{"id":17345,"date":"2017-06-11T23:00:49","date_gmt":"2017-06-12T06:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/?p=17345"},"modified":"2017-06-12T09:59:31","modified_gmt":"2017-06-12T16:59:31","slug":"video-and-exclusive-interview-mike-campbell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/2017\/06\/video-and-exclusive-interview-mike-campbell\/","title":{"rendered":"VIDEO AND EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW MIKE CAMPBELL"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1><strong>VIDEO FEATURE &amp; WEB-EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW<\/strong><br \/>\nSongwriter:<strong> \u00a0MIKE CAMPBELL<\/strong><\/h1>\n<h1>Music Video: \u201c<strong>Sit Still, Look Pretty<\/strong>\u201d<\/h1>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uPHKkewD1G0\" width=\"660\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Mike Campbell is an award-winning, multi-platinum singer\/songwriter based in Brooklyn, NY. He is one of the cowriters of the 2014 Grammy Award winning hit \u201cSay Something\u201d (made popular by the duet of A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera). It sold over 6 million copies worldwide\u2014that\u2019s RIAA certified 6x Platinum status. And it won Best Pop Duo\/Group Performance in 2015.<\/p>\n<p>Campbell also co-wrote Daya\u2019s hot 2016 Top 40 anthem \u201cSit Still, Look Pretty,\u201d and he works with New York City Creative Community. NYC3 is holding their fourth\u00a0annual Music Industry Mixer on June 12, 2017 at The Cutting Room in New York City. It kicks off the celebration to the Songwriters Hall of Fame week of events.<\/p>\n<p>NYC3 was co-founded in early 2014 by two New York City creative professionals Linda Lorence Critelli and Sharon Tapper.\u00a0\u201cWe started this group out of necessity\u201d says Lorence-Critelli, Music Consultant and former VP of SESAC, \u201cand a need to communicate with each other about the changes we were all experiencing in New York.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>NYC3\u00a0is a grassroots group of creative professionals in the New York City music publishing industry who have joined forces to revitalize the city\u2019s professional songwriting community. Over 200 creative professionals,\u00a0including music publishers, managers, songwriters, producers, artists, performing rights organizations and attorneys will attend this invite-only\u00a0event. Immediately following the mixer will be NYC3\u2019s first Songwriters Showcase featuring fourteen songwriter\/artists, including featured performer Mike Campbell.<\/p>\n<p>We talked with Mike Campbell about his passion for songwriting, his creative process, the most recent hit, \u201cSit Still, Look Pretty,\u201d and the road that elevated him to one of the highly sought-after songwriters of 2017.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17353\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17353\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17353\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Mike-Campbell-2-with-A-Great-Big-Worlds-Ian-Axel-Chad-King.png\" alt=\"Mike Campbell with A Great Big World's Ian Axel &amp; Chad King\" width=\"660\" height=\"441\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Mike-Campbell-2-with-A-Great-Big-Worlds-Ian-Axel-Chad-King.png 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Mike-Campbell-2-with-A-Great-Big-Worlds-Ian-Axel-Chad-King-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-17353\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mike Campbell with A Great Big World&#8217;s Ian Axel &amp; Chad King<\/p><\/div>\n<h2><strong>MIKE CAMPBELL Web-Exclusive Interview<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>with\u00a0<em>M Music &amp; Musicians<\/em>\u00a0magazine publisher, Merlin David<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Tell us how you got involved with NYC3.<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019ve been going to the NYC3 mixers for a couple of years, and I actually met my publisher, Reservoir Media, through them. It was at a random mixer where I bumped into one of their A&amp;R, who is my day-to-day, Olivia. One of my friends, Aurora Pfeiffer, is also from Albany, NY. I work with her artists, and she works with NYC3 and with Olivia and Reservoir. It\u2019s great to have an organization in the city that brings people together. I\u2019m always connecting with people. It\u2019s the only thing that can keep New York going. (<em>Laughs<\/em>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>How did the idea of \u201cSit Still, Look Pretty\u201d come to you?<\/strong><br \/>\nI was in Los Angeles for the 2015 BMI Pop Awards for \u201cSay Something.\u201d Pink was the guest of honor that year. I wanted to write while I was out there and my songwriter friend Nisha Asnani connected me with some writer friends: Gino Barletta and Britten Newbill. The session was the day after the awards, and after seeing Pink accept her award and watching a retrospective of all her hits\u2014I was inspired. The next day, I walked into the writing session and said \u201cHey, we should write something kind of empowering and sassy like Pink.\u201d While singing one of the melodies, the phrase \u201cSit Still, Look Pretty\u201d came out of my mouth and stuck. Gino was working with Daya, and \u201cHide Away\u201d was getting traction. And it went from there. Every day there\u2019s an opportunity for something to happen\u2014and it can become something huge.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How so?<\/strong><br \/>\nLast month, I was at the BMI Pop Awards for \u201cSit Still, Look Pretty,\u201d and Barbara Cane told that story. That\u2019s exactly how it\u00a0happened. It was a moment of tapping into something randomly because of an inspiration. I obviously knew Pink\u2019s hits, but when they stacked them all up in the retrospective honoring her, it was so impressive. I thought, \u201cShe is just a juggernaut.