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SUISA Songwriting Camp 2021: now open for applications by SUISA members

The fourth SUISA Songwriting Camp will take place from 5 to 7 July 2021 in the Powerplay Studios in Maur near Zurich. It is possible that due to the corona pandemic not all participants will be able to be present at the studios and will instead join online. SUISA members may apply for participation. Text by Erika Weibel and Manu Leuenberger

Teamwork at the SUISA Songwriting Camp 2019: start with a blank sheet of paper in the morning and finish with a completed demo track by the evening. (Photo: Tabea Hüberli)

The SUISA Songwriting Camp offers some of its members the opportunity to team up and compose pop songs under professional conditions with renowned producers and songwriters from Switzerland and abroad. Between 30 and 40 musicians usually take part in the three-day event.

Those who wish to participate in the Songwriting Camp must have well-founded musical knowledge, be able to produce high-level creative output under time pressure, and be open to criticism and exchange with their co-writers.

The challenging task: write a pop song in a team of three to five people within a day, according to certain specifications – start with a blank sheet of paper in the morning and finish with a completed demo track by the evening.

Pop songs with hit potential

The musical style of the songs can comprise all facets of contemporary pop music that could also be successful in the charts, on streaming platforms or on radio/TV. The songs are intended to be offered to publishers and artists or even suitable for the Eurovision Song Contest.

The event, jointly organised between SUISA and Pele Loriano Productions, has already produced several internationally successful pop songs that have made it on to the stage at the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). The song “She Got Me”, co-written and sung by Luca Hänni, reached fourth place at the ESC in 2019. The songs “Répondez-moiˮ (Gjon’s Tears, for the event in 2020 that was eventually cancelled), “Stonesˮ (Zibbz, 2018) and “Sisterˮ (Sisters, the German entry in 2019) also qualified. In 2021, “Amenˮ – sung by Vincent Bueno for Austria – became the fifth song from the SUISA Songwriting Camp to reach the semi-finals or finals of the ESC.

Hybrid version of the camp possible

The coronavirus pandemic is still dictating world events. It may therefore be the case that despite safeguarding measures, physical participation of all parties at the Powerplay Studios will not be possible. For this reason, all applicants must have their own technical infrastructure available that would allow online participation. Specifically, you may need to be able to communicate with songwriters remotely using a computer via Wi-Fi, and be able to make professional digital sound recordings and edit music yourself. A Wi-Fi network is available in the studio. Participants must be able to bring their own computers and the necessary (recording) software.

All participants will be informed in good time about the safeguarding protocols and the possible hybrid implementation of the Songwriting Camp.

Applications for the SUISA Songwriting Camp 2021

This year’s SUISA Songwriting Camp takes place from 5 to 7 July 2021 in the Powerplay Studios in Maur near Zurich. The event is again organised by SUISA in collaboration with Pele Loriano Productions. Pele Loriano Productions is responsible for the artistic direction of the Songwriting Camp on behalf of SUISA.

SUISA members can apply to participate in the SUISA Songwriting Camp 2021:
Are you a producer, songwriter (topliner) or a lyricist, and do you think you meet the requirements in terms of musical skill and ability? Do you also have a solid technical infrastructure (computer that can be connected via Wi-Fi and is equipped for professional digital sound recording and music editing) that you can operate and bring with you? In that case, please send us your application, which should contain the following information:

short biography
meaningful reference songs (mp3 files or internet links)
contact details

Please email applications to: songwritingcamp (at) suisa (dot) ch
Closing date for applications: Monday, 7 June 2021.

Important: Participant places are allocated only to SUISA members through this application process. Those who apply should be able to guarantee that they are available to participate on one or all the event days (5-7 July 2021).

Dates and selection of the participants

All artists invited to the camp are selected by the artistic director. A suitable mix of participants is paramount in the creative success of the songwriting sessions.

The artistic programme director will communicate all confirmation messages and invitations, and further details on participation at the SUISA Songwriting Camp 2021 by 27 June 2021. Rejection letters will not be sent. If you have not received a confirmation message by 27 June 2021, you have not been taken into consideration for the Songwriting Camp 2021.

Experience has shown that the number of applications will far exceed the number of available places. Please note that an application does not constitute a claim to participate in the event. Furthermore, no correspondence will be entered into in relation to the allocation of places. No information can yet be given about the implementation of other songwriting camps supported by SUISA.

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Creative teamwork at SUISA’s 2018 Songwriting Camp | plus video – SUISA organised the second edition of its Songwriting Camp in cooperation with Pele Loriano Productions. Like the premiere last year the camp again took place at the Powerplay Studios in Maur. A total of 36 musicians from eight different countries attended the three-day event in June 2018, creating 19 pop songs in a wide range of musical styles. Read more

Play abroad, communicate with SUISA at home – How do I get access to my copyright remuneration for my concerts abroad? What do I need to consider when registering works with SUISA if the co-author of my song is a member of a foreign collective management organisation? Important and frequently asked questions on international musical activities are answered in the following. Read more

Kate Northrop: “You always want to write the best song you can”

“You always want to write the best song you can” | plus video – Songwriter Kate Northrop is primarily a lyricist, a creative role that doesn’t often land her in the spotlight. Together with three other authors, the SUISA member co-wrote Naeman’s entry to the Eurovision Song Contest, “Kiss Me”. In a video interview, Kate Northrop explains how she came up with the song lyrics and how she was inspired by the songwriting camp organised by SUISA and Pele Loriano Productions. Read more

