Phillip Phillips, Jessica Sanchez and Skylar Laine – A Glimpse At The Type Of Songs They’ll Record

By On 08/13/2012 · 167 Comments · In American Idol

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Here’s an illuminating tidbit. The A&R service, TAXI, has listings for what appears to be this year’s Idol alums. A&R execs and publishers label basically put a classified ad in the publication, looking for songs for their artist.  Although they aren’t identified specifically, it looks like the hunt for songs is on for Phillip Phillips, Jessica Sanchez and Skylar Laine.

This one is likely for Phillip Phlllips. In the style of Paul McDonald sort of cracks me up. It seems that the label is looking for the usual Rock Lite songs for Phillip.

NEW LISTING — POP/ROCK SONGS with MALE VOCALS in the style of David Cook, Paul McDonald, with elements of John Mayer, Train, and Jason Mraz, etc., needed by an A&R Manager of a Major Label for an AMERICAN IDOL winner working on his debut album. They’re looking for FRESH, UPLIFTING, and RADIO-FRIENDLY songs that are stylistically within the range of the referenced artists while bringing something NEW and FRESH to the table. They’ll be looking for the Top-40 Radio side of Pop/Singer-Songwriter/Rock, nothing overly moody or introspective. Your songs should be FUN and CATCHY, with BIG sing-along CHORUSES. Vocal and demo presentation must be top-notch and really sell the song! MALE VOCALS ONLY! MID to UPTEMPO ONLY! Please submit one to three songs online or per CD, include lyrics. All submissions will be screened and critiqued by TAXI and must be received no later than Thursday, August 16, 2012.

Nothing moody or introspective? FUN and CATCHY? Hm. I wonder if Phillip has seen this ad. Hopefully, the label is looking for one or two songs, maybe to release as the first single. Still, that would mean the tradition of releasing songs the Idol has not written as singles will continue.

Here’s Jessica Sanchez’s listing:

NEW LISTING — CONTEMPORARY POP SONGS with FEMALE VOCALS in the style Jessica Simpson, Jessica Sanchez, Kelly Clarkson, etc., needed by an A&R Exec for an AMERICAN IDOL runner up working on her debut album. QUOTING THE SOURCE: “We’re looking for Pop songs with meaning and substance, not bubblegum pop.” She is a still young artist, so be sure your lyrics are youthful but not too cute or cheeky. Songs MUST be RADIO-FRIENDLY, FULLY DEVELOPED, and grab the listener’s attention from start to finish. Lyrics must be HONEST, RELATABLE and AGE-APPROPRIATE. (No profanity.) Make sure both vocal and instrumental performances are top-notch and can really sell the song! All tempos are welcome, but BALLADS must sustain interest with transitions and dynamic builds! FEMALE vocals ONLY! Please submit one to three songs online or per CD, include lyrics. All submissions will be screened and critiqued by TAXI and must be received no later than Monday, August 27, 2012.

“Lyrics must be HONEST, RELATABLE and AGE-APPROPRIATE.” Well, that rules out any comparisons to Rihanna! It’s weird that they name check Jessica as a “sounds like” but then leave the actual artist anonymous.

This listing could very well be for Skylar Laine.

NEW LISTING — CONTEMPORARY COUNTRY POP SONGS with FEMALE VOCALS in the range of Kellie Pickler to Carrie Underwood, needed by a boutique Music Publisher to pitch to an American Idol runner up working on her debut album. QUOTING THE SOURCE: “We’re looking uptempo hits with age appropriate lyrics. Not looking for themes about drinking or anything explicit.” Songs submitted should have STRONG melodies, MEMORABLE lyrics, and above all, share the Contemporary sound and style of the referenced artists. Your songs MUST also have a big, fresh CHORUS HOOK and a strong PAYOFF along with compelling, relatable lyric themes. UPTEMPO SONGS ONLY, NO Mids or Ballads. Radio-ready songs with HIT POTENTIAL are ESSENTIAL! Vocal and instrumental demo presentation must be top-notch! Please submit one to three songs online or per CD, include lyrics. All submissions will be screened and critiqued by TAXI and must be received no later than Monday, August 20, 2012.

Skylar has said over and over in interviews that she ain’t country pop–old school all the way! So, this should be interesting.

 
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  • Karen C

    Yes, the audience is voting for contestants that don’t fit nicely into pop radio or even any other bigger format. The solution for this is simple: don’t let contestants from more niche genres to the voting rounds. Put the focus on pop music and some other bigger genres. In a couple of years, the contestants and the audience would get the idea.

