BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 10: (L-R) Honorees Mike Stoller and Carole Bayer Sager attend the 70th Annual BMI Pop Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on May 10, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for BMI)
BEVERLY HILLS, CA (LA ELEMENTS) 5/15/2022 -“Through the years,” says BMI Pop Awards Icon honoree Carole Bayer Sager, “people have come up to me and they’ve said, ‘That song you wrote? Boy that helped me out. That’s just what I was feeling and that song of yours got me through a really tough period in my life.”
Bayer Sager, writer of such memorable hits as “Midnight Blue”, “Nobody Does It Better” and so many more, made her remarks in her acceptance speech at the 2022 BMI Pop Awards where both she and Mike Stoller were named Icons.
The lavish ceremony was held on May 10 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. The BMI Pop Awards are dedicated to honoring the artistry of songwriting and was hosted by BMI President and CEO Mike O’Neil and Vice President Worldwide Creative, Barbara Cane. The awards opened with students from the USC Thornton School of Music who sang a collection of hits from the two honorees including “Hound Dog” and “Stand By Me,” written by Stoller and his former songwriting partner, Jerry Leiber, and “Best that You Can Do” (Arthur’s Theme) and “That’s What Friends Are For,” written by Bayer Sager.
GRAMMY Award winning singer songwriter Ledisi then took the stage to sing her powerful rendition of the theme from the James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me, Bayer Sager’s “Nobody Does it Better.” Bayer Sager has worked with music legends Barbra Streisand and Carole King among many others. She is also an Oscar and Grammy Winner as well as a recipient of the Johnny Mercer Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The tribute to Mike Stoller was performed by singer-songwriter Anderson East, who performed an emotional rendition of “Stand By Me.” Stoller gained fame a member of the songwriting duo, Leiber & Stoller. It was Leiber & Stoller who wrote some of Elvis Presley’s most popular songs such as “Hound Dog” and “Jailhouse Rock.” They also wrote hits for other artists including “Yakety Yak” for The Coasters and “On Broadway” for The Drifters.
Joining Bayer Sager and Stoller in celebration, were an array of star songwriters and producers who had a hand in creating the 50 most performed songs of 2021. As they walked the red carpet, they revealed the secret to their creative process and the inspiration behind their work.
Icon Award winner Mike Stoller on the red carpet for the 2022 BMI Pop Music Awards. Photo: Elva Zevallos for LA ELEMENTS
Mike Stoller (Winner of 2022 BMI Icon Award)
How are you feeling tonight?“I am very happy to be a winner so to speak and this is great.”
Back during the time when you worked with Elvis Pressley, Rock n Roll was considered a fad, right? It wasn’t supposed to last this long.
“Well, in certain areas it was considered a fad and others it was considered not quite polite. And I think that “Jail House Rock,” the song, might have been considered for an Oscar but they would not because it was long, loud and therefore beneath them.”
I know that many people believe that it’s because of your talent and artists like you that made Rock n Roll the music that endures even today
“It is what it is. Some of the early blues, I love other people’s blues, but I also love Cole Porter and Rogers and Hart. A good song is a good song in my heart.”
As someone who undoubtedly influenced other songwriters, who would you say influenced your songwriting early in your career?
“There was a wonderful performer named Louie Jordan, African American, who had a band and wrote very amusing songs and very good songs, and he was a major influence.”
Music producer Roy Lenzo on the red carpet for the 2022 BMI Pop Music Awards. Photo: Elva Zevallos for LA ELEMENTS
Roy Lenzo (Songwriter “Industry Baby” “Montero” Recording Artist Lil Nas X)
So…Lil Nas X, the collaboration. What was that like?
“It was in the middle of the pandemic so we didn’t have much to do other than create music. We pretty much rented Airbnb’s throughout most of 2020 throughout Hollywood and we were just creating. It was just one of those songs that we just started out of thin air and we just knew that it was something special for sure.”
You make it sound so easy. ‘We just created out of thin air.’
“I mean that’s kind of really it. We were just creating ideas and that just happened to be one of them.”
It’s interesting because before producers were more behind the scenes. We really didn’t know much about them but now they’re the big celebrities too. How has your life changed since before you were the producer we know now?
“I feel like now other producers I’ve run into tend to know who I am before I know who they are which is like interesting for producers I’ve always looked up to. I’ll run into them and they’ll be like, ‘Oh I’ve heard so much about you.’ I’m like, wow, that’s crazy. I feel like that’s something that I’ve really liked and just you know, being peers with people that I’ve idolized growing up or people that I’ve watched thousands of their YouTube videos, tutorial videos, I feel that’s how it’s impacted me the most.”
