What It Takes to Become a Professional Songwriter
Heather Bright (Bright Lights)
It’s not very often that you get an inside look at what it takes to work as a professional songwriter. MusicTech’s Andy Price interviewed Heather Bright this week to learn how she rose to the top of the professional songwriting world and then transitioned into working as a performing artist under the alias Bright Lights. Bright has co-written songs for Justin Bieber, Toni Braxton, Britney Spears, and has been the featured artist on songs by Porter Robinson and 3LAU.
When asked about her songwriting process, Bright says “You know, I always write in the most random places! I don’t even ‘write’ as such, really – songs just seem to come to me as ideas first. When I was songwriting professionally, I had a different approach, I’d sit down and think things like, ‘Okay, today we’re going to be writing a pop/urban song for Rihanna.’ I don’t do that anymore. I might be driving down the road or crossing the street when suddenly, an idea will just appear in my head.”
Beyond writing the lyrics to songs, Bright also writes the music; this is the main distinction between a topliner and a songwriter. Bright explains that “I’ll then start thinking about the melody with different instruments and how the mix will sound. I’ll then bring them in to the studio. I’m a bit smarter now – when I’m working on my songs now, I’m always thinking strategically, questions like: ‘Who is this for?’ and: ‘Who is going to listen to this record?’ and for what demographic is this song going to be ‘their shit’, y’know? I’ll then try and steer the production towards that. That normally lends a song a vibe, and that’s all really in the production.”
When asked about how she comes up with her musical ideas, Bright says that “I mostly write on keys, but guitar is actually my favourite instrument. Unfortunately, I haven’t practised enough to be truly good at it. So I can write with it, so when it comes to recording, I’ll use professional guitarists. But I’ll give them an outline of what to play. I’ll give them the chords and I’ll give them the rhythm.”
To learn more about Bright’s rise in the music industry, the production gear she uses, and her performing career, read the full article by Price via MusicTech.
Charles Hoffman is a Mixing and Mastering Engineer at Black Ghost Audio. After graduating from the University of Manitoba with an English degree, Charles completed his education at Icon Collective in Los Angeles, CA.
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