Song Revolution with John Chisum

Latest Episodes:

AUDREY ASSAD: Angst, Art, and Songwriting Jun 03, 2017

Show notes

Audrey Assad is, by her own admission, a very opinionated person.

Of Middle Eastern descent, yet raised in a small cult-like expression of the Plymouth Brethren denomination in New Jersey, she was not allowed to sing or read Scriptures in front of males and suffered tremendous personal repression as a child. Ironically, the very things she endured became the fuel of her deeply layered artistry that blends ancient-future influences into her uniquely beautiful music.

Her debut album The House You're Building (2010) was named Christian Album of the Year on Amazon.com and the Christian Breakthrough Album of the Year on iTunes and she has worked and toured with other great CCM artists such as Chris Tomlin, Tenth Avenue North, Matt Maher, and Jars of Clay.

In this episode, John Chisum and Audrey discuss the role of pain in art, literary influences in lyric writing, how the historic Christian traditions of beauty and literature are sometimes lost on the evangelical church, as well as:

How she came to Nashville with the help of Mike Donehy, lead singer of the band Tenth Avenue North
Being who you are as a singer-songwriter and how to use "discovery tools" like Spotify to build your own following
What it means to walk away from the "established" Christian music industry over artistic control and financial accountability
Writing religious music for the people who would never buy it or want to listen to "Christian" music
The role of catharsis and lament in art and how pain shapes our worship
Her "non-Christian" band called Levv and her foray into EDM
Contextualizing pain and how to redeem it in songwriting… "You can't heal from a wound that you don't know is there…"
Why she always writes the songs that she needs first in order to "preach the Gospel to herself" every day
The literary influences in her writing such as Jane Austen, Tolstoy, Rohr, Merton, John Donne, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Madeleine L'Engle, and Mother Teresa
Her musical influences from 70's folk/rock music, despite the strictures of the Plymouth Brethren beliefs
How to resource yourself through reading, imagination, and creativity to avoid rehashing Christian music from a decade ago
Approaching hooks with simplicity
How she wrote the song Restless from her first album, still one of her most popular songs
Setting poems to music
Her favorite exercises to add creativity and uniqueness to your music and to break out of ruts by intentional disruption

You can check out Audrey and her music at audreyassad.com, on Instagram @audreyassad, Twitter @audreyassad, and her EDM band Levv at Levvmusic.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LEVVmusic/

For more information visit www.nashvillechristiansongwriters.com and join the Successful Christian Songwriters Group on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SuccessfulChristianSongwriters/?fref=nf

JOHN CHISUM: Eliminating "Writer's Block" Forever May 27, 2017

Show notes

Along with not having your songs heard and "getting them out there," if you're like most aspiring songwriters, your next greatest challenge is probably what we call "writer's block." But what is writer's block and why do you have it? What causes it and what can cure it? Is there any way to avoid it and discover an endless flow of creativity to fuel your songwriting?

If you've listened to these podcasts, you've already heard John Chisum doesn't believe in writer's block, despite the millions who seemingly suffer from it and commonly complain of it. In this insightful episode, John talks about the causes of decreased work flow and how to reframe the concept of writer's block to eliminate its power over you and your songwriting forever.

What you'll learn from this podcast:

Why you bring all you are to your songs
The importance of constantly feeding your creativity and how to do it
Drinking from distant wells… digging new ones
The iTunes Sweep Exercise and how to find fresh ideas
How to release yourself from the past with all of its limiting beliefs and behaviors
Developing detachment from your songs and the results you seek
What to do when writing isn't fun anymore
Why perfectionism kills creativity (and is the flip side of fear)
Using natural and virtual disruptions to blast through blocks
Knowing when to walk away from a song (at least for a while)
Eliminating the idea of being blocked forever and reclaiming your creative power
And more...