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Teamwork at the SUISA Songwriting Camp 2019: start with a blank sheet of paper in the morning and finish with a completed demo track by the evening. (Photo: Tabea Hüberli)

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“Amen”: Another ESC song that comes from the SUISA Songwriting Camp

The Eurovision Song Contest will be held again after its 2020 cancellation. A song which was created in the SUISA Songwriting Camp in the Powerplay Studios in Maur will be featured in Rotterdam. We spoke with the SUISA member Tobias Carshey, from Zurich. He wrote “Amen” together with Jonas Thander and Ashley Hicklin. The singer of the song, however, is Vincent Bueno from Vienna – and he performs for Austria. Interview by guest author Markus Ganz

Tobias Carshey performs the vocal track for the demo recording of “Amen” at the SUISA Songwriting Camp. (Photo: Tabea Hüberli)

Tobias Carshey, how do your normally create your songs?
Tobias Carshey: I write from my own life, that is why the results are different each time. I tend to sit down and write, sometimes the melody comes first, more rarely the lyrics, so mostly I start with the music.

Are you usually the sole author of your songs?
When it comes to writing, yes, but not when it comes to arranging.

You have written on your website: “Writing songs is and was always a very personal process to me”. Has it been difficult to work with songwriters that you did not know during the Songwriting Camp?
At the beginning, very much so. I usually withdraw to a quiet place where I can work away. At the Songwriting Camp, I was exposed and had to collaborate with a team. I had done this before, but …

… here, the pressure was probably higher since you worked together with the Swedish producer Jonas Thander and the Scottish topliner Ashley Hicklin for the first time?
That’s right, it is simply a new situation: There are new dynamics which you have to understand first. I was lucky enough that Ashley Hicklin took the reins from the start with a specific notion.

How did this work, did you bring along some ideas for the songs?
I would do it differently today but back then, I simply went there. It was my first time at a Songwriting Camp and I wanted to be completely unbiased. Before we started with the writing process, we listened to a few of my songs so that Jonas Thander and Ashley Hicklin could find out where I come from musically.

Was that the right thing so that the two could find out where your strengths were?
Exactly, in this regard, my song “Almond Eyes” was the starting point.

At a Songwriting Camp, there is a certain specialisation with producers and topliners. What was your role, were you more the singer in the sense of a performer or were you involved as a songwriter?
I was definitely also involved as a songwriter. My two partners accepted me as a peer.

The Swedish producer Jonas Thander (left) and the songwriter Ashley Hicklin, a resident of Edinburgh, deeply focussed when working on their composition in the studio A of the Powerplay Studios in Maur. (Photo: Tabea Hüberli)

Did this kind of job sharing make sense to you?
Very much so, because everyone has their own experience and we used this role allocation as a starting point. Friction can easily occur when three songwriters, who do not know each other, work together. That way, you can withdraw to your own competences if you are not in agreement, and still make progress with the song.

How far did the specialisation go?
I was clear who held which role. But each of us was considered to be competent enough to be able to contribute everywhere, whether to songwriting or the lyrics, also the production.

In your opinion, how did the fact contribute that you had never written a song together or played together, and that you weren’t a well-established team?
Ash and Jonas already knew each other but that did not make any difference because they are experienced musicians who know the dynamics of songwriting. As a consequence, it was easy for me to join them as a newcomer and go with the flow, so to speak. If all of us had been newbies, it would probably have been more like a lottery.

Did you also do some jamming or did you decide on something and then each of you separately carried out their job?
There wasn’t a moment where someone was just tinkering on their own – that was a new aspect to me. I am more the type who withdraws in order to continue with the development of an idea to then present it to everyone. At the Songwriting Camp, Ashley Hicklin came up with a refrain pretty much at the beginning. This also acted as the starting point for our work which matched the goal to write an ESC song. And then the path was clear for everyone.

Thander Carshey Hicklin SUISA Songwriting Camp

The co-authors of “Amen”, playing around with their creation (f.l.t.r.): Jonas Thander, SUISA member Tobias Carshey and Ashley Hicklin. (Photo: Tabea Hüberli)

The refrain came first: How dominant was the goal to write an ESC song, i.e. a potential hit, and to remain catchy?
We were aware of that, but it had no influence on the feeling of the song. We also paid attention that we managed to get to the point with the song in three minutes.

Did the factor that you had to stand out with something special despite the hit character also play a role?
Not especially for us. But our song stood out in comparison to the other songs of the Songwriting Camp because we kept it very tranquil – only piano, guitar and my voice, we also did not use any effects such as auto tuning. That was, in my opinion, the strong point of the song: It also works just with a guitar which seemed to be atypical.

How does the song “Amen” at the end of the Camp day differ from the one that we can hear at the ESC?
It has become more pompous. The original is very reduced: a bass drum, my voice, an acoustic guitar and a piano. Strings and backing vocals can now also be heard.

How come that someone different performs this song, a third of which has, after all, been created by you?
I have written songs for others in the past, and once a performance actually did hurt, because if was a personal song. I do, however, find it very exciting and very beautiful that Vincent Bueno is going to interpret the song “Amen” with his own history which gives it its own proper meaning. No regrets!

How has the Songwriting Camp changed your own personal songwriting process?
The unrestricted, also free approach influenced me most of all. I am otherwise probably too hard on myself, too acrimonious in order to just write away and try things out.