\u201d I went into my writing session off that little high and that\u2019s where we put our creative energy\u2014into this song. Three months later, Daya cut the song. I think we peaked at number 8 on Pop, and maybe somewhere in the 30s in Hot 100. But to get to that point, you have to clear so many hurdles.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us a little about that process.<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen the song got on the EP, we thought it was cool. Then we waited to find out if it would be chosen as the next single\u2014then maybe it\u2019ll go to radio. And then, maybe other stations will pick it up. Then, maybe it\u2019ll start charting. It\u2019s a crazy succession of events. It\u2019s like shooting hoops\u2014and you\u2019re trying to get a chain of hoops together. And it takes a lot of them to get to that \u201chit\u201d status. But when you write a song, you have no vision of what it will do. I had hopes. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) I think my hopes were exceeded. But it starts with showing up and writing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What made you want to write songs?<\/strong><br \/>\nGrowing up in my parents\u2019 home, music was always in my house. They played all sorts of stuff from the 70s, 80s and 90s. I always loved listening, but I didn\u2019t really get into music until fourth grade\u2014after I bombed a music test to get into band. I was miffed, so I signed up for violin\u2014as my way in. In middle school, I became interested in guitar and after I got my first electric, I became <em>obsessed<\/em>. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) I joined a band, started writing songs with lyrics and melodies, while secretly falling in love with the pop music on the radio in the late 90s. We used to tape the radio, and I found myself wanting to do what those artists were doing: make songs of my own.<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17356\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Mike-Campbell-3b.jpg\" alt=\"Mike Campbell-3b\" width=\"660\" height=\"371\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Mike-Campbell-3b.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Mike-Campbell-3b-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/>What is your creative process for writing songs?<\/strong><br \/>\nWriting usually begins before you even get in the room. I live and die by the \u201cNotes\u201d and \u201cVoice Memos\u201d apps on my iPhone. I have a running list of lyrical and melodic ideas I use to start writing. In a session, I like to talk for a while and loosen up before getting into writing. It makes you more comfortable to present your ideas to your cowriters\u2014since opening up in that way makes you feel vulnerable and exposed. Once we all vibe on something, whether it\u2019s a melody or a lyrical concept, I go for the chorus\u2014that\u2019s the part of the song everyone loves. Once we have that down, I like to build it out from there. Sometimes it can take multiple sessions and revisions before a song can be deemed \u201ccomplete.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you write every day?<\/strong><br \/>\nI have fits and spurts of creativity\u2014maybe go for a couple of weeks. Then I go out and do something\u2014live life\u2014to fill myself back up. You have to live a little bit before you can write. You keep going and sometimes you run out, and you fill yourself back up. It\u2019s like taking your car to the gas station\u2014you need to live a little before you write again.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us one experience where something unique inspired you to write a song.<\/strong><br \/>\nI go to the Adirondacks every year with some friends, and we like to free swim to this island in the middle of the lake. I was in the middle of a swim last year\u2014just thinking about the concept of \u201cnot being able to touch bottom\u201d\u2014since I literally couldn\u2019t\u2014and how it\u2019s sort of overwhelming and exciting but also a bit scary. I wrote it down and took it into a session where we wrote a song about being head over heels into someone: \u201cI\u2019m falling in deep with you \/And I can\u2019t touch the bottom \/ No I don\u2019t really care \/ If we ever come up for air.\u201d This is a classic example of how neat it is to see random, erroneous thoughts morph into a song that I like.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What songwriting tip would you like to offer?<\/strong><br \/>\nDon\u2019t force it. Seriously. In my experience, the most creative mind is an idle mind. Half of my ideas come to me in the shower or when I\u2019m doing something else that isn\u2019t centered on songwriting. I think there can be a lot of pressure to \u201cget it done\u201d in one sitting, but many times the best thing you can do is walk away. It will come.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who inspired you to write songs?<\/strong><br \/>\nI was, and remain, a big John Mayer fan. When he put out his first EP <em>Inside Wants Out<\/em> back in 1999, I was mesmerized. He was playing these songs all by himself on guitar\u2014with the kinds of riffs you actually had to look up a tab to learn. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) His lyrics were super clever and his melodies were really catchy. I think most guys who play guitar have at some point tried to master <em>Neon<\/em>, though I can\u2019t say that I have. I just thought it was the coolest thing.<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17349\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Mike-Campbell-1.jpg\" alt=\"Mike Campbell-1\" width=\"660\" height=\"483\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Mike-Campbell-1.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Mike-Campbell-1-300x219.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/>What instruments\/equipment can you not live without\u2014that helps you write, record or perform?