Songwriter Oak Felder on the red carpet for the 2022 BMO Pop Awards. Photo: Elva Zevallos for LA ELEMENTS.
Oak Felder (“I Love Me” Recording Artist-Demi Lovato)
What was the songwriting process like for “I Love Me?”
“Demi had just had her overdose. And of course, we were worried about her. You know, hoping she would be ok. She started getting back on her feet and one of the first things she asked, she’s such a consummate professional and such a hard worker, she’s like, ‘I need to start figuring out what my first step back is going to be after this. And I want to make a message for people that says, ‘You have to love yourself enough to take care of yourself.’ So, we wrote a song called, “I Wonder When I Love Me Is Enough.” It resonated really well.
I think especially now we’ve had 2 years of being by ourselves, 2 years of quarantine, I think that really resonates especially well.
“Well, I think the pandemic really taught people how to look inward and now that the pandemic is ending, we’re taking all the lessons that we learned and applying it to our lives and to the people we love around us. I think that the song was that in a nutshell which is probably why people loved it so much.”
Victoria Zaro attends the 2022 BMI Pop Music Awards. Photo: Elva Zevallos for LA ELEMENTS.
Victoria Zaro ( Songwriter, “You Broke Me First” from the movie, The In Between)
Tell me about your songwriting process.
“I mean there’s some days where it feels easier than others. But I think, yeah..I definitely…you’re pulling words out of the air and trying to find inspiration wherever you can and that can be challenging at times for sure.”
What inspires you? Is there one thing that if you have to write about the words just comes, the music just comes.
“I mean, I love a good heartbreak song. I could write a thousand heartbreak songs. But I think that really, I pull from my life, things that I’ve gone through heartbreaks I’ve experienced, and I try to just pull from those moments because I think you’ve experienced it and a thousand million other people have experienced it.”
What musical artist has had an influence on your career?
“Joni Mitchell has always been my number one! I have a big picture of her. Her storytelling has always been so inspiring to me. I just love her. I learned how to play guitar by playing her songs.”
Michael Pollack tied with Omer Fedi as the BMI Pop Awards 2022 Songwriter of the year. Photo: Elva Zevallos for LA ELEMENTS.
Michael Pollock (“ Daisies,” Performing Artist Katy Perry, “Anyone,” Performing Artist Justin Bieber, “Holy, Performing Artists Justin Bieber and Chance the Rapper, “Nobody’s Love” Performing Artist Maroon 5) – BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year.
Is it true that you started out playing with a Billy Joel cover band?
“Yes. I used to play with a Billy Joel cover band. And my dad would drive me into the city and I would sit in and play, “New York State of Mind” with like these 30, 40, 50 year old unbelievable musicians that just dedicated their lives to playing Billy Joel songs. So yeah, so much of the writer I am is because of Billy.”
You’ve worked with Lizzo and you’ve worked with many different artists across the spectrum. What is your creative process like?
“Most of the time my creative process is whatever the creative process is of the people I’m working with. I’m trying to facilitate what they do. I consider it a service job what we do. My creative process is like, personally it waits for lightening to strike in those moments where some idea hits me. You can’t count on that every day, so I try and be a part of other people’s process.”
Is there any artist that you would like to work with that you haven’t already?
“Chris Martin, Coldplay. I won’t die until I work with Chris Martin. I might get in the room and have a full-on anxiety attack, but I’ll try it.”
Music producer and songwriter, Luis Manuel Martinez, on the red carpet for the 2022 BMI Pop Awards. Photo: Elva Zevallos for LA ELEMENTS
Luis Manuel Martinez Jr. (Shndō) (“Peaches” performing Artist Justin Bieber)
How do you approach creating a song?
“My songwriting process always changes. I guess I’m not the biggest lyricist. I’m more like melodic, more of a producer.”
Is “Peaches” your biggest hit so far and how did it come to be?
“My biggest song is “Peaches”. It all started from a video that Justin Bieber posted on Facebook. I basically re-recorded the video because I thought it was really cool, I re-recorded it and threw it into my software that I use to create, and I basically sped it up and got a rough arrangement of the song. that’s how the song started. Then I got it to Harv who is Justin’s musical director. It was a very unorthodox way of a song coming together.”
“Peaches” is definitely one of those songs that stays with you. One that has a melody that is hard to get out of your head. What do you feel is the appeal of “Peaches?”
“It makes you feel good. It’s very chill. Chill and calming.
Songwriter Dave Stewart hits the red carpet for the 2022 BMI Pop Awards. Photo: Elva Zevallos for LA ELEMENTS.
David Stewart “Dynamite” (Performing Artist BTS)
How do you approach songwriting David?