Did you suffer under the speed that the song had to be finished in just one day at the Songwriting Camp?
Yes, I found that difficult. Because, in my view, really cracking, really good and timeless songs need more time for their development. I am used to the fact, however, that I was proven wrong when it came to such dogmas.

www.tobiascarshey.com

Eurovision Song Contest 2021: In the second semi-final of the ESC on 20 May 2021, Vincent Bueno is going to compete with “Amen” for Austria and Gjon’s Tears with “Tout l’univers” for Switzerland. The final will take place on 22 May.

Songwriting Camp: The Songwriting Camp organised by SUISA in collaboration with Pele Loriano Productions has already generated several successful international pop songs. “Amen” is the fifth song from the SUISA Songwriting Camp which made it to the semi-final or final of the Eurovision Song Contest. The song “She Got Me” which had been co-composed and sung by Luca Hänni made it to fourth place during the ESC 2019. Other qualifiers were “Répondez-moi” (Gjon’s Tears, for the eventually cancelled event in 2020), “Stones” (2018, Zibbz) and “Sister” (2019 for Germany, Sisters).

The credits of “Amen”:
Lyrics/Music by: Tobias Carshey (CH), Ashley Hicklin (UK), Jonas Thander (SE). Produced by: Jonas Thander (SE), Mikolaj Trybulec (PL), Pele Loriano (CH). Recorded by: Pele Loriano, Jonas Thander, Mikolaj Trybulec. Mixed by: David Hofmann. Published by: Schneeblind Publishing, ORF Musikverlag. Label: Unified Songs.

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Tobias Jundt Bonaparte: “Nothing, nothing at all beats a well-written song”

“Nothing, nothing at all beats a well-written song” – The international success with Bonaparte is the current highlight of the long-term songwriter career of Tobias Jundt. He penned several hundred titles, spanning a wide stylistic variety, even for or together with other artists. Born in Berne, and now living in Berlin, the composer passes on his knowledge and experience as a guest lecturer at the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (Zurich University of the Arts) in the subject “songwriting”. An interview. Read more

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Tobias Carshey performs the vocal track for the demo recording of “Amen” at the SUISA Songwriting Camp. (Photo: Tabea Hüberli)

Helvetiarockt: SUISA supports the voice of female musicians in Switzerland | plus video

Women are still underrepresented in music, on stage and as producers. For this reason, the association Helvetiarockt has been standing up for women in Pop, Jazz and Rock in Switzerland. Since 2019, SUISA is a partner to and supports Helvetiarockt and participated in the “Female* Songwriting Camp” at the Fri-Son, Fribourg, last August. Text by Giorgio Tebaldi; Video by Sibylle Roth

The share of female SUISA members is a little more than 15 percent today. Even though there is a slightly rising tendency – the share of women among new members was at 20 respectively 21 percent – compared to the population share of women which is more than 50 percent, women are still underrepresented in the Swiss music business. That is actually surprising because there is no reason why professions in the music sector should just be a man’s thing.

In order to counteract this imbalance and to ensure that the female musicians are heard, the association Helvetiarockt was founded in 2009. Helvetiarockt has been supporting female musicians for ten years to set foot into the music business and to network successfully. To that end, the association organises a wide range of workshops for (future) female artists, producers and composers. It also offers networking opportunities for female musicians and provides important educational work in order to promote the equality in the music business. Helvetiarockt raises awareness among event organisers and therefore places female artists, female DJs and bands to festivals, clubs and corporate events.

SUISA, a partner of Helvetiarockt

SUISA has been a partner of Helvetiarockt since 2019 and supports the association within the scope of a sponsoring commitment in terms of finance and visibility. As a Cooperative Society for female composers, lyricists and publishers of music, the focus of this cooperation for SUISA lies especially with the “Female* Songwriting Camps”. This year, Helvetiarockt and SUISA also cooperate at the Cully Jazz Festival (27 March to 4 April 2020).

Helvetiarockt has been organising the “Female* Songwriting Camps” since 2015; in the meantime, they take place twice a year, in August, at the Kulturzentrum Galvanik in Zug and in the Fri-Son in Fribourg. During the five-day camps, experienced female songwriters support female participants in group workshops, individual coaching sessions and for the self-study of composing, writing lyrics and arranging. What is more important than finished songs being the outcome at the end is that the female participants can extend their songwriting abilities and build up a network with other female musicians.

Up to now, 42 female musicians visited the “Female* Songwriting Camps” of Helvetiarockt, many of whom, such as Kimbo, Sasa or Anna Mae are now very active. “We were able to ‘empower’ a few female songwriters, and that is a beautiful thing”, says Muriel Rhyner, who is in charge for projects such as the “Female* Songwriting Camps” and the “Female* Producing Circles” at Helvetiarockt. It was her, who called the Songwriting Camps to life five years ago and has been running them since – together with Élodie Romain aka Billie Bird since 2019.

SUISA was present at the “Female* Songwriting Camp” in the Fri-Son and accompanied the coaches as well as the eight participants during the two days. The Songwriting Camp was well received among the female musicians. “At the juncture I was at, it was really important to me that I could meet other people who do the same as me, and that there were professionals who could provide advice or take a look at what I was doing at that time”, says Ines Martenet. Another participant, Emelyne Pannatier, came to the camp with specific questions surrounding the recording process of songs since “she mainly had problems with the structure of a few songs”.

