Show Notes
This week the trio sits down with the tallest man to ever enter the Songwriter Soup lair: producer and songwriter Paul DiGiovanni (“How Not To” Dan + Shay, "The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home” Justin Moore, “Lose You” Jordan Davis). Paul’s journey is a masterclass in the winding road of the music industry, traversing from the height of 2000s emo with Boys Like Girls ("The Great Escape”) to the final frontier of guitars in Nashville. He pulls back the curtain on the raw reality of starting over from scratch - trading TRL interviews and Taylor Swift collabs for a two-bedroom house shared by four dudes in East Nashville. Paul shares his moving-the-dirt philosophy, reminding every new writer that you have to show up for the bad days if you ever want to strike gold. The crew digs into the nitty gritty of the producer-writer life, exploring why production feels a lot like getting a painful tattoo: a mix of initial excitement, mid-project agony, and a high that only hits once the ink (or the track) is dry. Between his swoopy-haired band roots and his country success, Paul has plenty of perspective (and tea!) on the music business. It’s a candid look at why you need "that dog" in you to survive the industry’s toxicity and why winning the day in the room is the only drug that keeps the real ones coming back. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
More from Songwriter Soup
Deric Ruttan (“What Was I Thinking” Dierks Bentley, “Mine Would Be You” Blake Shelton, “Any Ol’ Barstool” Jason Aldean) joins the trio this week to unlock the secret to staying in this business for a lifetime. He opens up about the emotional toll of the built in rejection part of this gig, the importance of separating work from identity for his own sanity, and how he manages to stay grounded in this topsy turvy industry. We discuss that magic male energy that can handle very strong women in creative spaces (which Deric has mastered in my opinion… oh hey, it’s Laura writing this). We also break down the paradox of a songwriter’s need to stay so so so vulnerable in the writing room, while also being so so so thick skinned the moment the song leaves the writing room…. A really challenging combo! Deric has managed to keep slinging hits for roughly three decades. If you’re one of those people who wants to do this forever and ever, amen, this is the episode for you! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Joybeth Taylor (“Choosin’ Texas” Ella Langley, “I Can’t Love You Anymore” Ella Langley & Morgan Wallen, “Empty Words” Corey Kent) is living through once-in-a-lifetime songwriter success with faith, grace and open hands. JoyBeth’s experience on music row is the quintessential Nashville journey—artist turned songwriter (waiter / nanny / lifeguard / day job / day job / day job…..) to revered addition to the writing room. The moment this story becomes singularly JoyBeth’s is through her long time partnership with record breaking artist, Ella Langley, whom she casually met while fishing. Joybeth is a fantastic example of patience and calm for anyone just starting out in this business, as well as those passing through a moment of success. Keep calm and carry on.
This week, we have Nashville’s most considerate publisher, Creative Nation’s Beth Laird on the podcast. Married to a hit songwriter (Soup season 1 alum, Luke Laird), Beth has a front row seat to the hearts, habits and creature comforts of creative minds. We talk about how Beth and Luke went against the publishing company grain when they started Creative Nation and how those decisions remain the core of the company’s ethos. We cover topics like the evolution of women in Nashville music, the emotional core of nurturing songwriters, the changing landscape of music consumption, and why sometimes, all you need is a good snack strategy to make people feel loved and seen. Beth is one of the good ones. Enjoy this episode! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This week’s guest, artist and songwriter, Alana Springsteen (“ghost in my guitar”, “Hot Honey” and her latest album I Hope This Helps), discusses the burn out that comes with starting out in the music business at a young age, and the breaking points that led her back to making music for her own soul. Alana and the trio talk about how difficult it is to maintain a sense of genuine purpose in an industry that often props up the optics of monthly listenership and streams, while disregarding the potential and importance of a smaller, passionate, loyal audience. They discuss the evolving role of songwriters in artists’ lives, how a 'no matter what' mindset can transform your creative process and connect you with fans on a deeper level. Enjoy this episode! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this deeply honest and illuminating episode of Songwriter Soup, Nashville songwriter Nell Maynard (“Opti-MYSTIC” Abbie Callahan, “Blueneck” Chris Housman, “Like A Boy” LEW) joins us for a wide-ranging conversation that challenges traditional music industry norms. From securing a highly unusual publishing deal that grants her 100% ownership of her writing and publishing with zero advance, to opening up about asking her parents for a "values-aligned investment" to replace her $14/hour side jobs, Nell offers a masterclass in transparency. The episode explores the stigma around financial privilege, why historical patronage of the arts is essential when DSPs underpay creators, how to stop over-booking writing calendars out of insecurity and the mindset of "Fear vs. Love.” Nell is full of wisdom and I’ll bet songwriters of all stages have something to learn from her. Enjoy this episode! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.