For more information visit www.nashvillechristiansongwriters.com and join the Successful Christian Songwriters Group on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SuccessfulChristianSongwriters/?fref=nf

DRAKEFORD: Life on the Edge of a Record Deal May 20, 2017

Show notes

What's it like to be young 20-somethings in hot pursuit of a Nashville record deal? What does it mean to hang out with some of the best new talent in the city and have open doors with top music producers and publishers?

Find out on this episode of The Song Revolution Podcast with up-and-coming duo Drake and Lucy-Jayne Lanier (Drakeford) as they talk candidly about doors that may, or may not, be opening for them in the music industry and how they're building a music career one coffee shop at a time.

Along with performing three originals on the show, John Chisum interviews this beautiful and talented young couple to give you insight on:

What people don't want to hear when you're singing on the street
Writing songs true to yourself
How fast-paced lyrics capture attention and hold it
Living out the faith of a full-time music life
The spiritual power of music
Life without a booking agent
Their unique process in hopes of communicating in fresh, relevant ways
Why authenticity is key to their ministry and songwriting
How evangelism and relationships are key to knowing Jesus and communicating His love in this culture
Communicating with "non-Christian" audiences in bars, schools, universities, and other venues
What it means to build a music ministry from scratch
How to know when to drop a song from your set
Competing on the commercial side of things and the process required to grow from amateurs to professionals
The value of co-writing, mentorship, and receiving critique to improve your perspective and reach more people with your music

Connect with Drakeford on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/drakeford.john.1 and on Instagram at @drakeford_music, on Twitter at @Drakeford_ , on Spotify here and on their website at drakefordmusic.com.

Songs included in this podcast are "Stronger Than One,"Never Leave or Forsake Us," "Chattanooga," and "Ruins" Words and Music by Drakeford & Lucy-Jayne Lanier. © Copyright by Drake and Lucy-Jayne Lanier. All Rights Reserved.

For more information visit www.nashvillechristiansongwriters.com and join the Successful Christian Songwriters Group on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SuccessfulChristianSongwriters/?fref=nf

JOHN CHISUM: Three Ways to Find Your True Mission as a Songwriter May 13, 2017

Show notes

How do you find your "mission" as a songwriter? Isn't it just about writing songs that praise Jesus or talk about the cross or the Bible? While it includes those things, John Chisum, Managing Partner of Nashville Christian Songwriters and prolific songwriter himself, believes it goes much deeper than that and that God has greater plans to impact lives through you than you could ever imagine.

In this episode, John brings you three key insights for finding your true songwriting mission using examples from well-known Contemporary Christian Music artists such as Natalie Grant, Amy Grant, and Steve Green. While these artists have had enduring music success, each of them have invested in their true calling by doing much more than music alone.

John helps you unlock your true mission as a songwriter by discussing:

Honing in on the central themes of your life and using them to guide your songs
Writing courageously to connect with listeners
Why "waiting for a lucky break" is a lie
What it means to start building a platform for your songs and ministry
The false standard of commercial Christian music
Seeing songwriting as ministry first, business second
Why being heard before you're ready is the "kiss of death"
Why "commercial" isn't a dirty word
How to stop the insanity in your songwriting
The art of receiving critique and the death of ego and pride
Great songwriting resources
A very special debut of "Most Holy God," a new uptempo worship song from one of John's songwriting clients, Chantel Waltz
And much more!

For more information visit www.nashvillechristiansongwriters.com and join the Successful Christian Songwriters Group on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SuccessfulChristianSongwriters/?fref=nf

MIKE HARLAND: Lifeway Worship Director on Successful Christian Songwriting May 05, 2017

Show notes

In this episode, John Chisum interviews the inimitable Dr. Mike Harland, Director of LifeWay Worship. LifeWay has reach into millions of believers and is one of the world's largest Christian resource ministries offering a full range of music, Bible studies, research, events, and much more.

Mike Harland has been at the helm of LifeWay Worship for twelve years and brings an amazing amount of information and depth about songs, songwriting, and the publishing industry in this powerful show.