Two “Female* Songwriting Camps” planned in August 2020

Helvetiarockt has also scheduled two “Female* Songwriting Camps” for 2020: from 3 to 7 August in the Kulturzentrum Galvanik in Zug and from 17 to 21 August in the Fri-Son in Fribourg. You can register via the Helvetiarockt website: www.helvetiarockt.ch/songwritingcamp

Just as Ines Martenet said in the video: “You just have to come by!”

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“Répondez-Moi”: Third Swiss ESC song from the SUISA Songwriting Camp

With “Répondez-Moi”, Switzerland is sending a French-language entry to the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time since 2010. The song was written by Gjon Muharremaj (Gjon’s Tears) and SUISA members Alizé Oswald and Xavier Michel of the Duo Aliose together with Belgian producer Jeroen Swinnen at the SUISA Songwriting Camp. Text by Giorgio Tebaldi; Video by Manu Leuenberger

On 4 March 2020, Swiss Television SRF announced the Swiss contribution to this year’s Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). This time, Switzerland is entering the race with “Répondez-moi” sung by the French-speaking Swiss singer-songwriter Gjon’s Tears. Following “Stones” by ZiBBZ (2018) and “She Got Me” by Luca Hänni (2019), this is the third time in a row that the Swiss ESC song comes from the songwriting camp organized by Pele Loriano Productions and SUISA.

Répondez-Moi” was composed in June 2019 in the Powerplay Studios in Maur / Zurich in a one-day songwriting session by the song’s interpreter, Gjon Muherramaj (Gjon’s Tears), together with SUISA members Alizé Oswald and Xavier Michel of the Geneva-based duo Aliose and Belgian songwriter and producer Jeroen Swinnen. The song won the internal selection procedure of the Swiss television SRF.

“Too many ideas and not enough time”

“I remember the good vibes,” reports Xavier Michel. At the same time the four composers were under time pressure, as Xavier Michel says. “In one day, you have to get to know one another, and have to start working together. Then by the evening, you have to have something finished.” Jeroen Swinnen adds: ” We never had enough time, never! We had too many ideas and not enough time. It’s better than having no ideas.”

“The melody evolved quickly,” says Alizée Oswald in the video interview. “Then we asked ourselves what words would sound good. Because that’s always how it is with French. It’s very challenging to make it sound like English, for example.”

Simple, naive language for universal topics

The search for the right words was very important to the four songwriters in order to convey the universal message of the piece. “The challenge was to get quite a simple feel to the lyrics – almost naive, like the language of a child,” explains Alizée Oswald. From the song you can hear that it is a universal theme to get answers to questions. This simplicity was especially important to Gjon Muherramaj: ” The first time we talked, I said that, for me, the most important value of all is innocence,” he says. ” It’s that experience of rediscovering what it’s like to learn something. When you discover the beauty in something, for example, you see a child who suddenly realises that the Earth is round or that there are several continents.” He adds: ” I think that the song’s message for the listener is: even if you have a lot of questions with no answers, you can keep on asking questions all your life.”

For the first time since 2010, a song in French is going to the ESC for Switzerland

With “Répondez-Moi”, Switzerland is sending a French-language song to the ESC for the first time since 2010 after Michael von der Heides’ song “Il pleu de l’or”. ” I think that for us having a French song at Eurovision, that’s a key point ,” says Xavier Michel in the video interview. “Supporting a beautiful language, our language.“

“A song that grabs me, it’s really about the alchemy between the lyrics, the music and the voice,” says Alizée Oswald. ” With this song, there is a moment, when Gjon sings the chorus, for example, and the first words come together, the first arrangements. And that’s when I realised that this song could be really great.”

Gjon’s Tears became known to a wide audience in Switzerland and France through his participation in the eighth season of “The Voice France”, where he advanced to the semi-finals. In 2018, the singer-songwriter was also a participant in the Gustav Academy, which is run by the Fribourg musician and SUISA member Gustav and promotes young Swiss musicians both musically and linguistically.

The Eurovision Song Contest is probably the most famous music competition in the world. More than 182 million viewers around the world watched the two semi-finals and the Grand Final on television in 2019. Switzerland reached 4th place in the final with Luca Hänni’s song “She Got Me”. This year, the ESC will take place from Tuesday 12 May to Saturday 16 May in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. In the second semi-final on 14 May, the Swiss entry will compete for entry into the ESC Grand Final.

SUISA and Pele Loriano Productions will again hold a Songwriting Camp this year. SUISA members will be able to reapply for participation in the camp. Information on the application procedure will soon be published on the SUISAblog.

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SUISA Songwriting Camp 2019 now open for applications by SUISA members | plus video

The third SUISA Songwriting Camp shall take place between 24 and 26 June 2019 in the Powerplay Studios in Maur near Zurich. SUISA members may exclusively apply for a participation. The event, jointly organised between SUISA and Pele Loriano Productions, has already spawned several internationally successful pop songs. “She Got Me”, sung and co-written by Luca Hänni, was the second song in a row selected from the SUISA Songwriting Camp to represent Switzerland at the ESC. Text and video by Manu Leuenberger

With the SUISA Songwriting Camp, SUISA offers some of its members the opportunity to team up and compose pop songs with internationally renowned producers and songwriters. Swiss Duo Aliose participated in the most recent SUISA Songwriting Camp. The two SUISA members explain in the video how they perceived their participation.

