Goosebumps guarenteed​: Songland

I found this new show from the network NBC on Saturday and I couldn’t stop watching it. It is mesmerisingly fantastic and I can only recommend it. The show is called Songland and portrays the process of songwriting. Not a lot of people know how a song is made and how much hard work and creativity gets put into it. Songland highlights all the amazing songwriters and I just loved it.

The three hit producers

Let me introduce you to the three masters of their craft. You all heard of Ryan Tedder – the lead singer of OneRepublic – but he’s so much more than that. He’s the hitmaker. The new record of the Jonas Brothers is produced by him. Leona Lewis’ “Bleeding Love” and Beyoncé’s “Halo” was written by him. Ryan’s super versatile and works well in every genre.

Ester Dean – what an amazing woman! – wrote songs for Rihanna (Rudeboy), Nicki Minaj (Superbass) and Katy Perry. She worked on many movies as well. She’s a super sassy woman and really knows what she’s doing. She grew on me quickly and I am a huge fan now.

Shane McAnally is the lyricist and is THE guy to work with in country music. He just won a Grammy for Kacey Musgraves record and he worked on Old Dominion’s and Midland’s records. He’s super sweet and of course also very talented.

The concept of Songland

The concept of Songland is amazing! For once it’s not about the singer it’s about the songwriter. In every episode four songwriters are able to perform their song in front of a star. They are pitching their song to the star of the episode and the three producers. Of course they are nervous but I mean – wow – those songs are already super catchy and perfect to me. But as soon as the songwriters are finished the magic happens! Ryan, Ester and Shane suddenly come up with stuff which makes the songs into hits! But not only that the star also pitches in and together magic happens. I am mesmerised and here you get to see the work behind a song and how quickly little tweaks can change a good song into a great song.

The star then has to choose three songs to go further into the show – which to me is already very hard. The three songwriters got to work one on one with Ryan, Ester or Shane. Together they customize the song for each star. After this amazing work, the three songwriters get to perform the new transformed song to the star again. It’s just mindblowing, honestly. If you thought choosing three songs is hard, then you got it coming. It’s time to choose which song gets cut and which dream comes true.

The Stars

John Legend, Will.i.am, Kelsea Ballerini, Jonas Brothers, Meghan Trainor and Aloe Blacc are the first few stars with many more to come. They are all looking for their next hit on Songland. It’s amazing to see how the stars are involved in the process. I think will.i.am’s show is one of my favs. I already love him and the black eyed peas and the way his mind is thinking is incredible. I am also super surprised how the Jonas Brothers are involved and how talented they are. Kelsea Ballerini positively surprised me too!

Songwriting is king

After the CMA songwriting session at the C2C in London, I started to listen even more closely to the melodies and lyrics of the songs. It was an amazing experience and this show transports that feeling I had there. Songwriters are the real talent behind the talent. Songwriters create hits and we should make them into stars as well. They deserve all the credit they get which should be more than just the name on the record. I hope that this show put the songwriters more into the focus of the public. Listen to some of the songs from the show on Spotify.

Songland highlights the process of Songwriting. It is magic! Thank you NBC for putting this show on air. I can only recommend Songland to anyone who loves music or would like to know more about songwriting.