What role does silence or space play in your songwriting, and how do you decide where to include it in your compositions?

Sometimes a song needs to breathe and the listener should be able to also hear the instruments or have a moment to feel the music without words. There are songs that absolutely need space and silence in-between. It depends on the music genre. Some genres need more space and silence, others need more vocals. 
As a singer and songwriter I always decide this by feeling.
 

Negative space is a concept that exists in many forms of art. It's in painting or filmmaking, the same way it is in music. For example if you watch the Lord Of The Rings, you will notice there is a lot of space where there is NO MUSIC at all. Even in action scenes. This is creative use of negative space.

In songwriting, there a simple forms of negative space you can use to embellish a song.

1 - |Sections of the song that don't have vocals| This is a form of negative space, as vocals are ALWAYS the number one most important element in a song. So if at the end of a chorus, or in an intro you decide to just use chords, or an instrumental solo of some kind with another instrument, this can be a welcome break from the vocal.

2 - |Transitions| Especially going into a chorus, if you do a build up, then a stop (use risers and impacts to help the feel of this) then you can instantly make it known to the listener, that the chorus is BIGGER than the rest of the song.

Empty space is something you have to earn in a song. The stronger a songs melody is, the more empty space you can use in certain sections of a song. My favourite example of this is "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals. At 2.50 in the song, there is empty space that is nearly 5 seconds long. That is crazy... But the chorus is worth the wait, that's the thing.

Silence and space are kinda like secret weapons in songwriting. It’s like the musical equivalent of a breath—you gotta let the track breathe sometimes. I usually feel it out. Like, if a section feels too crowded or if I want to build some tension, I’ll just strip things back and leave a bit of space.

Silence in hip hop is powerful down to the millisecond. The flow or rhythm of where you make sound and where you pause can absolutely transform the experience. When writing lyrics I tend to put the sections where I pause. Taking your listener on a ride, where they don't know or expect where you're going sonically is everything. 

Silence and space are powerful tools in songwriting. They give the music room to breathe and make key moments stand out. I decide where to use them based on the dynamics of the song—a pause before a big chorus or a quiet moment after an intense section can amplify the impact. It’s all about knowing when less is more to create a stronger emotional connection.