
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins-Reid
Band member + new lead singer + falling in love = band imploding
This is a gorgeous book. The story is told via a series of interviews with the former members of fictional band, The Six, and their new lead singer, Daisy Jones and it just feels real, even down to the language the characters use which is reflective of the time (1970s). Daisy is a very strong female lead, but there’s also a real vulnerability to her which is beautifully conveyed. Lots of early reader reviews say Darkening Song reminds them of Daisy Jones & The Six but a darker, present day version – every time I see someone write that I nearly faint with joy because it’s such a huge compliment.
A Visit From The Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Brilliant, funny, poignant
This book won the Pulitzer Prize. I don’t know if I’d describe it as music fiction exactly – one of the characters is a record label executive, so there is an element of music business, but it felt to me like this was more a book about human behaviour and why we are who we are and the choices we make. There’s an entire chapter which is made up of diagrams on power point slides. Truthfully, I never really understood what that chapter was saying, but big respect to the author for doing something so radical – I love that. Sasha is an incredible character – another strong, flawed, female protagonist (I clearly love a strong, flawed female protagonist!). A Visit From The Goon Squad is to my mind a modern day classic.
Just Kids by Patti Smith
Creativity at its purest
OK so this one definitely isn’t music fiction, because it’s Patti Smith’s autobiography. But I’ve snuck it in here because I love it so much. Patti Smith lives a life of the purest creativity, she is somehow indistinguishable from her art and that’s just so inspiring. She’s also so goddamn cool but I don’t imagine Patti Smith has ever given a second thought to actually trying to be cool in her life. It’s one of those books which I loved so much I pressed my copy into the hands of all my friends, and then ended up losing it. But as I type this, I’m remembering how much I love it, so I’m going to buy it again!
Honey by Isabel Banta
If you love 90s era Britney and Christina then…
You should definitely read this book. I don’t think the author has ever openly said that her characters were inspired by Britney or Christina specifically, but as a reader, I felt like they were. The book explores how controlled female pop stars were back in the 90s, and how objectified. It’s of an era, but some of the issues raised still ring true, particularly in the context of manufactured groups and TV talent shows.
Survival Show by Juno Dawson
Hunger Games meets the X-Factor (and possibly the best comps ever?!)
Speaking of manufactured groups and TV talent shows…I had the immense privilege of being sent a pre-publication copy of this brilliant book. It’s dystopian, set at some point in what honestly could be the not too distant future considering the madness and sheer horror of the world we’re living in right now. Contestants live in a house together – called the Dreamhouse – being filmed 24/7 and compete in a manufactured idol group style situation with the slightly major catch that the losing contestants are murdered live on TV. Terrifying, thrilling, utterly addictive.
Darkening Song by Delphine Seddon
Is it ok to include my own book in the list??
I still find it a bit awkward talking (or even writing!) about my own book. It’s this thing which you work on, and wrestle with, in private for years. And then suddenly, it’s ‘out there’ and people talk to you about it and DM you about it and write things online about it, and even though hearing from readers has honestly been the best thing about publishing a book, it also takes a bit of getting used to that other people are now inside the story with me, when it previously just existed in the vacuum of my own thoughts! But I’m proud of Darkening Song, I think it’s ok to say that without sounding like a narcissist?!
And I do really love Eva and Alora, the two girls at the heart of the story, who are vulnerable and young and brave and at times, make very bad decisions in the way we all do, but for them, due to the pressure cooker of fame and the public eye, the stakes are high. There’s also another female character who’s very close to my heart – a former supermodel from the 70s called Vanessa who Alora meets in rehab. Vanessa’s quick-witted with a sharp tongue, and initially she dislikes Alora. But the two women become close and Vanessa takes Alora under her wing in a very lovely way. She becomes her confidante, someone Alora can rely on in a way she’s never had with anyone before.
Darkening Song is a lot about female friendships, there’s a love story element for both Eva and Alora and it’s a story about betrayal too, but more than anything I’d say it is a hopeful story, and shows how dreams can come true in ways we least expect. There’s also an original score music soundtrack written and produced by an all-female team (me included!) and performed by the amazing independent artist S.Michaud who also wrote the bonus track at the end, Sanctuary. It’s pretty unusual for a book to have a soundtrack, but to me the lyrics help tell the story and it felt right that they should exist as real songs too. I hope it enhances the experience for readers, and people listening to the audiobook, which by the way is narrated by three brilliant actresses playing Alora, Eva and Vanessa.
If you’d like to check out the songs, they’re available on all the usual streaming platforms, link HERE and if you’d like to read an extract of Darkening Song, I’ve included one HERE.
If you’d like to buy a copy of Darkening Song, link HERE. You can find me at @delphineseddon on Instagram and TikTok
Thank you so much for reading!
All my love,
Delphine x