Those who wish to participate in the Songwriting Camp need to have well-founded musical knowledge, be able to produce high-level creative output when pressed for time and be open for criticism and an exchange with their co-writers.

The challenging task is: To write a pop song in a team which consists of three to five persons within a day, according to certain specifications – you start with a blank sheet of paper in the morning and don’t finish until you have completed a demo track by the evening.

Pop songs with hit potential

The musical style of the songs can comprise all facets of temporary pop music, which could also be successful in the charts, on streaming platforms or on radio/TV. The songs are intended to be offered to publishers and artists on the one hand, and also be suitable for the Eurovision Song Contest on the other hand.

36 music creators from Switzerland and other countries had taken part in the SUISA Songwriting Camp 2018. Of the 19 songs which were written during last year’s instalment of the event, two compositions have meanwhile reached international fame: The works “She Got Me” and “Sister” will feature in the final round of the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Tel Aviv for Switzerland and Germany, respectively.

Applications for the SUISA Songwriting Camp 2019

The third SUISA Songwriting Camp shall take place between 24 and 26 June 2019 in the Powerplay Studios in Maur near Zurich. The event is jointly organised by SUISA and Pele Loriano Productions. Pele Loriano Productions is responsible for the artistic direction of the Songwriting Camp on behalf of SUISA.

SUISA members can now apply to take part in the SUISA Songwriter Camp 2019. Are you a producer, songwriter (topliner), or a lyricist and do you think you can fulfil the requirements regarding musical skills and abilities? In that case, please send us your application which should contain the following:

a short biography;
meaningful reference songs (mp3 files or internet links);
contact details.

Please e-mail the applications to the following address: songwritingcamp (at) suisa (dot) ch
Closing date for applications: Monday, 22 April 2019

Important: Participants’ spaces are only allocated to SUISA members by way of this application process. Those who apply should be able to guarantee that they are available to participate on one or all of the event days (24 to 26 June 2019).

Dates and selection of the participants

The selection of all artists who are invited to the camp shall be done via the artistic director. A suitable mix of participants is paramount for the creative success of the songwriting sessions.

The artistic programme director will directly communicate any acceptance messages and invitations as well as further details on the participation at the SUISA Songwriting Camp 2019 by 31 May 2019.

Rejection letters will not be sent. If you have not received an acceptance message by 31 May 2019 you were not taken into consideration for the Songwriting Camp 2019.

The number of applications is expected to exceed the number of available participants’ spaces by far. Please note that, at no time whatsoever, any claims arise to a participation in the event by sending in an application. There will also not be any correspondence in relation to the actual allocation of spaces. It is not possible to comment on any further Songwriting Camps supported by SUISA at this stage.

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Busseniers says:

23.03.2019 at 16:59

J ai eu la chance d avoir un feedback de Jeroen Swinnen, le belge, ce qui m a permis de bien evoluer
C est egalement , a Jeroen Swinnen, que j ai achete le digidesign pro tools ,
Merveilleux engin
Bonne journee a Vous
Christian Busseniers

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Switzerland will be represented at the Eurovision Song Contest by Luca Hänni and a song from the SUISA Songwriting Camp | plus video

For the second time in succession, the Swiss entry for the Eurovision Song Contest has come from the SUISA Songwriting Camp. The song “She Got Me” was written last June at the Powerplay Studios by SUISA member Luca Hänni with Canadian songwriters Laurell Barker and Frazer Mac as well as Swedish producer Jon Hällgren. Text and video by Sibylle Roth

The song “She Got Me”, which had the working title of “Dirty Dancing”, was written during the SUISA Songwriting Camp in June 2018 by a four-person team. With Germany taking another song – “Sister” – from the SUISA Songwriting Camp 2018 to the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, this represents another major success for the songwriting camp, staged by SUISA in collaboration with Pele Loriano Productions.

“It’s fantastic”, says Luca Hänni, a SUISA member since 2015. The Bern native was first exposed to the broader public in a German casting show in 2012. Since then, he has issued four albums and a number of singles, and recently appeared on stage with Helene Fischer. Eurovision is the next big adventure in his career. Hänni says he’s excited, “and I just want to give the best show possible.”

Last year, Luca Hänni took part in the SUISA Songwriting Camp for the first time, with Canadian songwriters Laurell Barker and Frazer Mac returning for a second time. For Laurell Barker, the Swiss camp is a real success story; she contributed to Switzerland’s Eurovision entry last year as well. She wrote the song “Stones” with ZiBBZ, which is made up of SUISA members Corinne and Stefan Gfeller. Jon Hällgren, the Swedish producer, completes the songwriting quartet. After the camp, he produced “She Got Me” for Eurovision 2019 in collaboration with his son Lukas Hällgren.

This year, Swiss broadcaster SRF left the decision on the Eurovision entry to an international jury of 20 experts and a 100-strong viewer panel in a multiple-stage process. Over 420 songs were entered.

On 16 May 2019 (SRF zwei at 9:00 pm), Switzerland will be battling for a place in the Eurovision Song Contest final in Tel Aviv. The Eurovision final will take place on 18 May 2019 (SRF 1 at 8:00 pm).

The SUISA Songwriting Camp took place in June 2018 for the second time. Overall, 36 musicians from eight countries took part in the three-day event in Powerplay Studios, Maur. This resulted in 19 pop songs in a range of styles. The camp was staged by Pele Loriano Productions and SUISA.

