Hannah Miller

There is always a Nashville connection.

On this week’s episode of NBC’s This Is Us (titled “This Big, Amazing, Beautiful Life”) the voice carrying the song “Beauty And Pain” belongs to Nashville singer-songwriter Hannah Miller.

The song marks Miller’s second time recording a song that was included in the hit NBC series. Her acoustic rendition of the song “We Can Always Come Back To This” was included in Season 1’s powerful and pivotal episode “Memphis,” which centers on Randall Pearson (played by Sterling K Brown), the death of his biological father William Hill (Ron Cephas Jones), and Randall’s relationship with Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia), who adopted Randall at birth.

The song was penned by This Is Us composer Siddhartha Khosla and Chris Pierce. While a full-band version of “We Can Always Come Back To This” can be heard earlier in the “Memphis” episode, Pierce and Khosla sought a softer, female acoustic version to close out the episode.

“For ‘We Can Always Come Back To This,’ it was such a monumental episode and scene, and I was so thankful that it really worked,” Miller tells MusicRow. “That was one of the highlights of all of last year. I love the whole world of licensing and TV because music can bring so much emotion to a scene, but without the scene, the music doesn’t mean as much.”

Miller’s vocal placements came about through music licensing company Sorted Noise, and its Los Angeles partner Music Alternative.

“I had no context going into the show, we just got the song, the chart and a music video from the people who wrote the song. I filtered it through my style. Even with ‘We Can Always Come Back To This,’ I didn’t understand the song, really, until I saw it in the scene, and I could see how it was written to fit perfectly in that scene.

“I found out after the fact that several people had submitted acoustic demos and the composer actually called me the day after the episode aired and said, ‘When we heard yours, we knew it was the right one.’”

This week’s episode centered on the background of a newer character, a teenage girl named Deja, the foster child of Randall Pearson and wife Beth.

“The cool thing is I had seen every episode. I knew the story and what was going on, and it was so important to me that [the song] meant something and was special within the show. I didn’t want to distract or take away anything from the show. I just wanted to add. I had had placements over the years and I would sit down and watch the shows because my song was in it, but I had no real relationship to the show at all. Part of the reason I was so excited to do this was because I found out it was for This Is Us. I was like, ‘Yes, I’m going to do this no matter what!’”

Even with having songs featured in the episodes, Miller says she first saw the finished episodes when they aired on NBC, like everyone else. “It was so nerve-wracking. We got a little bit of information for this [latest] one. We knew the episode would be about Randall [Pearson] and Deja, the foster child they had taken in.”

Miller has plenty to celebrate this week, as her own latest album, Midnight Morning, released on Tuesday (March 6) via Sorted Noise Records. Eight of the 10 songs were produced by Jars of Clay member Charlie Lowell, and the album was recorded at Gray Matter studio.

“Sorted Noise paired Charlie and I together during a songwriting workshop for film and television and we liked what we did so much that I asked him to work on the whole album.”

The 10-track album also includes an updated version of “We Can Always Come Back To This.” Miller says she hopes for future songs to be included in the hit TV show. Miller recently traveled to Los Angeles to perform her rendition of the song for the Guild of Music Supervisors Awards, where the song was nominated for Best Song Recording Created For Television.

“My dream is for This Is Us to use one of my original songs, but I’m not complaining and I’ll record whatever song they want.” Miller says.

We’ll never lose these memories.

Catch up on #ThisIsUs now: https://t.co/fg8LZKtCE0 and special thanks to @hannahmiller for this beautiful rendition of “We Can Always Come Back To This.” pic.twitter.com/fAMVo8CsIL

— This Is Us (@NBCThisisUs) March 8, 2018

Michael Farren is releasing a new single, “Fighting For Us,” on March 9. The Grammy-nominated songwriter will release the song as part of his forthcoming new album and first-ever solo project via Integrity Music due out this summer.

The worship pastor for Gateway Franklin and former frontman of the band Pocket Full Of Rocks, Farren is the writer behind some of Christian music’s biggest songs, from Lauren Daigle’s “Trust In You” to Reba McEntire’s “Sing It Now.”  On “Fighting For Us,” Farren partnered with Dove Award-winning writer Krissy Nordhoff (“Your Great Name”) to pen the vertical anthem of praise.

“We wrote ‘Fighting For Us’ while I was weeping at my desk,” shares Farren. “Krissy and I were supposed to be working on another song but all I could get out that day was that… and I’ve never needed a song more. I’d been through a season where I was struggling, trying to follow what I believed God was asking me to do but getting nowhere and feeling defeated,” he continues. “In 25 years of writing songs, I have never clung onto a song as my own… but this was different. This song was the thing that kept me believing that He loved me. I kept singing it until I believed it. I hope it’s a lifeline for others…to anyone who has ever wondered if they are seen or known by God,” he adds. “It may come from a place of desperation, but we don’t need to stay there.”

Farren chose the single’s distinctive cover, noting the image represents the “fiercely protective, family-driven” nature of the wolf. “Wolves howl to protect their territory, their pack and to call to lost wolves,” he said. “For me, it’s a visual reminder of the furious, protective love of the Father.”

The new single will be available through digital and streaming platforms beginning March 9. 

Sony Music Nashville Adds Content Producer

Adam Davis

Lauren Thomas, Director, National Promotion, Sony Music Nashville announces the appointment of Adam Davis to the position of Content Producer for Sony Music Nashville. Davis comes to Sony with a background in freelance audio and video opportunities, most recently working on the USA Network show Chrisley Knows Best. As Content Producer for the label group, he will create and compile audio and video promotional and marketing content to be used on a variety of platforms.

