Ashlee Valenzuela is a 23-year-old singer/songwriter from Arizona. She started writing her own songs when she was seventeen, influenced by artists like Alfredo Olivas, Cancerbero, Eminem and Eden Muñoz. Ashlee tries to compose music inspired through personal stories and stories she heard. Being of Mexican origin by her parents and… Read more...
Story songs are essentially short stories set to music. Like short stories, effective story songs are tasked with conveying a great deal of information with a relatively small number of words. While many songs include elements of a story, the following components are almost always included in strong story songs:… Read more...
Last night, BMI, Rebeleon Entertainment, Spotify and Virgin Music presented the 10th annual Los Producers charity event at the Virgin Hotel in Las Vegas. The star-studded benefit concert included performances by Latin GRAMMY nominees and past winners who shared the stage to benefit The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s… Read more...
BMI is once again very proud of its affiliates whose induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was announced on Wednesday. Of this year’s class, BMI congratulates groundbreaking rapper Eminem, Dave Stewart of innovative pop duo Eurythmics and legendary singer/songwriter and BMI Icon Dolly Parton for their well-deserved… Read more...
It would be hard to look at a list of current hit songs without noticing a trend: the growing use of featured artists. A featured artist is one who makes a guest appearance on another artist’s recording to create a collaboration. What’s the difference between a duet and a song… Read more...
It’s been a wild ride for Sam Bruno. While currently renowned for her sultry, hip-hop-inflected electronic dance pop, the Arizona native started off singing in church, honing her burgeoning musical skills on piano and ukulele. Taking her musical abilities and songwriting chops to the next stage, Bruno built herself a… Read more...
As an actor, Jharrel Jerome was already going places. A Bronx-born graduate of New York City’s revered Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, Jerome kickstarted his professional career in acting upon landing a crucial supporting role in director Barry Jenkins’ 2016 indie drama Moonlight, which went on to win the Oscar… 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...
At my songwriting workshops I stress the importance of including lyric and melodic elements in our songs that will compel listeners and decision-makers to choose our material over the tough competition. Let’s look at some ways to write lyrics that command attention. 1. Find a Fresh Angle It’s unlikely that… Read more...
Tonight, BMI honored Noel Gallagher with the BMI President’s Award at the 2019 BMI London Awards. Guests included Raye, who also performed her brand new track, “Love Me Again,” and who was recognized with the BMI Impact Award (a brand new award for 2019). Anne-Marie and Niall Horan also attended… Read more...
