Music Industry Weekly spoke with Hollywood R&B/Hip-Hop record producer, James Worthy, known for his work with artists including Fetty Wap. 6lack, T-Pain, Truth Hurts, Robin S, and Tony Terry.
Beginning his musical career at seventeen years old, Worthy began producing hip-hop/R&B music with more of a “soulful twist.”
“I’ve always been a fan of percussion, basslines, and drums,” Worthy recalled. “What I found to be missing at the time, was the lack of production to go along with my writing. That’s when I began studying other music producers for arrangement techniques.”
Andrew Rossow: How would you define the role of a “record producer?”James Worthy: A record producer is involved with the creation of musical composition, the mixing process, the mastering process, and songwriting. The entire objective is to create and produce the entire record from top-to-bottom.
AR: What are ‘arrangement techniques?’JW: First and foremost, learning about the melody structure. From there, you’re learning to distinguish chorus from verse and bridge. Lastly, knowing where harmony and melodies should come into play in any melody.
AR: You mentioned you started your career at just 17-years-old. What struck your initial interest in the entertainment industry?JW: Born and raised in New York, I was exposed to all genres of music, which birthed the love for music. As time went on, I became interested in songwriting, which eventually turned into production.
AR: What does an average day look like for you?JW: My days can and almost always change. Usually, my days consist of early morning business meetings, conference calls, studio sessions, and workout sessions. I like to balance everything I need to in a day, if possible.
AR: What has been the most exciting part of your journey?JW: Having the opportunity to live out my dreams, as well as having the privilege of working with individuals I’ve looked up to over the years, including, but not limited to Whodini, Robin S, CeCe Peniston, Ceelo Green, and many others.
AR: What specific challenges have you encountered in your career, and how have you overcome those?JW: Understanding patience and business structure. We’ve all had those times in life where things weren’t moving fast enough but understanding the essence of timing is most important. Business is just what makes the engine continue to move.
AR: If you could describe your business model/structure, how would you lay it out in an entrepreneurial pitch to a prospective client?JW: The business model changes quite a bit, so myself understanding how music is being consumed, distributed, & marketed, I am able to provide key points as to the direction an artist or musician should go in. Streaming is very much a vital avenue in gaining exposure, but not so much of revenue which forces them to enter Merchandise, Touring, & Publishing which is your ownership.
AR: How has social media and technology affected your career/ability to grow/expand?JW: Social media has helped me tremendously because I’ve been able to touch demographics that I would have never been able to reach. Years ago, when I entered the business there were no high-level social media outlets available. The most accessible was Myspace & Twitter. Now there are multiple outlets for you to reach so many different types of people in many demographics. You can also see who is not only watching you, but where, how, and why they do. This helps me because that shows who I would need to target in regard to touring, merchandise, and promotional campaigns. It also has taught me how to balance information I want to remain private versus what I choose to disclose to the public.
AR: What tips do you have for aspiring record producers and/or artists in the space?JW: You need to know exactly who you want to be in this business. To do this, you must understand the business, so I would suggest studying musicians within your genre. But at the end of the day, you need to love the craft and love what you do.
James Blunt’s upcoming album Once Upon a Mind will be arriving this year on October 25th via Atlantic Records. This will be his sixth studio album, as well as his most “honest and personal” album yet which the singer/songwriter stated in an interview. James said that every song on the upcoming album represents something that he is currently going through or have recently experienced, and it has all come together on this record.
Once Upon a Mind Track List
1. The Truth
2. Cold
3. Champions
4. Monsters
5. Youngster
6. 5 Miles
7. How It Feels to Be Alive
8. I Told You
9. Halfway
10. Stop the Clock
11. The Greatest
Listen below to one of the singles from the album:
Post Malone is back with new hit single called “Circles” which has been pulled from his third album Hollywood’s Bleeding which will be released tomorrow via Republic Records. Frank Dukes and Louis Bell are featured on the track as they are Malone’s frequent collaborators. The song is about breaking off a relationship as “seasons change and love grows cold.”