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Eurovision Song Contest: SUISA Songwriting Camp song in the German qualifier | plus video

Success for the SUISA Songwriting Camp: The song “Sister” created during last year’s camp is in today’s German ESC qualifier. The piece was composed and produced by an international songwriting team consisting of Marine Kaltenbacher, Laurell Barker, Tom Oehler and Thomas Stengaard. The German qualifier “Our song for Israel” (“Unser Lied für Israel”) will hit the stage today, Friday, 22 February 2019. Text by Giorgio Tebaldi; Video by Manu Leuenberger

Tonight’s decision night: Which song will represent Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in May 2019 in Tel Aviv? Among the seven final songs is “Sister” which was created during the SUISA Songwriting Camp in June 2018. The song was written by SUISA members Marine Kaltenbacher and Tom Oehler together with Canadian songwriter Laurell Barker. In the follow-up, Danish producer Thomas Steengard came on board for some finetuning.

“Sister” is a song from the SUISA Songwriting Camp which manages to cross borders beyond those of Switzerland. “Thanks to the ESC and the German qualifier, the positive message which we wanted to send with ‘Sister’, enjoys a much bigger distribution” says singer songwriter Marine Kaltenbacher who performs under the name Submaryne and is from Lausanne. Berne songwriter and producer Tom Oehler also considers the participation of the song in the German qualifier as a huge step: “A song which participates in the ESC may well represent a huge career leap for a songwriter or producer.”

Laurell Barker: Several successes at the ESC

While Tom Oehler and Marine Kaltenbacher participated at a SUISA Songwriting Camp for the first time, Laurell Barker has already gathered ESC experience and took part at the camp, co-organised by SUISA, for a second time. Not without success: At the first SUISA Songwriting Camp, she was a co-composer of “Stones” by ZiBBZ; the song represented Switzerland at the ESC 2018 in Lisbon. Laurell Barker is already now considered to be a participant at the finale of this year’s ESC: She is one of the composers of the British contribution “Bigger Than Us” sung by Michael Rice. The song qualified directly for the ESC finale, since the UK, together with Germany, France, Italy and Spain, belong to the “Big Five” countries. “I’d be extremely blessed and lucky if I could represent more than just one country in Tel Aviv – that would be crazy”, Laurell Barker says in the video.

“Unser Lied für Israel” today at 8.15pm on ARD

The song is performed by Sisters, a duo consisting of the two singers Carlotta Truman and Laurita Spinelli. The finale of “Our song for Israel” (“Unser Lied für Israel”) is broadcast tonight from 8.15pm onwards live on ARD. The ESC finale in Tel Aviv will take place on 18 May 2019. Germany is also directly qualifying for the finale as one of the “Big Five” countries. Other countries – among them Switzerland – fight for an entry into the finale on 14 and 16 May.

The SUISA Songwriting Camp took place for the second time in June 2018. A total of 36 musicians from 8 countries participated in the 3-day-long event in the Powerplay Studios in Maur. 19 pop songs were created, with varied styles and expressions. The Camp was organised by Pele Loriano Productions and SUISA.

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Creative teamwork at SUISA’s 2018 Songwriting Camp | plus video – SUISA organised the second edition of its Songwriting Camp in cooperation with Pele Loriano Productions. Like the premiere last year the camp again took place at the Powerplay Studios in Maur. A total of 36 musicians from eight different countries attended the three-day event in June 2018, creating 19 pop songs in a wide range of musical styles. Read more

“We wanted to write a song that suits us” | plus video – Siblings Co and Stee Gfeller, better known as ZiBBZ, are battling it out for entry to the Eurovision Song Contest with their song “Stones”. They wrote the song together with Canadian songwriter Laurell Barker at the songwriting camp staged by Pele Loriano Productions and SUISA in August 2017. In the video, the two siblings tell us more about how the song came about and why this kind of songwriting camp is so important. Read more

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Erika Keller says:

22.05.2019 at 01:21

Es wundert mich, dass nicht mehr Leute für Sisters angerufen haben zumindesten aus dem “Lager” wo daran gearbeitet wurde in der Schweiz. Ich habe auch für Deutschland angerufen. Trotzdem gab es beim puplic voting für Sisters null Punkte.
Es wird wohl am System der Punktevergabe liegen, welches ich nicht kenne und ich wäre für eine Erklärung dankbar.

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Creative teamwork at SUISA’s 2018 Songwriting Camp | plus video

SUISA organised the second edition of its Songwriting Camp in cooperation with Pele Loriano Productions. Like the premiere last year the camp again took place at the Powerplay Studios in Maur. A total of 36 musicians from eight different countries attended the three-day event in June 2018, creating 19 pop songs in a wide range of musical styles. Text and Video by Manu Leuenberger

The musical goal of SUISA’s 2018 Songwriting Camp was to write and compose pop songs suitable for broadcasting and with hit-parade potential, covering the full gamut of contemporary pop music – from urban to singer/songwriter. The participating musicians were divided into teams of 3 to 4 persons with the task of producing one song in one day. The groups changed every day so that the musicians always worked on new songs with new teammates.

