Nekujak
My muse is demanding better working hours
Last year, I experienced composer burnout after several years of constantly cranking out production music, so I decided to take a break and try something different. Inspired by a Netflix series called F1 Academy and recent elevated interest in women's sports, I thought it would be fun to create some energetic girl-power pop/EDM songs.
Little did I know just how daunting and challenging this undertaking would prove to be, at least for me.
Writing the songs wasn't a problem. I've often needed to write music in various styles, and can usually research and learn the necessary musical traits needed to craft a workable result. Plus, I recruited my wife to co-write, so the lyrics and overall vibe would have an authentic female voice. But the production side was another story. While my native production sensibilities are firmly planted in organic singer-songwriter territory, I thought venturing into the world of modern pop and EDM production would be a breeze. Hah! I was in for a rude awakening that proved to be quite humbling.
Among the harsh realities I encountered...
So......
After wrestling with all of the above for about 4 months, I came away from the experience with an eye-opening education, and my musical ego somewhat battered and bruised. I was left with one clear conclusion: modern pop music is hard! I don't care how simplistic and unsophisticated the top Spotify songs may seem - crafting good commercial pop songs is not as easy as it looks. There are very few people in the world like Max Martin, Mark Ronson, Jack Anotonoff, Pharrell Williams, etc. who can consistently conquer the pop charts. It takes talent and a special kind of musical acumen.
As for my project, I ended up with three finished, and several partially produced, girl-power pop songs, none of which met my expectations, and certainly weren't competitive enough for publication. So I got over my burnout, resumed my usual composing activities, and archived the songs on a hard drive buried in a drawer.
But about a month ago, I realized giving up was the coward's way, so with redoubled energy, I decided to continue my pop journey, and try to resurrect and improve my earlier production attempts. Which brings me to the point (finally) of this post. Here is the first of these songs to get an updated makeover, and the only one (so far), that I'm not embarrassed to share publicly.
If we don't try to stretch ourselves musically, our creativity will stagnate.
Peace.
Little did I know just how daunting and challenging this undertaking would prove to be, at least for me.
Writing the songs wasn't a problem. I've often needed to write music in various styles, and can usually research and learn the necessary musical traits needed to craft a workable result. Plus, I recruited my wife to co-write, so the lyrics and overall vibe would have an authentic female voice. But the production side was another story. While my native production sensibilities are firmly planted in organic singer-songwriter territory, I thought venturing into the world of modern pop and EDM production would be a breeze. Hah! I was in for a rude awakening that proved to be quite humbling.
Among the harsh realities I encountered...
OLD GUY ENERGY: Being 60+ years old, I simply don't have the unbridled, wide-eyed, try-anything energy of a 20-something, nevermind that I'm not steeped in current youth culture. I'm not saying older people can't make music that appeals to younger audiences, but I am saying that this particular older guy doesn't think, move, and react at the same speed as those young whippersnappers, and thus, creating music that possesses the effervescent youthful energy and trending musical vocabulary needed for modern pop/EDM styles is quite a stretch for me, to say the least.
LACK OF RELEVANT EXPOSURE: I had dabbled very briefly with trance music back in the early 2000s, so I thought coming up to speed on current EDM trends would be relatively straightforward. But oh no. Once again, I misunderestimated what I was getting myself into.
To my casual ear, all EDM always sounded the same - a four-on-the-floor beat, sidechained bass and pads, plucky synths, and a whispery or soaring female vocal. The subtle differences between EDM sub-genres like trance, house, techno, melodic techno, drum and bass, brostep, dancehall, grime, UK garage, electro, etc. have always been completely lost on me. But as I got deeper into the EDM world, I discovered these small distinctions are not only significant for production, but the people who successfully produce this music are extremely well versed in them, and are able to creatively draw upon this rich musical vocabulary with skill and ease.
The EDM milieu is simply not part of my musical DNA - having me produce EDM is like having a podiatrist perform brain surgery. Yeah, it's the same human body we all studied in medical school, but what am I supposed to do with this gelatinous grey/pink thing? But I persevered and eventually got to a point where I understand most of the key stylistic differences, but I'm far from fluent in any of them.
THE K-POP JUGGERNAUT: I was attracted to K-Pop because I felt the upbeat girl-group mojo would be perfect for these songs, but the hurdles I encountered were even greater than those with EDM. If acquiring a small shred of EDM competency was like climbing the stairs of Montmartre with lead weights on my ankles, tackling K-Pop was like trying to climb Mt. Everest in a t-shirt and flip-flops and dying within the first 1000 feet.
First off, K-Pop is an industry - it's music that's manufactured by a highly effective, efficient, and well-oiled machine, utilizing the best songwriters, best performers, best production teams and specialists, and best engineers, who've all been rigorously trained from an early age to excel in a highly demanding and competitive environment. What the music may lack in soul (really had to resist writing "Seoul" 
), it makes up for in sheer technical excellence and impeccable execution. K-Pop songs are a tour-de-force masterclass in pop music production. As a sole (not Seoul) independent producer working in the box, it's a lot to live up to.
), it makes up for in sheer technical excellence and impeccable execution. K-Pop songs are a tour-de-force masterclass in pop music production. As a sole (not Seoul) independent producer working in the box, it's a lot to live up to.
Secondly, K-Pop draws on a variety of western pop styles, so it's not unusual to have several genres represented and seamlessly integrated within a single song. For example, a tune might start with a trap intro, move to an R&B prechorus, go full on dubstep in the chorus, and have a rock breakdown. And like their EDM counterparts, most K-Pop producers are fluent in all these styles, and if not, then a team of genre specialists is assembed for production duties. There's a vast amount of pop music knowledge and production expertise behind every K-Pop track. And again, a very high bar for the sole, non-Seoul, producer.
And if that weren't enough, there's the vocals... so many parts, so many layers, so many doubled, tripled, and quadrupled harmonies, not to mention all the perfectly placed adlibs and rapid fire raps. It can be exhausting just thinking about it all. Producing the music is certainly no small feat, but crafting the intricate vocal arrangements and achieving effective, youthful, energetic vocal performances is where the real challenge lies.
So......
After wrestling with all of the above for about 4 months, I came away from the experience with an eye-opening education, and my musical ego somewhat battered and bruised. I was left with one clear conclusion: modern pop music is hard! I don't care how simplistic and unsophisticated the top Spotify songs may seem - crafting good commercial pop songs is not as easy as it looks. There are very few people in the world like Max Martin, Mark Ronson, Jack Anotonoff, Pharrell Williams, etc. who can consistently conquer the pop charts. It takes talent and a special kind of musical acumen.
As for my project, I ended up with three finished, and several partially produced, girl-power pop songs, none of which met my expectations, and certainly weren't competitive enough for publication. So I got over my burnout, resumed my usual composing activities, and archived the songs on a hard drive buried in a drawer.
But about a month ago, I realized giving up was the coward's way, so with redoubled energy, I decided to continue my pop journey, and try to resurrect and improve my earlier production attempts. Which brings me to the point (finally) of this post. Here is the first of these songs to get an updated makeover, and the only one (so far), that I'm not embarrassed to share publicly.
If we don't try to stretch ourselves musically, our creativity will stagnate.
Peace.
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