VERSED: The ASCAP Podcast

In celebration of Women's History Month, we talk to one of today's most exciting singer-songwriters, mxmtoon, who is set to release a new 12-song album, rising, that is "a triumph of pop-and-disco confessionalism," while prepping a major North American tour. She opens up about the meaning behind her uplifting new song (and our podcast's new theme song), "Mona Lisa," how moving to New York City has affected her creativity, the storytelling benefits of playing video games, the women who have inspired her and how she needs to create to feel fulfilled. PLUS we catch up with Grammy Award-winning engineer Ann Mincieli, longtime collaborator with Alicia Keys and a co-founder of the pivotal music industry organization, She is the Music.

Watch the official video for mxmtoon's "Mona Lisa"

Visit Women Create Music: ASCAP Celebrate Women's History Month

Learn more about She is the Music

Check out Ann Mincieli's Jungle City Studios

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We talk to virtuoso violinist, composer, performer and producer Tim Fain about his adventurous and boundary-pushing career that spans film, the concert stage and virtual reality, and his collaborations with everyone from Philip Glass to The National. Then we talk to participants from the ASCAP Lab's 2021 Immersive Music Studio Challenge, our partnership with the NYC Media Lab, that offers grants to startups and university teams to develop and expand upon prototype technologies that demonstrate new ways artists can create music, connect with fans and reimagine how we interact with music and sound.

Watch Tim Fain's Resonance: A Jump VR Video

Listen to Tim Fain Plays Philip Glass: Partita for Solo Violin

Watch Algorithm Nation: Four Tech Tools Pointing to Music's Future

Watch the ASCAP Experience - the ultimate music creator community and event series.

Check out The ASCAP Lab

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We talk to one of the most celebrated songwriters in music, Diane Warren, about Diane Warren: The Cave Sessions Vol. 1, her fantastic new cross-genre album of original songs recorded with some of the world's best artists, including Ty Dolla $ign, Maren Morris, John Legend, Luis Fonsi, Jon Batiste, Pentatonix, G-Eazy, Carlos Santana, Rita Ora, Celine Dion, Darius Rucker and many others. She also talks about her Academy Award nominated work writing for film and what it's like hearing The Beatles sing your song. PLUS: We get some sound advice from master composer-producer of instrumental hip-hop, RJD2, about making beats - without rhymes.

Watch video for "Seaside" featuring Diane Warren, Rita Ora, Sofía Reyes and REIK

Watch video for "She's Fire" featuring Diane Warren, G-Eazy and Santana

Here is Diane Warren's official website

Check out this course! RJD2: From Samples to Songs on SoundFly

ASCAP Members get a discount on a Soundfly subscription. Just go to Member Access to activate it.

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It's Primetime Emmy Awards season, and in this episode we talk to two great nominees. Michael Abels joins us for a discussion about composing music for the acclaimed HBO docuseries Allen v. Farrow, for which he has received two nominations. He also shares his experience working with filmmaker Jordan Peele on Get Out, Us and a project in the works, and explains the mission of his advocacy group, the Composers Diversity Collective. PLUS: We take a dive into the exciting world of music directors with Billie Eilish's MD, Aron Forbes. He's nominated for two Emmys for his work on the Apple TV+ doc Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry.

Learn more about the Composers Diversity Collective

Watch performance of Michael Abels' "Sikiliza Kwa Wahenga" (from Get Out) at the 2018 ASCAP Screen Awards

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The Newport Folk Festival is back with a passion. In this episode we talk to the talented Yasmin Williams, a virtuoso composer and musician who has been praised by the New York Times as "one of the country's most imaginative young solo guitarists," and who is set to make her Newport debut this year. She will join fellow ASCAP members performing, including Beck, Grace Potter, Bonny Light Horseman, Kevin Morby, Vagabon and many others. Williams shares her feelings about joining the Newport tradition, her journey to mastering the guitar, pushing herself to learn new instruments and experimental approach to recording her gorgeous, acclaimed new album, Urban Driftwood. We also check in with Jay Sweet, Executive Producer of the Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals, about why Newport has endured as two of the oldest and most meaningful music festivals, why supporting music education is more important than ever and the joy he feels in evolving the legacy of an organization whose mission makes an impact far beyond the stage.