Songwriting camps – a well-established format in the pop music branch

The songwriting camp is a well-established production format in the international pop music business. One of the advantages of this format is that it brings together musicians who would not otherwise work together, explained Pele Loriano, the artistic director of the event, in an article about last year’s SUISA Camp published in the “NZZ” (edition of 19.10.2017): “This increases the chance that the special chemistry favouring inspiration will emerge in one of the teams. The great thing about teamwork is that it generates ideas which one person alone would not otherwise have found.”

The foreign producers and songwriters invited by Pele Loriano to the Greifensee were from France, Great Britain, Germany, Belgium, USA, Sweden, and Canada. In picking the artists from Switzerland, the artistic director was literally spoilt for choice: 75 responses were received to SUISA’s call for applications from members. The number of applicants was far larger then the places available.

Many SUISA members were interested and participated

In order to cope with the large demand, the five teams originally planned were increased to six songwriting groups per day. This enabled more SUISA members than planned to enjoy the opportunity of composing songs jointly with international and Swiss songwriters, and to benefit from the inspirational exchange.

Over the three days from 18 to 20 June 2018, a total of 36 music creators participated in the Songwriting Camp. Of the 26 participating SUISA members, six were from the French-speaking part of the country and three from the Ticino; the others came from German-speaking Switzerland. About 40% of the participants were female musicians (14 female, 22 male artists).

At the final “Listening Session” on Wednesday evening, the artists and guests – including representatives of music publishers – listened to the diversified results of the songwriting sessions. Overall, the teams produced 19 pop songs in the most varied musical styles; from ballads to chanson, from indie pop to dance track, with lyrics in French, German, Italian and English. The future will show whether the demo songs from the “hit factory made in Switzerland”, as the “Aargauer Zeitung” called the SUISA Songwriting Camp in its edition of 1 February 2018, will be successful in finding an audience.

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Applications for the SUISA Songwriting Camp 2018

SUISA organises another Songwriting Camp together with Pele Loriano Productions. The second SUISA Songwriting Camp will be held between 18 and 20 June 2018. SUISA members can apply to participate. Text by Manu Leuenberger

The SUISA Songwriting Camp is taking place for a second time in June 2018. Above, a group shot of participants is shown, taken at the Powerplay Studios during the successful première of the Songwriting Camp in August 2017. (Photo: Manu Leuenberger)

The SUISA Songwriting Camp takes place for a second time after its successful première in the summer of 2017 (4 songs from the camp made it to the Swiss ESC final, among them the winning song “Stones”). This year, the Songwriting Camp will be held between Monday 18 and Wednesday 20 June 2018. Planned venue for the event are the Powerplay Studios in Maur near Zurich.

The goal of the Songwriting Camp is to compose pop songs, tailored for radio broadcasts and capable of storming the charts, with the potential to comprise all facets of temporary pop – in the range of “urban” to singer/songwriter. Resulting songs shall have the spectrum to be offered to publishers and artists from the pop scene and to be viable material for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Spaces for SUISA member participation

The exact number of participants’ spaces at the Songwriting Camp will only be made known once the exact set up of the participating songwriters has been completed. At least half of the participants’ spaces are available for SUISA members from all regions of Switzerland. SUISA members will benefit from the opportunity to compose pieces of music together with other professional songwriters from all over the world at the Songwriting Camp.

Participants are expected to exhibit well-versed musical competencies, team spirit, creativity and efficient working styles. Teams of 3-5 people are presented with the task to write a song from scratch within one day during the “songwriting sessions” – the result is a demo version of the completed piece in the evening.

In order to make this cooperation a success, participants must be able to retrieve their creative potential and be open for critique in the exchange with the co-composers. SUISA members Kate Northrop, Lars Christen, Chiara Dubey, Alejandro Reyes and the siblings Co & Stee Gfeller aka Zibbz report of their experience during last year’s SUISA Songwriting Camp in video interviews.

Applications for the SUISA Songwriting Camp 2018

SUISA members may apply for participation in the Songwriting Camp. We are looking for producers, lyricists, composers and songwriters who wish to participate for one or several days at the SUISA Songwriting Camp.

Applications should contain:

a short biography;
meaningful reference songs (mp3 files or internet links);
contact infos (including valid e-mail addresses and phone numbers).

The applications with the documentation should be sent via e-mail, including the subject line “Application – SUISA Songwriting Camp 2018” to:
songwritingcamp (at) suisa (dot) ch
The deadline for applications is 8 April 2018.

Selection process and dates

International artists as well as participating SUISA members are selected by the artistic programme director of the Songwriting Camp. A harmonious mix of participants is paramount for the creative success of the “Songwriting Sessions”. Pele Loriano Productions are going to take on the artistic programme directorship on behalf of SUISA.

The artistic programme director will directly communicate any acceptance messages and invitations as well as further details on the participation at the SUISA Songwriting Camp 2018 by 31 May 2018.

There will be no mail-out of letters of rejection. If you have not received an acceptance message by 31 May 2018 you were not taken into consideration for the Songwriting Camp 2018. Please note that, at no time whatsoever, any claims arise to a participation in the event by sending in an application. There will also not be any correspondence in relation to the actual allocation of spaces. It is currently unconfirmed whether or not SUISA will continue to co-organise Songwriting Camps after June 2018.

