Lady Antebellum Search For A New Track On New Episode Of Songland

Season two of NBC’s Songland premiered Monday, April 13^th. The first episode featured aspiring songwriters pitching their hard work to Lady Antebellum. Hillary, Charles, and Dave stated they were looking for something different and for something that challenges them musically. Which of the four artists in tonight’s show would impress them?

Up first was Omaha native Tim Halperin. He joked that he turned to writing after being cut from every sports team he was on. He presented his song “Losing You”, a story about holding on to love throughout the trials and tribulations of a relationship. Judges Shane McAnally, Ester Dean, and Ryan Tedder enjoyed the melody greatly. The main criticism was that the lyrics were a bit too heavy for the melody.

Up next was Steven Battey, who used to doo-wop on the streets of his native Savannah, GA. He shared his song “Feels Good To Me”, about getting a fresh start. The judges noted that it had the Lady Antebellum sound that people know and love. They also noted that it didn’t have a notable chorus with no clear landing place following the verse. They challenged him to come up with a chorus on the spot, and Steven delivered. The judges appreciated his bravery.

The third featured songwriter was Madeline Merlo, originally from the Vancouver area. She was inspired to write after seeing Shania Twain live. Her song was called ”I’ll Drink To That”, about appreciating the little things when life can be rough. The judges loved the melody progression, with Hillary adding praise for Madeline’s strong writing skills and how a song like this can be revamped to represent women in country music even stronger. The main criticism of this song was that the lyrics Madeline was singing has already been said in country music time and time again, and that the song needs a new hook. From that, Lady Antebellum and the judges got to work on the hook, changing it to “Champagne Night”.

The final writer is Arizona native Ryan Innes. He found life in a small town suffocating, so he used songwriting as a creative outlet. His song “Long Way Home” is about letting people go on the journey they need to go on. They really enjoyed the melody, but felt like the lyrics needed work. Specifically, they didn’t hear a clear chorus. Lady Antebellum and the judges ended up pitching ideas back and forth with each other.

Ultimately, Lady Antebellum chose to work with Madeline after she and Shane revamped her song to “Champagne Night”. It had a cool twist of modern country intertwined with a reggae vibe. Lady Antebellum chose it because it was a sound that was missing in their catalogue. It’s a song perfect for outdoor concerts where you can raise your drink in the air and dance along. Listen to it below and check out Songland Mondays at 9 PM Central on NBC!

Follow this week’s winner, Madeline Merlo, on Twitter and Instagram for more new stuff!

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