“Ding your glass!”
Today I’m hanging out with my buddy, Pharrell Williams at Danish Songwriting Academy. it’s so important when you create a song to make sure it has an identity. A signature, so it stands out amongst all the other 1000’s of songs that come out the same day. And Pharrell is great at this and often he does it from the getgo. From the beginning of the song.
He can do it with the rhythm, for example in “Drop it like it’s hot.” Ultra simple, it’s just 1, 2, 3,4 and then we’re going.
He does kind of the same thing in Kelis’s “Milkshake.”
And actually, as is the case with so many things, getting simpler often makes it even clearer. He did this in “Blurred Lines” which actually just starts with three hits and it’s the same thing that’s going on in “Happy”, which is just as characteristic, maybe even more characteristic with five hits.
So, think in terms of starting your song with something characteristic and it can be simple.
Just as if you were dinging on your glass to make a speech.
#songwriters, #pharrelwilliams #hits #kelis #snoopdogg #writehits #songwriting #wintherjohn
How would you tell your story to your best friend?
Imagine that your song was something you were telling your best friend, then I’m guessing there’s going to be a lot of specifics in there. You’re going to be telling her what someone said, what you said, where it happened, what it looked like, names of people and all these things. Because you are trying to get the person to feel how you feel. And that’s exactly what we want to do in a song as well.
So, remember to put some specifics in there. Because that brings your song to life. It makes it feel real and sometimes you can even sum up the whole song in an everyday phrase. A phrase or sentence you’d also just say to a friend.
And in the next couple of videos I’ve got a couple of examples of that.
But remember, next time you write a lyric: Imagine that you’re writing directly to your best friend.
#songwriter #songwriters #lyrics #palmsprings #popmusic #tellafriend #writehits #
Welcome to write.hits!
I’m a professional songwriter, author, educator and ex-rocksinger hoping to build a community here with other songwriters and creative types by sharing the tools and techniques that have built my 30-year career in the music business.
And for those who are just curious about the life of a professional songwriter I will be sharing stories, thoughts and reporting from the front line of the songwriting world.😊
C.V.:
Singer in the rockband Inside the Whale, 4 albums on Sony music, Denmark.
Writer or co-writer on 30 gold and platinum selling releases with artists around the world, including J- and K-pop giants such as SHINee, Red Velvet and J Soul Brothers, US boyband legends New Kids on the Block, Spanish superstar David Bisbal, German crossover star the Dark Tenor and many more.
The list of Danish artists is even longer f.ex. Mads Langer, Sanne Salomonsen, Christopher, Sys Bjerre, Tim Christensen, Dizzy Mizz Lizzy, Tessa, Eyjaa, Michael Learns to Rock, Ben & Tan, Hjalmer, Julie etc.
Writer of two X-factor winnersongs (Denmark and Greece) and local and international finalists for the Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden, Cyrpus, Denmark, Spain, Andorra & Belgium.
Songs in film and tv such as The Vampire Diaries, the Disney tween-series Violetta (65 songs!), Lego Friends, A Tourist’s Guide to Love (Netflix), Blinkende Lygter (Flickering Lights), Ramasjang (Danish national tv’s children’s channel) etc.
4 books as an author: debut novel “16 hangovers” recently released in English.
Educator at the Royal Academy of Music (Aalborg) and Danish Songwriting Academy (Roskilde)
MD for the Danish rock n roll icon Peter Belli, touring from 2010-2017.
Video by William Winther-John
#writehits #songwritingtips #songwriting #songwritersofinstagram #insidethewhale #medleystudios #platinumdisc #professionalsongwriter #kpop #jpop #eurovisionsongcontest #xfactor
Workation in Bargemon ☀️
9 years ago I wrote my first songwriting book.
Since then: hundreds of sessions, hits, misses, lessons.
Now I’m writing the next one.
Sharpened tools.
New insights.
Same obsession with great songs.
Thank you to DPA for beautiful workspace ✨🇫🇷
#songwriter #songwriters #writehits #bargemon #dpa_musik
6 things Eurovision brutally taught me about songwriting…
(Won. Lost. Learned. Repeated.)
1) Hooks aren’t optional. They’re survival. A strong lyrical + melodic hook is all that reliably survives: first listen, camera cuts, pyros, and 5 to 25 other songs. “A cool vibe” is not a memorable hook.
2) Repeat the hook - plant the ear worm. Eurovision is a one-night memory test. Get the hook in multiple times and in multiple forms: vocal hook, instrumental hook, call/response, crowd hook, ooh, huh, aah, backing vocal hook.