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Schedler Music Summit 2018 with Romina Kalsi

The sixth recurrence of the Schedler Music Summit, an annual international songwriting camp which is organised by music publishing house Schedler Music, took place between 13 and 18 January 2018 in Lechtal, Austria. For five days, a team of 42 musicians from a variety of musical and geographic contexts with the task to compose a minimum of one song per day. Romina Kalsi, who has been a SUISA member since 2014, was selected by those in charge of the camp and the summit, Fiona Schedler and Alexander Schedler, as one of the nine summit participants from Switzerland. Text by Erika Weibel

Romina Kalsi, a young singer and songwriter from Ticino was one of the participants of the Schedler Music Summit 2018. From her first experience in an international songwriting camp, Romina brings along three new songs and numerous new contacts to the international music scene. (Photo: Wolfgang Rudigier)

Romina Kalsi, a young singer and songwriter from Ticino, has become known over the last years due to the success of the band Rocky Wood. The frontwoman, singer and co-composer of the tracks has contributed significantly to the success and the creation of the first album “Shimmer” which was published by the band from Ticino in 2014. After that, Romina has selected a new solo path with her project Animor from which a digital EP named “Chasing Gold” emerged.

Creation of the works by Romina Kalsi

Kalsi explains to us that composing one of her songs can sometimes be a long process which easily keeps her busy for three to four months. This is due to the fact that she does not always has the possibility to dedicate all of their time exclusively to songwriting. It’s also possible that the basic idea for a work simply needs to ripen over a certain period of time. She does not set herself a time limit when it comes to composing for herself.

Source of inspiration and starting point for her works are often life experiences which left a mark on her, or synergies which arise in the cooperation with other musicians who respectively trigger a creative process.

Songwriting camp: Three works in three days

The participation in the Schedler Summit is Romina Kalsi’s first experience in an international songwriting camp. Fiona Schedler explained that it was particularly Romina Kalsi’s particular timbre which stood out among more than fifty SUISA authors who had applied, which was, among others, a reason that she was selected to participate in the camp. The camp gained musical variety due to Kalsi’s participation.

Alexander Schedler, the artistic leader of the camp, asked her to compose a piece for her current solo project Animor as a first assignment. It was composed in collaboration with Finnish creator Tobias Grandbacka, Riccardo Bettiol of Switzerland and Ida Björg Leisin from Denmark in one day; it’s title is “Crumble Plastic”. The piece is a pop song which is characterised by reggae elements and whose lyrics have been inspired by a current topic. It is very important for Kalsi that her music contains a message. She is of the opinion that composer carry a major responsibility since they can reach straight for the hearts of the audience with their music.

Kalsi adds that “Crumble Plastic” is the result of a surprising agreement and incredible feeling which immediately arose among the involved musicians. It was nearly written in an organic process, in a long jam session which left enough space to each composer to be able to integrate their ideas into the song.

The other works that the summit representative from Ticino was involved in are “Big Shot”, a melancholic pop song and “At The End Of The World” whose genre is similar to a soundtrack.

The composition process was rather dissimilar to the one for “Crumble Plastic”. Both are the result of intensive communication between the involved composers. In this case, the starting point were the song lyrics, characterised by metaphoric images which were created via the exchange of feelings and personal experiences of various musicians. The result: two poetic sets of lyrics which served as a basis for a nearly mathematical composition of the melody. Each passage of lyrics and music is thus the result of acrimonious work of communicating and integrating experiences of the participating composers.

In the coming months, we will find out where and when “Big Shot” and “At The End Of The World” will be published.

Challenges and advantages of a songwriting camp

Deep and long lasting friendships can arise among the musicians who collaborate during a songwriting camp and exchange very personal experiences at this occasion in order to compose songs together. Sometimes it also happens that the spark among the participants does not jump immediately or that the topics allocated by the artistic leader do not correspond with the reality or nature of the musician.

The limited deadline prescribing that at least one song has to be written per day, the feeling between the musicians and the stress arising from unavoidable confrontation with other songs which are created in the camp, are some additional aspects which either hinder or kindle the composers’ creativity, and they sometimes spur them on to reach maximum performance. As a consequence, and despite the limited time, capturing songs are created in the camp, with which not only the composers of the works but also a broad audience can identify. Alexander Schedler, creative leader of the camp, confirms that Kalsi met these challenges with great enthusiasm and creativity.

From her first experience in an international songwriting camp, Romina does not only bring along three new songs but also numerous contacts to the international music scene. Thanks to the cooperation with rather different musicians, she can also draw from new composition approaches and styles and emerges from this experience with musical maturity. Romina tells us that she has already four projects in the pipeline where she is going to enter into new cooperations with the composers who she met in the songwriting camp. In the coming months, she is particularly focussing on the implementation of her project Animor.

Tracks composed by Romina Kalsi during the summit camp, with the participation of:

“Big Shot”
Romina Kalsi
Dillon Dixon
Phil Sunday
Ida Björg Leisin

“Crumble Plastic”
Romina Kalsi
Riccardo Bettiol
Ida Björg Leisin
Tobias Grandbacka

“At The End Of The World”
Romina Kalsi
Pele Loriano
Tobias Grandbacka

SUISA Sponsoring at the Schedler Summit:
SUISA was one of the sponsors of the Schedler Music Summit 2018. Schedler Music Publishing has been registered with SUISA since 2005 and is active via various sub-publishing agreements in nearly all Western and English-speaking countries. At the Summit 2018, a total of 61 songs were composed with the participation of 42 musicians from 9 countries.

www.animormusic.com
schedlermusicsummit.com
schedlermusic.com

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Bill Kalsi says:

15.06.2018 at 18:58

I feel proud of my daughter.

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