News Archive
When Wayne Hector picks up the phone at his home in Surrey, England, his voice is competing with the sound of laughing children and birds loudly singing. It’s as if he’s on the line from a scene in a beautiful old Disney cartoon, and Hector — who has 30 number…
Savan Kotecha’s Creative Edge? He’s Never Satisfied.
These are magical, sparkle-dusted days for Savan Kotecha. A graduate of the Nordic school of pop songcraft—he learned at the knee of composer extraordinaire Max Martin—Kotecha is slowly building a career as writer for virtuoso pop acts like Celine Dion, Leona Lewis and Il Divo. Kotecha not only co-wrote Carrie…
Ben Peters
BMI songwriter Ben Peters and BMI's Bradley Collins greeted members of the Irish group Westlife recently in Nashville. One of Europe’s hottest bands, the group was at the Wildhorse Saloon taping a video of Peters’song, "Daytime Friends, "Nightime Lovers," for release overseas. …
BMI Stars on Top at Brit Awards
Some of BMI's biggest British songwriters and artists were among the winners at the 2002 Brit Awards, held on February 20 at Earls Court 2 in London. Established in 1977, the Brit Awards is a charity event that donates all proceeds to the British…
Samantha Mumba
According to much-touted Irish teen diva Samantha Mumba, Americans "have a weird perception of Ireland. They think everybody has red hair and there are leprechauns running around." That image may soon change, thanks to the current success of the 17-year-old Dublin native's debut album, Gotta…
Westlife
The latest in a long line of photogenic young vocal groups, Ireland's Westlife is currently one of the U.K.'s most successful new pop acts. The quintet burst impressively onto the British scene as the first act to debut at number one with its first four singles,…