3) Start strong! No “just wait” intros. Start with:
* the hook (or a taste of it), or
* a killer first line, or
* an attention-grabbing sound/gesture.
4. The song should fit the artist like a tailored suit — not a borrowed costume.
It should feel DNA-level natural: voice, attitude, story, visuals.
When it clicks, people feel it instantly.
5) Write the “TV moments” into the song (without turning it into a circus). Eurovision is music + cinema. Build in moments the director can shoot:
* a clear lift (harmonic, melodic, rhythmic, or dynamic)
* a pause / drop for a camera close-up
* a chant line the arena can steal People remember moments as much as melodies.
6) Clarity wins votes.
Your message doesn’t have to be simple — just clear on the first listen.
Eurovision audiences are multilingual, distracted, and emotional.
If the core feeling isn’t obvious by the first chorus, you’re gambling
This doesn’t only apply to Eurovision! Every release is a fight for attention—playlists, scrolls, radio, algorithms.
Hook + instant engagement + artist/song fit = survival everywhere.
What do you think is the strongest Eurovision song ever?
#eurovision, #DMGP2026, #melodifestivalen #melodifestivalen2026, #sissal, ESC, eurovision2025, robinbengtsson, lyrics songwriter writehits songwritinghack
Wuhuu we’ve got a song in the Swedish Melodifestivalen 2026. 🎉 In april this year I went to Stockholm and wrote “Oxygen” with my talented producer/writer buddy Jonas Thander & the amazing artist Laila Adèle. We had a magical day in Jonas’ studio (picture 2) and a great Japanese lunch nearby where Whitney Houston sent us a cosmic message from beyond!
I really appreciate getting through the eye of the needle this year with a record amount of song entries (3888 songs - insane!)
This is the third time I’m competing in Melo as a songwriter. Last time was (also with Jonas) for Dear Sarah with a song we wrote at a camp in Mallorca called “The Silence After You”, inspired by fresh break-ups for everyone in the studio!
My first was in 2020 where we made it to the final with “Take A Chance” with the great Robin Bengtsson (who will also be at our semifinal in Gothenburg in february!). That one was also written in Palma Studios, Mallorca, with the one and only Jimmy Jansson & Karl-Frederik Hilarius Reichhardt
So happy to be back and part of this ultraprofessional show! Looking forward to seeing all my Swedish music people
#melodifestivalen #lailaadele,#songwriter #sangskrivning #writehits
A summer day last year I met up with Ida Laurberg,, Frederik Thaae and Lise Cabble to write the themesong for this year’s season of the popular Danish TV Christmas calendar, “Valdes Jul, Vintermiraklet”.
I am very proud of the glittering blue but optimistic Christmas pop song we came up with. Basically about struggling to fit in and find yourself. Christmas can be a kind of emotional magnifying glass for this and other feelings, so hopefully Vintermiraklet can be a place to seek solace and a little seasonal hope🎄❤️
“Vintermiraklet” will finish each episode on Danish national TV2 from the 1st to the 24th of December ✨ what a Christmas miracle for this happy songwriter 🎅🏼
Thanks to my publisher @andersfredslundhansen
#valdesjul #vintermiraklet #idalaurberg #christmassongs #julemusik #julekalender #tv2 #writehits #thearrangement
“Don’t be the best, do your best!”
Don’t compare yourself to others. Instead, focus on getting better at doing your best every time.
That will trigger the best possible outcome for you.
Taken from my book “Unblock Your writing” - link in bio!
#songwriter #songwriters #writehits #songwriting #lyrics #unblockyourwriting #creativity #writersblock
3 things every artist dreams for in a co-writer (but might not say out loud...)
1. big Ideas but a small Ego
* Artists love a co-writer who brings great lines, chords or concepts… …but doesn’t insist on them. Flexibility = flow.
2. Help them shine- your job? make the artist sound their best self, clever and poetic in lyrics, catchy melodies that suit their voice etc. When they win, you win!
3. Be the calm in the chaos. 🎧 Listen deeply. 🤝 Say “yes, and…” 🎯 Make it clear you’re here to serve their vision, not your own agenda.
* Trust brings truth
What do you look for in a co-writer? Tag your dream collaborator—or the one who already gets it. 💛 And save this for the next time you walk into a session.
#songwriters #songwriter #writehits #sangskrivning #cowriting,#teamwork