<\/strong><br \/>\nI love my Taylor GS Mini\u2014that\u2019s my go-to guitar in my home studio. Since it\u2019s so small and maneuverable, it\u2019s great to curl up on the couch with, and it has a wonderful sound. I also play piano and violin. As far as recording goes, I primarily use an Akai Professional MPK261 as my midi controller, but I also have their LPK25 when I travel. I love my Audio-Technica ATH-M50x headphones\u2014for night work and travel. I probably could not live without those, since they allow my wife to sleep while I work into the night. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) Lastly, I love my Manley Reference Cardioid Microphone\u2014it delivers vocals that sound just like the radio.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you remember the first time you heard one of your songs on the radio?<\/strong><br \/>\nYes. The first time I heard \u201cSay Something\u201d publicly, I was at the McCarren Park ice skating rink with my wife\u2014around Christmas. They were playing music on the speakers and \u201cSay Something\u201d came on. It was a surreal feeling of elation\u2014for both of us\u2014that I will never forget. I think I literally went around the rink saying \u201cI wrote this song!\u201d\u2014and no one paid me any mind. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) There\u2019s something sort of comical knowing that what I was saying was 100% true, but at that time, also seemed absurd to me that this song I helped write was on the radio.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What PRO are you with?<\/strong><br \/>\nI am a proud member of BMI. They have been beyond good to me. They\u2019ve been a source of support and guidance in my career\u2014from talking me through publishing, to setting up sessions and putting me in songwriting camps, to just being great people to talk with and be around. I love them. Thanks, BMI.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Top 5 Musicians\u00a0who continue to inspire you.<\/strong><br \/>\nI mentioned John Mayer before. I was also really inspired by Rob Thomas [Matchbox Twenty]\u2014he was a big early influence. In my parents\u2019 home, Carole King and James Taylor were played liberally, and they\u2019re both titans of songwriting and artistry. I also love film scores. I used to transcribe John Williams\u2019 scores in Finale. I think I had a lot of time on my hands back then. (<em>Laughs<\/em>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>What are your Top 5 favorite albums of all time?<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Dark Side of the Moon<\/em> (1973)\u2014Pink Floyd<br \/>\n<em>Yourself or Someone Like You<\/em> (1996)\u2014Matchbox Twenty<br \/>\n<em>Heavier Things<\/em> (2003)\u2014John Mayer<br \/>\n<em>Songs about Jane<\/em> (2002)\u2014Maroon 5<br \/>\n<em>Bon Iver<\/em> (2011)\u2014Bon Iver<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17348\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Mike-Campbell.jpg\" alt=\"Mike Campbell\" width=\"660\" height=\"441\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Mike-Campbell.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Mike-Campbell-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/>Best advice you\u2019d like to give.<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019m sort of convinced that \u201csuccess\u201d is something that happens when you are not looking. It can be hard to accept\u2014because on some level, we all want to be successful in what we do, and we\u2019d love for it to be something we can summon. But in music, I think success happens when you block out what might happen in the future and just surrender to the present moment\u2014whether it\u2019s a session or experience. This is something you have to do over and over again\u2014kind of like meditation. I feel this when I\u2019m fully immersed in my work for several days in a row\u2014exhausting as it may be. In that \u201cmeditative\u201d state, the big idea or the big song has a better chance of coming because you\u2019re less tied to the outcome. And honesty\u2014talk about things that real to you. Don\u2019t be concerned with what might happen next. Keep doing it, and know that anything is possible.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where can your new fans get more info and stay updated?<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.MikeCampbell.nyc\">www.MikeCampbell.nyc<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.Reservoir-Media.com\">www.Reservoir-Media.com<\/a> (my publisher)<\/p>\n<p><em>In the coming weeks, we\u2019ll post another interview with Mike Campbell\u2014where he talks more about songwriting, his creative process and details about his Grammy-winning hit, \u201cSay Something.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>VIDEO FEATURE &amp; WEB-EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Songwriter: \u00a0MIKE CAMPBELL Music Video: \u201cSit Still, Look Pretty\u201d Mike Campbell is an award-winning, multi-platinum singer\/songwriter based in Brooklyn, NY. He is one of the cowriters of the 2014 Grammy Award winning hit \u201cSay Something\u201d (made popular by the duet of A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera). It sold [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17352,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7725],"tags":[7415,9176,9179,9178,9177,9180,9181,3302,9182,3251,9183,9184,9185,8500,9186,9187,5879,9188,9189,2063,9190,5736,4999,9191,7370,8684,9192,6139,9193,9194,8178,1624,1674,5227,3787,10161,7566,8706,9195,9196,9197,9198,2303,4862,9199,9200,3010,9201,9202,7978,9203,9204,9205,9206,6650,1185,9207,9208,9209,9210,9211,9212,2621,9213,6777,9214,3723,9215,9216,3720,9217,4957,9218],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17345"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17345"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17345\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17358,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17345\/revisions\/17358"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}