I often tell my songwriting students that I teach tools—not rules. There are no rules in songwriting. Similarly, there is no road map that points the way to guaranteed success. But there are three things I consistently see in those who achieve their songwriting goals. Let’s look at the “3… Read more...
As the music industry’s most prestigious honor, the GRAMMY Award is universally acknowledged as the benchmark of excellence for songwriters and music creators. Recognition from the Recording Academy in the form of a nomination is a tremendous achievement, and once again, BMI is proud to congratulate its many affiliates who… Read more...
If we were collaborating on a song and I suggested that one particular line of lyric – and the melody that accompanies it – be repeated eighteen times, would you think that would be entirely too repetitive to be successful? How about if, in the same song, I insisted that… Read more...
Despite his name, boyband is a one-man musician, hyper-focused on details and committed to producing real art. The Jacksonville native spends upwards of eight hours each day in the studio, creating, crafting, and strengthening his skills, and that work is paying off; boyband is quickly becoming one of the most… Read more...
Dirty Blonde is a native of upstate New York who grew up playing drums and singing in his grandparents’ church choir by the age of five. He found himself gravitating toward a mix of artists like Jesse McCartney, Bill Withers, Teddy Riley, Young Thug, and Lil Peep, and in 2019,… Read more...
BMI is proud to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its R&B/Hip-Hop Awards, recognizing the genre’s top songwriters, producers and publishers of the previous year. BMI’s Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Producer of the Year, Publisher of the Year and 2020’s Social Star were announced across BMI’s digital… Read more...
Born Jeffery Williams, the Atlanta rapper now known as Young Thug first performed on the BMI stage at Lollapalooza in 2015. The years leading up to his performance were spent perfecting his rap skills and releasing mixtapes and EPs, eventually catching Gucci Mane’s attention for the release of 1017 Thug.… Read more...
Warning: Listening to the songs referenced in this article is likely to result in an inability to get them out of your brain. It is an incredible accomplishment for a song to reach the top of one of the Billboard charts. Occasionally, songs connect with listeners sufficiently to… Read more...
Songs like “Old Town Road” by BMI rapper/songwriter Lil Nas X only come around every so often. But when they do, there is absolutely no mistaking their impact. This Georgia rapper’s breakout single – a beguiling, mid-tempo track that blurs the parameters between hip-hop, trap and country music, featuring a… Read more...
When it was suggested I write about songs that are fun to sing, the jukebox in my brain instantly thought of “The Name Game” (recorded by Shirley Ellis, written by Lincoln Chase and Shirley Elliston). Anyone of a certain age remembers plugging his or her name into the… Read more...