Young Thug will be on the album Hollywood’s Bleeding as well featuring in recent single “Goodbyes.”
Stream “Circles” below and watch official video:
This week was the third week of America’s Got Talent, and Emanne Beasha is already stealing the show. Tuesday night at the LA Dolby Theater, the extremely talented 10 year-old opera singer performed a breath taking rendition of “Ebben.” Both the audience and judges were astounded at her dynamic solo.
Although, she has won the hearts of the people from her own nation on Arabs Got Talent, she has decided to win America’s heart as well as she has been carried through to the semi final round just announced last night during eliminations.
Beasha was one of twelve performers on Tuesday night, and one of the seven of whom has moved on to the semis.
Watch her performance below.
Adding a new member to the #TeamGavin squad, YouTube star, Gavin Magnus teamed up with his new duo partner and YouTube star, Coco Quinn, for their brand-new cover of Shawn Mendes’ and Camila Cabello’s ‘Seniorita.’
In just 24-hours, the YouTube video has grown to over 1 million views, adding Magnus and Quinn’s own take to the song. You can’t help but feel a tug at the heart as these two kids redefine the meaning of young love and magic.
Magnus, 12, recently signed with Capitol Records, taking his portfolio to the next level. Back in June, the young YouTube star teased a new project with rapper, Ludacris, with little known details about the project at this time.
Over the past few months, Magnus has had a round of support from fans, with his campaign of spreading love and positivity throughout the community.
In an interview with Pop Culture, Magnus has experienced the dark side of social media, sharing his firsthand account with bullying, and has taken the high road in ensuring that he continues to do what he loves with the people he cares about by his side.
He recently participated in my anti-cyberbullying movement, #CYBERBYTE, which has attracted national attention by many of Hollywood’s stars, most recently Jason Faunt of Power Rangers: Time Force.
Quinn, 11, is also a fan-favorite on YouTube and Instagram, having been a member of the mini-elite competition team, Molly’s Monsters. Just last year, Quinn began appearing in the web series, Mani.
Music Industry Weekly – Gavin Magnus
With over 400,000 followers on her Instagram, Quinn has been seen in recent collaborative projects with Magnus.
We can only hope that this duo continues to bend the bounds of pre-teen music and the fandom surrounding today’s child star arena.
If you haven’t heard the duo’s new cover of ‘Seniorita,’ definitely check it out—it’s not your average video and vocal performance.
JBACH is a rising singer-songwriter who continues to break his way into the music industry. Finding his potential on The Voice to spending a few years behind the scenes writing songs for other artists, it’s now time for JBACH to breakout as a pop artist on his own. Releasing his second single and debut video with “Taste,” JBACH shows his personality in a vibrant dessert-filled dream.
“Taste” tells the story of restraining yourself in front of the one you love, waiting for the right moment. With clever wordplay and sensual delivery, JBACH captures the eagerness of young love.
We sat down with the extremely talented and inspirational JBACH to learn more about the journey from his television debut on The Voice to the release of his latest project.
