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(Pics) Cee Lo, Seal, and Dallas Austin Participate In BMI’s Pre-Grammy “How I Wrote That Song” Event

BMI hosted their annual Pre-Grammy “How I Wrote That Song” panel at the Key Club yesterday. The panel was hosted by BMI executive Catherine Brewton and super producer Dallas Austin. Panelists included recording artists Seal, Cee Lo, and Chad Hugo (Neptunes) and songwriters BC Jean, Claude Kelly, and Bonnie McKee.

Each artist and songwriter spoke about the inspiration for a hit song they had written. Kicking off the panel was Cee Lo who was asked by Dallas Austin what motivated him to write his hit song, “Crazy.” The former Goodie Mob member responded with a joke saying: “I was lying awake in bed one night and i thought to myself, ‘Cee Lo you’re never gonna survive unless you get a little crazy.’”

Cee Lo later told the audience that he was surprised by the song’s commercial success:

“Music is something that you are willing to lay your life down for. This record wasn’t meant to be as commercially celebrated as it is… it’s a very serious melancholy moment and i didn’t realize how much we all had in common….. this song was very gratifying with me to know that i shared this space with so many other people and it’s so bittersweet for me.”

Before the panel, we got a chance to interview super producer and co-host, Dallas Austin, who says that he is most inspired in the studio by a great artist and shared that he is selective about who we works with: “I only make records for people who I’m going to make magic with.” He also said that one of the biggest challenges for songwriters is staying ahead of the game by pushing yourself to introduce the next hot sound in music: “it’s a trick to be able to stay ahead…{the competition} it makes me go into my studio and stay in there for two months…”

Songwriter Claude Kelly talked about his hits “My Life Would Suck Without You” (Kelly Clarkson) and “Bittersweet” and really boiled down the art of songwriting by saying that songs can be filed under one of five categories:

1. I love you

2. I hate you

3. I miss you

4. Heal the world

5. Lets party.

Enuff said!

Take a look at pictures from the event:

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Tweet Tags: bc jean, BMI, bmi how i wrote that song, bonnie mckee, catherine brewton, cee lo, chad hugo, claude kelly, dallas austin, how i wrote that song, seal