The AristoMedia Group Adds Digital Marketing Coordinator

Madison Broussard

The AristoMedia Group has added Madison Broussard to its digital marketing division AristoDigital, in the role of Digital Marketing Coordinator. Broussard can be reached at [email protected].

BMI Honors Sonny LeMaire, J.P. Pennington With ‘Million-Air Awards’

Pictured (L-R): Exile’s Steve Goetzman, Maverick’s Clarence Spalding, Exile’s Sonny LeMaire and Marlon Hargis, BMI’s David Preston, Exile’s J.P. Pennington, BMI’s Jody Williams and Exile’s Les Taylor. Photo: Bev Moser

BMI executives Jody Williams and David Preston presented seven ‘Million-Air Awards’ to Sonny LeMaire and J.P. Pennington of Exile, in recognition of the success of major songs penned by the two writers and long-time band members. The awards totaled 11 million broadcast performances (radio spins) between four songs; “The Closer You Get,” “She’s A Miracle,” “Give Me One More Chance,” and “Beautiful Mess.”

Jamie Meyer signs with Roasting House Music and Dan Hodges Music, LLC.

Pictured (L-R): Jimmy Mattingly, Producer/Musician; Dan Hodges; Jamie Meyer; Karl Braun – Attorney; Lisa Howe

Jamie Meyer has signed an exclusive songwriter agreement with Swedish-based Roasting House Music AB and Nashville-based Dan Hodges Music LLC.

Anders “Theo” Theander, owner at Roasting House Music AB, welcomes Meyer to the co-venture, “I’m very proud to make this happen for Jamie. He really deserves this on all levels and we have put together a network of great music industry people including ‘my man on ground’ and great friend, Dan Hodges. We share the belief that a successful career in this industry is not only a job, but a way of life.”

Jamie Meyer is currently living, performing and writing in Nashville.

Pictured (L-R): Josh Collum, Katie Fagan, Holley Mayer, Ally Venable, Mark Abramowitz. Photo: Blythe Thomas

Over the past several years, Nashville has slowly become known to outsiders as more than just the capital of country music, thanks to pop/rock artists such as Jack White, Meghan Trainor, Ben Folds, Dan Auerbach, Paramore, Moon Taxi, and more recently, Justin Timberlake, who have either moved to Music City or developed their craft here.

The Other Nashville Society (TONS) aims to build a trade organization that caters to the business needs of the non-country music community as well as trade organizations such as the Country Music Association that cater to the country music industry.

Established in 2017, TONS serves as a connection point for Nashville music executives and musicians who are primarily involved in genres including pop, rock, singer/songwriter, soul, emo, hip-hop, EDM, R&B, jazz, orchestral, Christian, electronic and more.

Josh Collum, who runs music licensing company Sorted Noise, teamed with Ally Venable, Holley Maher, Mark Abramowitz and Prescription Songs’ Katie Fagan to co-found the venture.

“We say TONS is part social club, part trade organization,” Collum says. “This is about connecting and making cool stuff happen. We want an attorney to find their next client, or a producer to find their next artist, through this organization.”

The group quickly found a following; two days after its launch, TONS’ membership grew to 250 members. Today, the society’s membership stands at nearly 550 members, all personally approved for membership by the group’s founders.

“Every week, we get together and go over applications for the week, and accept or decline,” Collum says. “Primarily, we want to include people who make a living through non-country genres of music. When we throw an event or hold a mixer, we want everyone to walk out of there feeling like everyone they talked to was a great connection.”

Among those members are recent Nashville transplant Jim Jonsin (producer for Pitbull, Beyonce), as well as Boots Ottestad (writer/producer for Backstreet Boys, Robbie Williams), ET Brown (SESAC), Rachael Lampa (Dove award-winning musician), Bryan Mead (PledgeMusic), and Daniel Wise (writer/producer for Ani DiFranco). The organization has facilitated those connections with an array of educational events, called TONS Talk, and mixers. In February, the organization held an open house to share its mission with potential new members.

To further facilitate the organization’s mission, The Other Nashville Society recently moved its offices to the co-working space HOME in East Nashville.

Collum originated the idea for The Other Nashville Society after spending time in California and New York for his job.

“I was fighting a lot of perception that comes along with being from Nashville, though we don’t represent country artists. I was always sensitive that there wasn’t a gathering point for us, the non-country folks. The country music is such a community and does community so well, and we hadn’t. Three years ago, everyone started moving here. “You saw Roc Nation open an office here, and Mark and Katie coming here. Songwriters are coming to Nashville to do more sessions and an infrastructure is being built. It just takes time and we hope to play a part in that.”

Collum says new Nashvillians such as Jonsin and BORNS producer Tommy English are steadily adding to the non-country music industry’s infrastructure.

“The last piece of the puzzle, which I think will take a long time, is making rock, hip-hop and pop records in Nashville,” Collum says. “I mean big records, because obviously there are indie artists. To make a pop record, you are going to go to LA. Even the big artists who live here go to LA. Our hope is that the next big unknown pop producer comes from Nashville.

“Great artists live here, great songwriters live here, great music is being made here that is outside of country music. Hopefully, another piece of The Other Nashville Society will help tell that story.”

For more, visit theothernashvillesociety.com.