I’m not going to lie to you – the reason I started watching Songland was because of the Jonas Brothers. I saw the viral clip going around of Nick Jonas live editing AbleHeart’s song “Greenlight” and I knew I had to watch the whole thing.
After watching the Jonas Brothers episodes, I went right to Spotify to download the song they chose (Greenlight) as well as the other two songs that lost (“Do You Think of Me?” by REMMI and “Crowded Places” by Rynn). Not only were they all really good songs, but I was thrilled to feel like I was part of the process. Most people are generally unaware of how the music we all listen to actually gets made. When the Taylor Swift vs. Scooter Braun scandal broke, people struggled to understand the difference between owning the masters and owning the music to your songs. When the Grammy’s roll around I still need to remind myself the difference between Best Record, which reflects the work of the artist, engineers and general performance and Best Song, which is awarded to the songwriters. Regardless, people still only think of these awards as attributable to the actual artist. This show gives a spotlight to all the people behind the songs.
Each episode of Songland revolves around trying to find the next hit for whatever artist is on the show; there have been six episodes so far including John Legend, will.i.am, Kelsea Ballerini, the Jonas Brothers, Meghan Trainer and Aloe Blacc. Making a song, and especially a hit, takes a lot of work. When the songwriters come on the show, they’ve already spent hours writing the lyrics, melody, harmony and mixing the background music – plus they often have others assist them in the mixing and production. There are then 4 or 5 songwriters who perform their songs for the artists and producers, who also act as judges.
Ester Dean, Ryan Tedder and Shane McAnnaly are the three lead producers who are on each episode. Dean has worked with Rihanna and Katy Perry, Tedder with the Jonas Brothers and Maroon 5 and McAnnaly has won 3 Grammys for his work with Kacey Musgraves. They are all three powerhouse hit-makers in their own right but all have specialities; Tedder helps make production more modern for hits, McAnnaly is a lyric doctor and Dean pulls the soul out of the song through her work on both production and lyrics. Then, the artists pick three of the songwriters to match up with a specific producer to tailor the song for them. I noticed that the more time an artist spends tweaking the song live right after they’ve heard it, the more interested they are. The producers then help the songwriter adjust the song for the artist whether through production, lyrics, or both.
For example, in the Jonas Brothers episode, AbleHeart was paired with Ester and she helped him transform the song into one meant for a group of three voices instead of one. The artists also help consult during the editing process, using their expertise to improve each particular song. After the producers help the songwriters tailor the song to the specific artist(s), the songwriters re-perform their songs. Once the three have re-performed, the artist then chooses a song they want to record and that song is available by the end of the episode. The two losing songs are also released but just by the original songwriter, not the intended artist. Multiple songs have reached the top of the charts the following week, including Greenlight by the Jonas Brothers and Better Luck Next Time by Kelsea Ballerini.
This show is uniquely positioned to show off the talent of every person featured. The artists get to show off their ear for music and how involved they can be in the actual production of their songs. The producers get to prove their reputations as hit-machines. The songwriters get their name out there, which can lead to getting hired by other artists. Even the viewers get to feel like they truly were part of a creative process; everyone gets to reap the benefits.
Songland is fun and easy to watch, and the details of the process help differentiate it from other talent showcase programs like America’s Got Talent, The Voice and American Idol. The second half of the season kicks off in its new timeslot on NBC at 9pm on Wednesday, August 14th with Macklemore as the episode’s artist. If you’re looking to watch the first 6 episodes before the mid-season premiere, go to Hulu – it doesn’t matter in what order you watch!