MIW:Fans of The Voice will recognize you from the memorable audition where you caught the immediate attention of Pharrell. What was it like to be on “Team Pharrell” and work with such a legendary artist?JBACH: OMG. So incredible. You have to remember that I was a 19-year-old kid in scrubs when I got the call that I made it to the next round. To have a huge celebrity tell a small town Chaldean boy that I was talented and worth mentoring completely blew my mind.MIW: What was the most valuable lesson you learned from being on The Voice?JBACH: Honestly, the entire experience just validated my art and gave me such a boost of confidence that no other experience could have ever given me. Hearing what these incredible coaches thought about me and my music, and seeing Pharrell stop production just to encourage me to keep going and never stop after I was eliminated fueled me and is something I think about all the time. Before I left I told him I’d work with him again, and he told me he can’t wait. 🙂 JBACH – Music Industry WeeklyMIW: What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced breaking into the music industry?JBACH: Learning the music industry from scratch has been a super interesting learning curve. I thought I was so smart and cool and well dressed, then all of the sudden everything I knew about like medicine didn’t matter and everyone is cooler and more stylish than I am and knows how to write songs and network. It took me a solid year of being really lame in sessions before I got the hang of it and started to understand like who JBACH is. MIW:If you could choose any other career besides being a songwriter and artist, what would it be?JBACH: It’s funny because people used to ask me if I could choose any other career than medicine, what would I choose, and I mean at this point we all know my answer. MIW:Tell us about your new single “Taste” and the concept behind the video. JBACH: Taste is literally one of my favorite songs that I’ve ever written and the video turned out even better than I ever imagined it would. It was shot over two days, 20+ hours in a garage with a table and a green screen. I saw the cover art for the Tayla Parx album We Need To Talk and thought it would be super dope to have like these photo satin gloves doing choreo and serving food. A bunch of friends volunteered so much time and energy into being there. The director Milli2nd had to deal with my cranky self for 14+ hour days and is the reason that the video looks as incredible as it does. I have so many people to thank that made this video happen, it was super important to me that I featured them and I made sure to make the credits part of the video with the B Roll shots.JBACH – Music Industry WeeklyMIW:Do you have any other hidden hobbies or talents outside of music?JBACH: I don’t mean to brag but I don’t think anyone knows their way around those Instagram videos where people play with slime quite as much as I do.MIW:What is your favorite part about the music industry? Why?JBACH: I’m constantly in awe of my music friends. It’s so cool to see people that I know and love and work with go off and do their own thing, thrive and be awesome. Coming into a session, doing the most vulnerable thing you can do with a stranger makes a weird instant bond with that person that you always remember. It’s something you don’t really see in any other line of work. Creating with dope people and becoming fans of my collaborators is my favorite thing about this industry.MIW:What advice would you give someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?JBACH: You can do anything you want to do if you’re willing to give it your all, I’m not even kidding. Spend 12 hours a day writing, and you’ll become an amazing writer, no matter what. Very early on in my career, a cousin of mine told me I should be treating every day like a workday, even when I was just starting off. I knew I had a lot of catching up to do, everyone else around me had been making music forever, and so I devoted myself to just perfecting my writing and singing. I figured that if the odds of me having a hit song were one in a million, that I would just write a million songs. Also, don’t be surprised if people aren’t fully supportive right away. That’s normal. Remember that you need to be so confident in yourself that it relinquishes any doubt that people around you may have. No one will believe something that you don’t believe yourself. It’s a big scary decision and people just want the best for you, and honestly, if people weren’t skeptical of me at first then I wouldn’t have the work ethic that I have today. MIW:What can our readers and your existing fanbase expect to see from you musically in the near future? JBACH: My new single When The Dark Comes comes out in September, with a music video on the way! Also, my mom just bought me a really cool outfit so everyone be on the lookout. JBACH – Music Industry WeeklyMIW:Where will you be performing next?JBACH: I’m so excited to be performing again after a two-year break, and I’m playing a super dope artist showcase on September 5th at Hotel Cafe 🙂MIW:How can our readers connect with you on social media, learn more about you, or stream/download your music and/or videos?JBACH: Yes omg please follow me on Spotify and check the songs out! JBACH on Spotify, and @JBACH on twitter and Instagram. I used to have a Vine but like RIP…
instagram.com/jbach
twitter.com/jbach
“A woman’s life ain’t just a list of worst things she has done,” Tanya Tucker sings on the opening track to her new album, “While I’m Livin’.
Seventeen years later, original female outlaw and ‘Delta Dawn’ country legend, Tanya Tucker is back making history with the release of her highly anticipated new album, “While I’m Livin,’”, comprised of songs written by Brandi Carlile, Shooter Jennings, and the twins, Tim and Phil Hanseroth.
“It’s a musical biography of sorts,” said Carlile, “about Tanya’s real life and the places she’s seen, and it’s narrated by the greatest country and western singer this side of Johnny Cash.”
