The SongHubs initiative has been bringing together songwriters, producers, artists and top liners since 2013 to create new songs and make new connections
Since March 2020, 27 SongHubs songs have been released, the highest of any year so far
151 songs have been commercially released since SongHubs began
In 2019, 17 songs from SongHubs sessions were released
Since March of this fateful year, songs composed at SongHubs have dropped at the rate of at least one every other week, with 27 releases to date. Are we in a new era for new releases?
Sixteen of the 27 songs came from SongsHubs that took place in 2019: New York, First Nations, The Tower Sydney, Melbourne, BIGSOUND, Nat Dunn's Sydney session and Auckland.
So, why have there been so many releases in the last nine months from the 2019 sessions?
We asked Mushroom Music Publishing Creative Manager Julian McGruther, who also is on the SongHubs advisory committee, for his insight.
"Firstly, I think it’s reflective of the hard work and creativity that was put in in 2019. There were some great curators, thoughtful collaborations and ultimately really strong songs as a result. I also think the lack of face-to-face sessions in 2020 may have given these songs a better shot at release.
"I think writers and producers having the time to actually finish some of these existing songs is a factor.
"Also, rather than doing back to back sessions, artists (and their teams) would be looking at existing demos in the catalogue and realising that they are already sitting on some great material.
"Generally I feel like the calibre and strength of SongHubs improves each year, so I’m sure that had we not been hit with a pandemic we would continue to see a rise in the number of releases from the program."
Does it feel like there's a shorter pause between releases?
"Artists definitely aren’t leaving long gaps between releases at the moment," said Julian.
"The lack of live shows and tours has meant the lifespan of any release campaign is sadly shorter, so releasing more music more regularly feels like the necessary move to keep a sense of momentum."
Has the pandemic helped or hinder how artists create?
"2020 has brought with it a lot of lessons and one thing I have learned is that you cannot keep a good artist down.
"I commend any writer who did their first zoom sessions, taught themselves to play or produce or record, or who wrote solo rather than leaning on regular collaborators. I believe that once we catch our breath in 2021 (touch wood) so many writers and artists will be empowered with new skills and a level of creative autonomy that didn’t exist before – that feels like a new era to me.
Kate Miller-Heidke's new album Child In Reverse got its start at the Gold Coast BIGSOUND 2019 SongHubs.
"I met Evan (Klar) and Hayley (Collier) on the first day of that SongHubs and we just kind of continued on with that same kind of setup of just doing a song a day and it was just so exciting,” Kate told The Music.
"If you go to one of those songwriting camps, the expectation is that you’re sent into a room with two strangers and you’ll make a song by the end of the day, so you don’t really have time to sort of let your left brain come in and take over, it just sort of has to be a fast, intuitive process. I found that, kind of to my surprise, that I loved the pace of that, working really quickly."
Let's get to it, here they are, as they rolled out! And, check out all the SongHubs releases on Spotify or Apple Music.
SongHubs: Melbourne 2019
Sparrows - Hide & Seek
Writers: Amoruso R/Nitties J/Strum G
Publishers: Mushroom Music Pty Ltd/Native Tongue Music Publishing
SongHubs: BIGSOUND 2019
Kate Miller-Heidke - This Is Not Forever
Writers: Andress I/Miller-Heidke K/ Stanley J
Publishers: Universal/MCA Music Publishing Pty/Sony/ATV Music Publishing Australia/BMG Rights Management