Watch Newport Festivals Foundation's "Sessions"

Watch Yasmin Williams' "Urban Driftwood" video featuring Amadou Kouyate

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In celebration of Pride Month, we talk to Rufus Wainwright about his livestreamed concert on June 10th, Rufus Does Judy at Capitol Studios, where he re-creates and celebrates Judy Garland's classic 1961 Carnegie Hall concert, and shares his thoughts on what it was like to be one of the first openly gay artists when he first emerged on the music scene in the '90s. He also talks about family, fatherhood and what the world needs now. We also talk to acclaimed Maine-based singer-songwriter-producer Lady Lamb about how discovering her identity early in life allowed her the freedom of expression to forge her own unique musical path. All this and some valuable advice from our recent ASCAP Experience session on how important video is to releasing new music today.

Check out Rufus Does Judy at Capitol Studios on June 10th.

Watch Lady Lamb's film "I Feel a Stillness Growing."

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In response to the recent wave of racism and violence against the Asian American & Pacific Islander communities, this special episode of VERSED is devoted to lifting up our many AAPI songwriters and composers. We invited a diverse group of ASCAP members to give voice to their Asian heritage, and how it has impacted them as music creators and people. You'll hear from Jihye Lee, Kazi, Amritha Vaz, Nick Lee, Alex Ritchie, Brian Warfield, Trace, Wendy Wang and Will Yip. Our own Brian Reyes also joins to discuss his own experience and shares what ASCAP is doing to #StopAsianHate.

+Find resources to help #StopAsianHate at ASCAP's Fight for Change page

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As part of ASCAP's Black History Month celebration, we talk to Amythyst Kiah - the provocative and powerful East Tennessee singer-songwriter and member of the acclaimed Americana supergroup, Our Native Daughters. Last week, Kiah released a new solo recording of her Grammy-nominated song "Black Myself" - and Our Native Daughters has a brand new documentary out on the Smithsonian Channel, called Reclaiming Our History. We also talk to Wayne Barrow, film producer, manager, entrepreneur, and co-founder, along with Mark Pitts, of ByStorm Entertainment about his experience working with the late, great Notorious BIG and the new documentary Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell, dropping on Netflix on March 1st. Then we'll revisit our recent ASCAP Experience panel which brought together gospel stars Jason Nelson, Erica Campbell of Mary Mary, and Tye Tribbett to discuss how the gospel community has responded to the social and spiritual challenges we face today.

Check out more in-depth coverage of ASCAP's Black History Month celebration.

Listen to the official lyric video for Amythyst Kiah's "Black Myself"

Watch the trailer for Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell

Listen to our conversation with Our Native Daughters' Allison Russell

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We talk with Tony Award winners and Oscar and Grammy nominees Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, best known for their Broadway hits, Ragtime and Once On This Island, about their new song "How Can I Tell You?" that was written for the powerful new documentary, NASRIN, and performed by Angelique Kidjo. They also dig deep into their storied career collaborating on projects for the stage and screen and all the magic moments they've shared along the way. Then Allison Russell, founding member of the acclaimed groups Our Native Daughters and Birds of Chicago, shares the origin of her upcoming debut solo album, which tells the harrowing story of her abusive childhood in a deeply moving, unforgettable song cycle that is ultimately life-affirming. Charlie Sextro, senior programmer for the Sundance Film Festival, also joins us to talk about music-focused films premiering at this year's fest.

Watch the music video for Angelique Kidjo's performance of "How Can I Tell You?"

Watch Allison Russell and other performances at the 2021 Sundance ASCAP Music Cafe.

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Devon Gilfillian grew up in Philadelphia on a steady diet of hip-hop, rock, blues and soul music. While soaking up the sounds of his musician father's favorite music, Gilfillian also developed an appreciation for the beats and vibe of modern rap. He combined it all into his own music and after releasing an electrifying EP in 2016, he got signed to Capitol Records and hit the road performing with the likes of Anderson East, Keith Urban, Gladys Knight, Mavis Staples, Brothers Osborne and more. Now he's on a roll. Earlier this year he released his debut album, the Grammy-nominated Black Hole Rainbow; he followed it up with a track-by-track cover of Marvin Gaye's 1971 classic What's Going On, which helped raise funds for the voting advocacy organization Equity Alliance. ASCAP's Beth Brinker talked with Gilfillian just before he received The ASCAP Foundation Leon Brettler Award about getting creative in quarantine, appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, finding new purpose in his music and more. PLUS: The ASCAP Foundation's Executive Director Colleen McDonough reveals why the charity's mission is more crucial than ever right now. Then, we get some Sound Advice from Whitney Phillips and Gian Stone, co-writers of the Ariana Grande/Justin Bieber smash "Stuck with U."

+Register for free to watch The ASCAP Foundation Honors 2020 event, December 8 at 6pm EST

+Watch Whitney Phillips & Gian Stone's entire Anatomy of a Song: "Stuck with U" panel from The ASCAP Experience: Home Edition

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