According to The New Yorker, “While I’m Livin’ ” might be the best record of Tucker’s career; it is certainly one of the albums of the year.
“She hasn’t been given the respect she deserves because she was a child star,” Carlile explained in an interview with Rolling Stone.
“As she grew up and fell on hard times, I don’t think she was given the same grace an artist like Waylon and Willie and Cash were given for the times that they maybe didn’t live up to their own standards of healthfulness. She should be lauded in the same way that so many of these amazing outlaw men are.”
Tucker definitely lived the outlaw life, similar to her country idols such as Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash. She never married, but dated plenty, connecting with legends such as Merle Haggard, Don Johnson, and most famously, Glen Campbell when she was 22 years old and he was 44.
The record should help remind people why Tucker has, over the years, inspired so many rebellious country women—from the Dixie Chicks to Miranda Lambert and Gretchen Wilson, who, on her signature tune, “Redneck Woman,” sings, “I know all the words to every Tanya Tucker song.”
But Tucker doesn’t want listeners thinking this is her “comeback,” –it’s a ‘relaunch,’ which she shared with The Associated Press.
Her rejection of the term ‘comeback’ is not hard to understand. Why? She’s already been there and done that. Now, it’s about empowering other female artists in a time where many in the country feel shut out and stifled from freely expressing themselves.
In celebration of the release, Tucker is playing special select shows this fall. She kicked off the performances last night at Exit/In in Nashville and is at the Grand Ole Opry tonight.
Additional dates include September 17 at The Bowery Ballroom (presented by SiriusXM) in New York, and October 16 at The Troubadour in Los Angeles—with a second show added on October 17 (presented by 88.5FM).
Tucker will also join Brandi Carlile at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on December 6, tickets and VIP packages are available here.
Even after her passing, Sancy Shaw of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, continues to shine on. Last week, the immense music talent duo, Lost Hollow, comprised of Tommy and Lorrie Harden, released their first single, “Shine On,” as a tribute to Shaw, whose life was tragically taken by a repeat drunk driver.
Sancy Shaw inspired people with the way she lived her life, with the way she loved her family, and with the way she touched the communities in both Clark and Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Her story inspired Nashville-based band, Lost Hollow, to release a fitting tribute to her, as their first single.
Lorrie said the couple has followed the Shaw’s heartbreaking story through the Facebook posts from longtime friend Greg Peterson, who still lives in South Routt. Peterson reached out to the Hardens hoping the band could help him pay tribute to Sancy, who was killed in a car crash on Interstate 70 near Genesee on Christmas Eve.
“When they called me and told me about it, I was blown away, and I was touched that they were doing it in honor of Sancy,” Brett Shaw, Sancy’s husband, said of the effort to produce the song. “It’s a memorial type song for Sancy that has been created by my friend Greg Peterson and Tom and Lorrie Harden from the band Lost Hollow. This song has blessed our lives.”
“Shine On” tells the gripping and heartbreaking story of Sancy Shaw, an adored wife and mother of four, tragically taken soon by a drunk driver. On Christmas Eve last year, Sancy was on her way home from the clinic with her six-year-old daughter, Charlee, when they were struck by another vehicle. The driver with four prior DUI offenses was once again found to be under the influence of drugs and alcohol. The drunk driver and Sancy were killed, but Charlee survived, sustaining severe injuries.
The single’s accompanying video, newly released, has had over 3,000 shares and well over 400,000 views.
“I called them with an idea as part of a crowdfunding effort,” Peterson said in an interview with Steamboat Pilot. “So I called and told them that I want to write a song, but it’s going to be uplifting, and it’s going to be about Sancy … The talent was clearly Lost Hollow. I was the point-the-finger guy.”
Lorrie and Tommy, who have six children of their own, said the Shaws’ story struck a chord. Peterson provided the couple with some ideas and background on Sancy.
“I wanted to bring awareness in a positive light,” Lorrie said. “She was such a beautiful, strong, spiritual woman that the community embraced and loved. It was important for me — that even though she is gone — that her light is going to shine on through everybody else that was able to get in touch with her.”