SongHubs: First Nations, Melbourne 2019
Benny Walker - We're Home
Writers: Walker B/Carne R/Mase D
SongHubs: Melbourne 2019
Kaitlin Keegan - It Ain't You
Writers: Cameron H/Keegan K/Laverty A
Publisher: Mushroom Music
SongHubs: The Tower 2019
The McClymonts - Good Advice
Writers: McClymont/Blackburn/Hosking/Taahi
Publishers: Sony/ATV Music Publishing Australia
SongHubs: 50 Songs in 5 Days
The McClymonts - Wish You Hell
Writers: Rimes/McClymont/Blackburn/Poxon/Barton
Publishers: Sony/ATV Music Publishing Australia
SongHubs: Auckland Sphere 2018
Valere - like that
Writers: Bettinson L/Llorando S/Logan E /Singer B
SongHubs: Nashville 2018
Xavier Dunn - Mid Sentence (feat. Gretta Ray)
Writers: Jackson L/Dunn X/Ray G
Publishers: Native Tongue Music Publishing/Sony/ATV Music Publ Allegro
SongHubs: Auckland 2019
Jess Riberio - Ghost
Writers: Fountain J/Iosefa V/Olinger M/ Ribeiro J
Publishers: Universal Music Publishing Pty Ltd/Cooking Vinyl Publishing Australia
SongHubs: The Tower 2019
Taka Perry - Only U (feat. Gia Vorne)
Writers: Brown S/Denton G/Perry T
Publisher: Downtown Music ANZ
SongHubs: New York 2019
The Dawn of MAY - Zenith
Writers: Maniscalco/Levinson/Wimberly/Hay
Publishers: Universal Music Publishing
SongHubs: Nat Dunn, Mushroom Music Publishing, Young & Vicious 2019
Chris Sebastian - Bed For Two
Writers: Kent J/Villanueva C/Wehbe C
Publishers: Mushroom Music
SongHubs: São Paulo Brazil 2018
Gloria Groove - Incondicional (feat. Gina Garcia)
Writers: Napoleao D/Kenny M/Biggs A
Publishers: Warner Chappel Music Australia / Universal Music Publishing / Native Tongue Music Publishing
SongHubs: Trans-Tasman 2017
L-FRESH The LION - Aim Higher (feat. Okenyo)
Writers: Bhogal S/Bain M/Elizondo M/ Grant J
SongHubs: Melbourne 2017
Juñor - WOKE UP ft. Brian Fresco & Plutonic Lab
Writers: Karikari-Yeboah B/Ondarchie S/ Ryan L
SongHubs: Auckland 2020
Lepani - Wait to Wake Me Up
Writers: Noble R/Karlsson J/Tuifagalele L /Sanei M
SongHubs: BIGSOUND 2019
Kate Miller-Heidke - Deluded
Writers: Miller-Heidke K/Collier H/ Niedermeyer S /
Publishers: Sony/ATV Music Publishing Australia/Kobalt Music Publishing Australia
SongHubs: New York 2019
Mo'Ju - Put It On Hold
Writers: Maniscalco E/Ruiz De Luzuriaga M/Volpe M
Publishers: Universal Music Publishing
SongHubs: BIGSOUND 2019
Kate Miller-Heidke - A Quiet Voice
Writers: Miller-Heidke K/Kuhn T
Publisher: Kobalt Music Publishing Australia
SongHubs: Auckland 2020
Genes - Super Single
Writers: Maclean/Morris/Noble/Ozumba/Rowe
Publisher: Universal Music Publishing
SongHubs: New York 2019
The Dawn of MAY - New York, I Loved You First
Writers: Leak J/Wimberly P/Hay M
Publishers: Gaga Music/Sony/ATV Music Publishing Australia
SongHubs: New York 2019
Hermitude - Janela (feat. Kimbra)
Writers: Stuart A/Johnson K/Dubber L
Publishers: Sony/ATV Music Publishing Australia/ Warner Chappel Music Australia
SongHubs: Victoria, Red Moon Studios 2018
Woodes - Close
Writers: Graham E/Harley D/ Constantine S
Publishers: Universal Music Publishing
SongHubs: Auckland 2020
Chaii - Wow (Look At Me)
Writers: Chapple-Wilson/ Henderson/Sanei/Milne
Publishers: BMG Rights Management/ Mushroom Music
SongHubs: Nat Dunn, Mushroom Music Publishing, Young & Vicious 2019
Odette - Dwell
Writers: Dunn N/Norman P/Heij J /Sallybanks G
Publishers: Mushroom Music /Young And Vicious /Sony/ATV Music Publishing Australia
SongHubs: The Virtual Tower 2020
Guy Sebastian - Only Thing Missing
Writers: Sebastian G/Brown T /Zaire/Kearney-Nurse
Publishers: Universal Music Publishing/ Sony/ATV Music Publishing Australia
SongHubs: BIGSOUND 2019
Kate Miller-Heidke - You Can't Hurt Me Anymore
Writers: Cash M/Kuhn T/Miller-Heidke K
Publishers: Kobalt Music Publishing Australia / Sony/ATV Music Publishing Australia