“It’s changed over the years. It started out a lot of working to beats, writing to beats, whether it’s stuff that I’ve made and then writing but now I’m very much back to pianos and guitars and songwriting at its core. Because I’m very much about the song now and if it sounds good with piano and guitar, it’s going to sound great on anything.”
Who has been your greatest musical inspiration?
“Well the Beatles is who I grew up on. They were so diverse. They were so charismatic. The songwriting was like profound, whether it be “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” to “Hey Jude,” they were such a threat with their creativity and they inspired me so much.”
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 10: (L-R) Oliver Frid and Tayla Parx attend the 70th Annual BMI Pop Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on May 10, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images for BMI)
Tayla Parx (“34 + 35” and “POV”, performing artist Ariana Grande, “High Hopes” performing artist Panic At The Disco)
Tayla, you cannot listen to “High Hopes” and not feel good.
“I’m so happy to hear that. I’m so happy to hear that because I needed to hear that at the time when I wrote that song.”
What was the inspiration for that song?
“The inspiration behind “High Hopes” was definitely something big because at the time I felt like I wasn’t getting the credit for all the things that I was doing behind the scenes. I felt like, man, I’ve been doing this for a really long time, and it doesn’t even matter how much success that I have had. It was always because I was young and then Black and then a woman it was just like, I always had to go above and beyond. So that’s what that song meant for me, continuing to have high hopes.”
Growing up, who were your musical influences?
“I think some of my biggest musical influences were Missy Elliot, Baby Face and Brandy, a lot of those people. Because I think what Missy Elliot represented was just being a woman and representing femininity in a very different way.
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 10: Nija Charles attends the 70th Annual BMI Pop Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on May 10, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images for BMI)
Nija Charles (Songwriter- “Sweetest Pie” performing artist Dua Lip and Megan Thee Stallion, “Positions” performing artist Ariana Grande)
Nija, what’s your approach to writing a hit song.
“So, my process, it’s kind of like coming from the divine. Literally, I go into the studio, I’ll hear chords or the beat or whatever and I’ll go into to the mic and just spew out melodies. Like whatever comes to me, I just send it out. And I kind of try to make sense of it in my head.
You’ve worked with so many amazing artists, who would you like to collaborate with next?
“The next person I want to collaborate with is Justin Bieber or The Weeknd.”
I know you’re from the East coast but when you are visiting Los Angeles, what do you like the most about this city?
“What I love the most about Los Angeles is the vibe that it gives me. Every day I feel zen, the palm trees, the sunny weather, it just always gives me a boost of self-esteem every day. Because I’m from the east coast. So to see palm trees and every day looks like a vacation, I feel that definitely boosts my mood and my serotonin and that definitely shows up in my work.”
Producer/Songwriter Denzel Baptiste attends the 2022 BMI Pop Awards. Photo: Elva Zevallos for LA ELEMENTS.
Denzel Baptiste (“Industry Baby” performing artists Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow)
Is being a celebrity producer a mixed blessing?
“The good thing about being a producer is you have that choice. You can choose to be anonymous or you can choose to be as upfront as you want to be. And sometimes you can switch back and forth between those two ways of existing so I think just the freedom to really live the way that you want to live.”
Who were your musical influences growing up?
“Well my family’s from the Caribbean so a lot of dance hall a lot of soca a lot of Calypso. And even those genres in themselves are mixes of other genres like R&B and Rock n Roll reinterpreted.”
And what about artists?
“I grew up on the early New York Hip Hop so, 50 cent.
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 10: Honoree Carole Bayer Sager accepts the BMI Icon award onstage during the 70th Annual BMI Pop Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on May 10, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for BMI)
The party atmosphere of the 2022 BMI Pop Awards was the perfect setting to celebrate songwriters: Artists who write with such insight about that which touches all of us. As Bayer Sager noted in her acceptance speech, “For me, that’s the greatest gift of all. The realization that we’re all connected. That what I was feeling you were feeling and the very same the other way. And it is that connection that music just bridges all people all over the world. So how lucky are we all to be doing what we do?”
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 10: (L-R) Omer Fedi, Blake Slatkin, and iann dior, winners of the Song of the Year award for ‘Mood,’ at the 70th Annual BMI Pop Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on May 10, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for BMI)
Cover photo of BMI President Mike O’Neill, Carole Bayer Sager, Mike Stoller and BMI Vice President Barbara Cane by JC Olivera.
BMI is celebrating over 80 years of service to songwriters, composers, music publishers and businesses. Broadcast Music Inc.® (BMI®) is a global leader in music rights management, serving as an advocate for the value of music. To learn more about BMI please visit their site.
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