Inside The UK’s First Large-Scale Songwriting Camp With Warner Chappell
Written by SOURCE on July 19, 2022
Creativity juices are flowing. Inside Metropolis’ lofty halls, music is being made at an almost industrial scale, but in ways that can only be termed organic. In Studio A, producer Ben Billions and alt-pop queen La Roux are cooking up a beat while, in Studio B, UK rap wonderkids A1 x J1 have finished a new track, brimming with excitement as they hear it back. Church Road legend Nines has just left Studio C, replaced by Grammy Award-nominated producer T-Minus.
Over in the foyer, renowned songwriter Sean Garrett—brains behind hits by Beyoncé, Usher, Brandy and more—is chopping it up with rising producers such as Atlanta’s Section8, himself having worked with Lil Baby of late. There is no sense of competition here, only the desire to catch a vibe and learn from each other. Food and drinks, courtesy of Wingstop and Hennessy, are swirling, as are conversations based on common interests not exclusive to music—from Wordle challenges to hazy nights at London hotspot Tape—a refreshing normalcy, despite the star power in the building. And everyone’s invited, across camps and labels, strengthening the community feel of the experience.
“Word has gotten out about this really quickly,” says Shani Gonzales, Warner Chappell’s UK MD & Head of International A&R. “We have people coming in who have their own draw and it’s great the news has spread.” Press chimes in: “You leave your ego at the door with these sessions. More often than not, songwriters and artists—they want feedback, they want your opinion, so it’s just about knowing how to navigate that creativity and making sure it thrives.”
These sessions often run well into the early morning—Section8 admits he left the studio at 7am one night—allowing more time for imaginations to run wild. But rather than going gung-ho on producing would-be hits, the camp’s participants aim for optimum conditions to let the juices flow. New Jersey native Dougie F—who had a hand in penning Drake’s “Jimmy Crooks” and Jack Harlow’s “First Class”, both No. 1 smash hits—has been working with Headie One, Popcaan, Wretch 32, ENNY and more during his time at Metropolis.
“I work based on the feeling,” says Dougie F. “You have to be willing to compromise and able to read the room and see where you can insert yourself. You have to be intentional: if you come into a room saying, ‘I just wanna have fun and make good music,’ the product is going to feel like that. You never want these camps to feel like work.”