    There’s a risk of alienating the audience they have if they do that, and they don’t know if they will get new viewers at this point to replace them. 

    I also don’t think the show needs to be just focused on finding pop stars, if anything, I think the purpose of the show is to make someone who necessarily wouldn’t be a pop star into a recording artist.  It really has been this way since the beginning, because even Kelly Clarkson isn’t a traditional pop star.

  • guinness 416

    Can PP do “moody songs with meaning that make you think” though?  I mean can he write them, I’m sure he can perform them pretty well.  He seems somewhat young and inarticulate for his age, and I was under the impression that his pre-Idol stuff was mostly generic love songs like Hazel and covers of hip-hop?  It would be cool and exciting if he could write stuff like e.g. David Gray’s debut acoustic album way back but I’m not holding my breath and they obviously ain’t seeking out those sort of tunes for him.  Fun to read all the speculation, anyway!

  • merkureye

    Gotta question.  Please explain how songwriters are protected from somebody ripping off their material (music or lyrics) on a demo.  Taxi is asking for a 3 song cd w/ lyrics.  It seems to me someone could “borrow” a lyric or thematic idea or even a riff from submitted material.  Must the material be copyrighted before submission?  Is there some standard industry confidentiality agreement?  Just wondering.

  • Karen C

    Even if he didn’t have the experience to write the songs, it would still be better if the songs that they are looking for fit his vision for himself as an artist.    And the other thing is to have him work with songwriters that do the type of music he wants.  At least the album will reflect him better.

  • Karen C

    Songwriters can copywrite their songs, and should before they submit them. I’ve heard of songwriters being sued if they steal a copywrited song from another artist, but sometimes it might be hard to prove.

  • Anonymous

    it doesn’t have to be, but most songwriters would protect their material before submitting it for something like this TAXI ad — they can either copyright it through the US Copyright Office, they can register it on BMI, ASCAP or SESAC or they could simply send the material to themselves via registered mail, with the information about the song (title, credits, etc) on the outside of the envelope. As long as the envelope remained sealed, that is also considered proof of ownership of the material in court

  • Anonymous

    Just like everyone else when they first come off the show, Phillip’s primary fanbase is still very much in the Idol bubble. He has not broken away from that yet. 

  • merkureye

    Thanks Karen C!

  • Anonymous

    I’ve never heard any of Phillip’s pre-Idol music, so I have no idea whether he can write “moody songs with meaning that will make you think”. He does seem drawn to those type of songs when he covers other people’s material, though

  • merkureye

    That registered mail idea is pretty creative!  So, songwriters do have ways to protect their property.  I’ve always wondered about this.  Thanks for your answer :)

  • Anonymous

    we might need to stock up on popcorn after all, based on what P2 just retweeted. 

  • Karen C

    I saw that retweet, also.    I was hoping Interscope was more supportive with the idols but it doesn’t seem like it.

  • Anonymous

    if you look at what Nathan Porter tweeted right before that, he is calling out management, not label. Which is interesting, since he works for 19E

  • http://twitter.com/eilonwya10 Eilonwy

    we might need to stock up on popcorn after all, based on what P2 just retweeted.

    Oh, man. I guess P2 has discovered it’s not as simple as “I told TPTB…”

    Ironically, the band I was writing about tonight for my 50 States / 50 Bands / 50 Dishes project absolutely nails the “fun, young, bouncy, alt-indie, pop-rock with big, sing-along choruses” sound that’s apparently wanted for P2. (It’s The Picture Perfect. I wish they were on my radio.)

    Interscope could let P2 be P2 — let him write, keep the production cheap and simple, and keep the promo budget modest if it’s truly impossible to make the sound commercial — and sign an existing band that can give them exactly what they want. The way the system’s working right now, nobody wins.

    ETA: Nathan Porter’s tweets sound like 19 is siding with a label against an artist, presumably “for the artist’s own good.” Um.

  • BonnieDee

    Skylar couldn’t sing like Carrie if she wanted to.  Skylar has the ugliest vocal tone I’ve ever heard.

  • BonnieDee

    Skylar couldn’t sing like Carrie if she wanted to.  Skylar has the ugliest vocal tone I’ve ever heard.

  • Anonymous

    I’m curious, why the song for Phillip gets less time than others. We all know that the cd will be released later.
    However, most of all, I would like to know who killed JFK, of course.

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