You'll gain much songwriting inspiration and information as Mike and John discuss:

How to write from the overflow of your devotion to God
How to follow God's leading into your destiny and be who YOU are as a Christian songwriter
Why character matters more than ability
How frustration shuts you down creatively
Remembering that intimacy with God is our real "platform"
What LifeWay Worship is doing this year you should know about
Why no one would be "served well" if publishers threw their doors open to receive unsolicited material and how you can really be heard as an unpublished writer
Why you can't hide a GREAT song (and how "I Can Only Imagine" was born)
How great songs will always "find their way" to the forefront
How songs are "good," "great," or "commercial"
What makes a song unique and the distance between great songs and commercial songs
What motivates publishers to publish YOUR songs
Why we don't need another Lauren Daigle
Fanny Crosby, Xiao Min, and the idea of God "dropping songs" on people
Mike's tips on song process and why we undervalue the process of writing songs and its effects on us as songwriters
And much more...

Catch up with Mike Harland on Twitter at @mikeharlandLW, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mike.harland.37 and check out all the great resources LifeWay offers at Worshiplifeevent.com, Worshiplife.com, Lifewaysongs.com.

For more information visit www.nashvillechristiansongwriters.com and join the Successful Christian Songwriters Group on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SuccessfulChristianSongwriters/?fref=nf

JOHN CHISUM: Unlocking Your Hidden Creativity Apr 29, 2017

Show notes

How many times have you wanted to write a song, only to come up empty? Do you ever get tired of playing the same chords over and over and writing the same hackneyed phrases again and again? Do you wonder how professional songwriters seem to come up with fresh, powerful ways of saying things and keep turning out hits when you're stuck in a rut?

In this episode, veteran Christian songwriter and publisher, John Chisum, shares from his heart five keys to unlocking your hidden creativity to get back on track and writing like never before.

Listen to find out:

How to beat writer's block for good
What real creativity is and how you can develop it in your life and writing
The power of resourcing yourself every day
Where to look for fresh song ideas and hooks
How to mine your story and the stories of others for great songs
How to "redeem your pain" instead of just "share" it
How to tap hidden veins of fresh creativity in your life

As a special bonus, download John's post Telling Our Stories Redemptively here. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your friends and leave us a nice review.

For more information visit www.nashvillechristiansongwriters.com and join the Successful Christian Songwriters Group on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SuccessfulChristianSongwriters/?fref=nf

JASON GRAY: Getting Real Apr 22, 2017

Show notes

From the outside, it may look like Jason Gray has the perfect life. Now in his 10th year as a commercial Christian recording artist with a string of successful collaborations with some of the biggest names in Christian music, number one hit radio songs, touring with the likes of Natalie Grant, Lauren Daigle, and many more, it'd be easy for the casual onlooker to assume that Jason has it all together. But it doesn't take more than a minute with him to realize that life has been anything but rosy for Jason, despite the popularity of his music and all the commercial success he has gained.

In this episode of The Song Revolution Podcast, John Chisum gets quickly to the deeper side of Jason Gray. In their thoughtful and transparent discussion, Jason shares candidly about how his broken, abusive home growing up, his speech impediment, his own divorce, and one of the darkest moments in his life in which he could have ended it all has influenced the transparency and depth of his writing.

Jason performed three songs during this episode, Death Without a Funeral, With Every Act of Love, and Without Running Away… each a powerfully crafted and emotionally impacting song that reveals the deep well of his heart and the masterful level of wordsmithing and tune crafting Jason has come to be known for in his ministry.