Lorrie Harden grew up in the Yampa Valley and graduated from Steamboat Springs High School in 1981.
Her husband, Tommie Harden, a Nashville “A” team studio musician, moved to the music city in ’91 and during his time there, has played an estimated 10,000 recording sessions, with artists such as Taylor Swift, Alan Jackson, Reba, Waylon Jennings, Lo Cash Cowboys, Jessica Simpson, Big & Rich, John Anderson, George Jones, and countless others. He played on the No. 1 song, “I Drive Your Truck” among many more.
Tommy has found himself on stages at the White House, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The View, Ellen, Oprah, Regis & Kelly, Tonight Show, David Letterman, and even has a screen credit in the film, “Muscle Shoals.”
As Nashville songwriters, Tommy and Lorrie got two cuts on Reba’s double platinum album, “Duets.” Fun fact—they even had a song they wrote performed at the Kennedy Center with Reba and Carole King in front of the President and entire nation on NBC, making it out to be the only outside cut to ever get on a Carole King project that she herself didn’t write.
The single, written by both Tommy and Lorrie, will be available on the upcoming August 26 release Looking for Happy album. The single can be downloaded here with 100% of the donations going to the Live Like Sancy –The Sancy Shaw Scholarship Fund.
Nashville, TENN—It’s that time of year again as the GMA Dove Awards returns October 15 for its 50th Anniversary to Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena in Nashville. You can most definitely expect a lot of live music, including performances from Christian music’s biggest stars.
TobyMac, Hillsong Worship, and Kirk Franklin were the first confirmed performers for the 50th annual awards show. Nominees will be announced this Monday ahead of the award ceremony.
The Doves sets a new precedent when it comes to talent—the top overall nominee isn’t an artist, it’s a behind-the-scenes talent.
Over the years, all genres and walks of life have come together to perform on the Dove’s stage. This “golden year” celebration is going to be spectacular, honoring the outstanding achievements and excellence in Christian music since 1969.
Additionally, performances representing modern rock, rap/hip-hop, pop/contemporary, inspirational, southern gospel, bluegrass, worship, and more will make up an evening honoring the rich musical diversity from the past, present, and future of gospel and Christian music.
Lauren Daigle (Photo Credit: Ashley Wright)
Since 2014, mind-blowing wins from legends such as Steven Curtis Chapman (58), Michael W. Smith (52), TobyMac (39), Amy Grant (23), Jason Crabb (22), Chris Tomlin (24), Sandi Patti (38), and Bill Gaither (27) are legends to continue watching out for.
Last year, contemporary Christian superstar and two-time GRAMMY winner, Lauren Daigle, 27, made Billboard history by topping five charts simultaneously. You can bet your bottom dollar that she will be making a huge presence at this year’s show. Daigle’s album, Look Up Child, sets the record for the biggest Christian album of 2018, biggest traditional sales frame for any Christian album in nine years, and the biggest sales week for a Christian female artist in over twenty years.
Preparing for October’s 50th Annual DOVE Awards
Over the years, artists such as the late Whitney Houston, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Tauren Wells, Tori Kelly, and Gaither Vocal Band have all set the stage for the inspiration music can bring to listeners across the world.
The DOVE Awards will air for its 4th straight year on Trinity Broadcast Network (TBN) globally with Christian and Worship music being some of the most played songs around the world. The show will be taped and will air on TBN at 7 p.m. CT Sunday, October 20.
For more information or to purchase tickets to the show, visit www.doveawards.com
EDC Orlando will be taking place in Tinker Field on November 8th – 10th, 2019. This year’s lineup is packed full with some of your favorites in EDM music, along with acts you might not have seen before!
Deadmau5 will be there, Diplo, Excision, Eric Prydz, Steve Aoki, just to name a few. If you check out the rest of the performances below, it will blow your mind how many performers are committed to making this weekend one you will never forget! Join the experience.
