BMI Presented a GRAMMY Edition of its Signature “How I Wrote That Song Series” Featuring 2026 Nominees

On Friday, January 30, BMI presented the GRAMMY edition of its signature How I Wrote That Song® series at The London West Hollywood. The panel featured 2026 GRAMMY-nominated songwriters and producers Rogét Chahayed (“APT” performed by ROSÉ, Bruno Mars), INK (“luther” performed by Kendrick Lamar with SZA), JID (“Wholeheartedly” performed by JID featuring Ty Dolla $ign & 6Lack from the Best Rap Album nom God Does Like Ugly) and Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical nominees Edgar Barrera and Laura Veltz. BMI’s VP, Creative, Catherine Brewton led the discussion as these hit-makers shared the creative process behind their biggest tracks and GRAMMY-nominated songs to an audience filled with fans, creators and industry executives.

Over the two-hour panel, DJ Faucet played a couple of hit songs from each panelist, and from there, the audience got an insider’s look into how each hit was created.

INK shared that after meeting Kendrick Lamar, she just “Inked it out,” saying to the audience, “melody is everything to me” and she strives to “get it done in one take and one flow.” She carried that sentiment into how meeting Beyonce was “intimidating and nerve-wracking,” leaving her “starstruck,” but after going back to her roots and busking on the street corner, she knew what she needed to write and record. From there, they collaborated on “16 Carriages” and “Texas Hold Em,” which were both released on Super Bowl Sunday 2024.

Laura Veltz shared the background on co-writing BigXthaPlug’s “Long Nights,” and how she fell in love with the rapper’s music after hearing his songs during walk-ups at her son’s little league baseball games. Like it was meant to be, Veltz heard it through the grapevine that BigX wanted to record with country artists and pitched a hook to his team. They “grabbed it and X wrote his parts around her hook.” Veltz noted his 2025 album, I Hope You’re Happy, was “revolutionary.”

Edgar Barrera reflected on the global hit “Unx100to” with Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny, sharing how a chance encounter with MAG at the BMI Latin Awards ultimately sparked this collaboration. He also spoke about working within multiple genres stating, “It’s part of who am, I was born and raised on the border of the U.S. and Mexico. I always saw myself as this border kid that could connect genres.” Barrera further elaborated on his commitment to his roots and incorporating Latin rhythms and influences into his creative process while discussing his work with Camila Cabello and Ed Sheeran on the song “Bam Bam.”

Rogét Chahayed spoke about collaborating with Yeti Beats on Doja Cat’s “Kiss Me More.” After hearing that the theme of Planet Her would be more anime, Chahayed went back to his foundation and love for jazz music using his favorite 2-5-1 chord progression. Yeti Beats presented it to Doja Cat, and she initially turned it down multiple times, but after he sped up the tempo a bit, it became a main part of the massive hit. Chahayed shared some advice noting “not to put too much pressure on creating… keep moving and creating and you might get that call… You never know what your winning lottery ticket will be.”

JID shared that bringing in 21 Savage on “Surround Side” helped him tell a story from different perspectives and how the TikTok “Ceiling Challenge” made the song a viral sensation. He noted, “You never know when a song will go viral… it’s something a label can’t pay for. It’s gotta be organic.” JID also said that he strives to be a “good steward” and when sampling from icons like Aretha Franklin he “feels honored to pass along beautiful music that the next generation might not have heard or appreciated before.”

A highlight of the two-hour panel was a surprise appearance by Gospel great Kirk Franklin, who was invited to the stage by Brewton to share some words of wisdom and explain how he created his hit song, “I Smile.”  When asked how he felt about the song having such a big impact, he noted that “he was humbled every day” and “he thought about the melody and lyrics as he was dropping his kids off to school.” He went on to say that it’s the “vulnerability, having that certain hunger and being open to critiques helps to keep the music moving” and that having his “built-in church audience” keeps him humble along the way.