Among the many awesome moments of this discussion, Jason talks about:

How the "gift" of his speech impediment has shaped his songs
How he creates "points of entry" for his listeners to go deeper in the Gospel
Why our brokenness is the very place God meets us and how he captures those places in his songwriting
The balance between too much/too little transparency in songwriting and how his mentor, Walter Wangerin, taught him how to "give" to his audience instead of "taking" from them through over-sharing
How to redeem your pain properly and how God used him to pray for couples in distress despite his own divorce and pain
Three song categories and how to write for each, including the kind that are "unhewn stones" not to be touched by craft and made as a simple offering to God
Insightful thoughts on his own song processes and why he chooses to be "invisible" inside his songs
How "taking tools off the table" leads to creativity beyond our normal capacities
How writers such as Frederick Buechner and N.T. Wright have influenced his lyrics
How God spoke to him through an agnostic folk singer named Paul Simon and how God is able to make himself heard with or without our permission
What the future may be for his songwriting and ministry

Anyone cynical about contemporary Christian music has yet to discover Jason Gray. This podcast will stir your creativity, challenge your preconceived notions about who God can or cannot use, and will dare you to face your own brokenness and need for Jesus, whether you write songs or just love listening to them.

You can connect with Jason Gray at jasongraymusic.com and follow him on FaceBook, Twitter, and Instagram.

For more information visit www.nashvillechristiansongwriters.com and join the Successful Christian Songwriters Group on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SuccessfulChristianSongwriters/?fref=nf

JOHN CHISUM: 3 Ways to Get Unstuck in Your Songwriting Apr 15, 2017

Show notes

Are you stuck in your songwriting? Have you suddenly realized that weeks, maybe months, have gone by since you even finished a song, much less felt happy about it? Does the phrase "writer's block" instill fear in your heart? What would it look like if you had a way to turn it all around to find yourself writing more productively than ever before?

In this show, John Chisum gives you three strategies he's used in his own writing to stay current with musical trends, to keep creativity at its fullest, and to stay inspired and never have writer's block. In this episode, you'll learn:

How to increase your song output immediately Keys to kicking up your creativity every day How to spot creativity "Vampires" and shut them down The #1 sin of artists and how to avoid it The importance of falling in love with music again Why surrender isn't passivity How to never write on empty again

For more information visit www.nashvillechristiansongwriters.com and join the Successful Christian Songwriters Group on Facebook!

CHAD SEGURA: Getting Your Songs Published Apr 08, 2017

Show notes

Do you wonder how songs really get on records and the radio? Do you wonder what it's like to co-write or to have your songs heard by successful artists and how the song process works? Want some amazing insights into what it takes to really be heard by top music industry publishers?

Chad Segura is VP of Publishing for Centricity Music in Franklin, Tennessee, and is one of the music industry's most loved and respected figures, working with writers such as Seth Moseley, Benji Cowart, Jason Gray, and the roster of Centricity Music artists. In this episode, John Chisum sits down with Chad to talk about how song publishing happens, Chad's musical influences, his journey to become a 20-year champion for songwriters, and the challenges of learning how to decipher the Southern dialect for a guy from the Northwest.

This fun and informative discussion also covers:

Creation, stewardship, and monetization of songs
Identifying talent and developing songs
Co-writing and collaboration
Radio singles versus album cuts
Film, TV, Apple Music, and exploiting songs fully
Chad's philosophy of songwriting
Encouragement that there's no shortage of opportunity for songwriters

For more information visit www.nashvillechristiansongwriters.com and join the Successful Christian Songwriters Group on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SuccessfulChristianSongwriters/?fref=nf

JOHN CHISUM: Discovering Your Songwriting Voice Mar 31, 2017

Show notes

How do you manage to stand out in a sea of songs? How do you rise above the tide and make a mark with your songs? In this episode, John Chisum pulls back the curtain on how you can do what famous songwriters and singers have done for years by discovering your unique songwriting "voice." Just like famous authors Hemingway, Twain, Plath, Lewis, and many more have found and developed a unique voice in their prose, songwriters just like you can develop powerful nuance in your songwriting to help you reach the kind of success you desire. You'll learn three valuable ways to do that:

Remembering that writers write and write and write
Writers seek to be unique
Real songwriters study the mechanics and take risks

As a special bonus in this episode, John reveals his own Song Continuum he uses with his songwriter clients and offers it to you HERE as a free gift to use in your songwriting.

For more information visit www.nashvillechristiansongwriters.com and join the Successful Christian Songwriters Group on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SuccessfulChristianSongwriters/?fref=nf