MIDEM SONGWRITING CAMP

The Songwriting Camp: a place ‘to get excited and inspired’

Midem’s Songwriting Camp is designed to enable artists to share ideas, develop networks and be seen by global music buyers. A live, closed-door session during Midem Digital Edition will present tracks written by the selected artists ahead of this year’s event. Gary Smith and Stuart Dredge report

IN THE era of streaming, individual songs are the dominant currency, which is why the Midem Songwriting Camp plays such a crucial role in the development of both artists and the industry. “Alongside the networking and meeting inspiring, talented songwriters and producers from around the world, I believe these Camps are important because no matter how experienced you are, you always learn at least one new thing,” producer and A&R executive — and participant in the Songwriting Camp — Johnny K Palmer, says. “Also these sessions are like long-term investments. Very occasionally you get a cut right immediately after the session, but mostly these songs flourish two or three years after the fact. And when they do it’s always really worth it.” Another Songwriting Camp participant, singer-wongwriter signed to Belgium’s Cricket Hill Music, Sabien Tiels, says the Songwriting Camp can serve to broaden artistic horizons: “Being able to write with other songwriters, especially those from abroad, gives you insight into how others work and it always generates new ideas,” she says. “I have participated at several Songwriting Camps and that gave me the opportunity to work and write together with Elliott Murphy and Peter Kingsbury. I also wrote a few of my recent hits at one of the Camps.” For this year’s Songwriting Camp, Midem is partnering with the Taiwan Creative Agency. During four days in October, five talented Taiwanese musicians — Ozi, Chih Siou, Trout Fresh, Shi Shi Sun and Starr Chen —met and collaborated with international producers and artists, to create original songs that will be presented in a closed-door listening session during Midem Digital Edition. Trout Fresh is a rapper, singer, songwriter and a star producer in Taiwan. “This is my first international camp and for the third and fourth days, I was teamed up with Anuka — she was the most impressive artist to me. In the last song, I gradually got used to this unique creative process; the song we put together on the third day was my favourite one so far.” Starr Chen’s involvement in popular music began in 2010 when he joined EGGO, a music production company in Taiwan. He served

Kozbeatz

Signature Sounds’ Johnny K Palmer Trout Fresh

Sabien Tiels

Shi Shi Sun

Starr Chen Rico Greene

William Rousseau

as producer and arranger and helped create numerous singles for local stars. “I don’t feel much in the way of cultural shocks, as music circulates around the world. The major shock comes from the speed at which they work. After I deliver a beat, they often come back with a complete melody in five minutes. That’s the major shock.“ After releasing his 2018 hit song B.O., which was streamed over 14 million times on Spotify, Ozi has continued to develop and explore new sounds. “Our advantages and uniqueness probably come from our individual cultures and when I create music, it’s important to put my cultural essence into it,” Ozi says. “For the Songwriting Camp, it’s crucial to bring creative thinking and ideas from different parts of the world. I’ve always cared about globalisation from the very beginning, and I believe the future has no boundaries for artists. We don’t really distinguish local or regional markets that much now in Taiwan and given that the world is getting ever more connected and closer together, it’s important for our music and culture to go global.” Chih Siou is a singer, composer and arranger who started his career from his bedroom and is now one of the biggest new stars in Taiwan. “Taiwan is a small market, so I don’t think we have particular advantages, but we do have a lot of outstanding professionals,” Chih Siou says. “Compared to other countries, I think there is still a lot of untapped potential in Mandarin-speaking music and musicians.” Shi Shi Sun is a recurrent music award nominee and winner. Her soft vocals and finely crafted production have made her a familiar face for R&B lovers in Taiwan: “As the people we’ve been working with are less exposed to Mandarin-speaking music, they have been pleasantly surprised and as a result, this Songwriting Camp should be beneficial to both sides,” Shi Shi Sun says. “Personally, I hope to benefit from more international opportunities to present my music. This is my objective and commitment in the long run.” Other international talent participating in this year’s Songwriting Camp include: singer-songwriter Rico Greene and songwriter/producer Anuka, both from the Netherlands; composer Kozbeatz, lyricist Francois Welgryn, songwriter Alex Colours and singer-songwriter Lister Hausman, all from France; vocalist and writer Niclas Lundin, from Sweden; and singer/songwriter Abi F Jones, author/composer David Simon and songwriter/producer Pete Barringer, all from the UK. “Finding my place and growing within the music industry has been quite the journey and one that is only made better and more fulfilling by the talents you get to meet,” another Songwriting Camp participant, French composer and producer William Rousseau, says. “Workshops allow just that: to get excited, to inspire and get inspired, to fuel others and be fueled by new amazing energies.” He adds: “Thank you Midem for having me this year, it gave me the chance to meet incredible artists, to create great work together and to have a unique platform to get this work out there. I’ll come back if you’ll have me!” n