In this article, we’re going to extend the original “Annihilation Song” article, which, if you haven’t read, is a must-read, right here.
As you go through the years in the music business, especially investing your own money in writers and artists, you gain new epiphanies along the way – not just to shortcut the time to success but to help artists and songwriters “crack the code.”
Part of this is helping artists figure out the true mirror image of themselves within a musical context. When this all comes together – and they find their own artistic truth (even if it’s scary, which it usually is) – then look out, because sh*t is about to get real.
And while at a cursory glance none of my signings seem to have anything in common – I mean, if you’re looking at The Lumineers, Grimes, Kid Cudi, SOPHIE, OneRepublic, LMFAO, Kelly Clarkson, Big Freedia, or some recent signings to the roster like Pixel Grip or LustSickPuppy – they really have nothing in common.
Except they do. They all have their own SONIC IDENTITY that only they can pull off – that’s unique to them.
On that note, one new epiphany I just had, which in hindsight is fairly obvious, comes courtesy of one of my clients, Jesse Thomas, whose song recently went viral with Cailin Russo. This song is not like anything I’ve heard before. It was weird, slightly R&B, repetitive, hypnotic (with an amazing hook and lyric), vocally pitched, and – how can I best say – playing in its own field!
“Triple It” by Cailin Russo and Don’t Scare Billy
I’ll say this again: “playing in its own field.”
That’s right. And you might have heard me say this previously in another way:
“Compete where there is no competition.”
@benjamin.groff “Compete where there is no competition.” In places like Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, and London, the volume of professional-level songs made each day is wild. A thousand songs a day, all polished and pitch-ready. And most of them? Really good. But really good is also really common. Everyone is living in the same musical neighborhood: same toplines, same tricks, same ceiling. The fringe is where the magic happens. The left-of-center, slightly what-the-hell-is-this kind of songs. That’s where the juicy, jump-off-the-speakers moments are born. So I’ve been wondering: what happens if you stop renovating the same house and move to another block? More at BenjaminGroff.com. #HowToWriteASong #ProfessionalSongwriter #Songwriter #Songwriting #SongwritingTips ♬ original sound – Benjamin Groff
“Compete where there is no competition.”
So here’s the idea: What if, before you even sit down to write a song, you quadruple down and do whatever it takes to manifest the artist and sonic direction first? What’s the lane that you as an artist are going to completely own? The one that no one else has?
What’s a sonic direction, a vibe, a blend of mashups, or an embrace of the fringe that’s only YOURS?
Can you “dial in” the sonic and song direction first – the one that no one’s heard before?
I’m postulating that in today’s attention-deficit economy, with a million songs a week being released, this might be as important, or even more important, to focus on than just writing the actual song.
What if you manifest the sonic and production direction, the standout genre blends, something that sounds completely fresh and jumps off the page – FIRST? What if you bring the fringe to the mainstream, lean into the authentic and risky song concept, lean into the maximum version of whatever that is for you – manifest and model that vision – and then, and only then, write the song?
My prediction is that once the aforementioned is done, maybe the song would even “write itself,” so to speak. Yes, perhaps you’re more than halfway there in just “manifesting” this sonic direction that’s completely yours.
And you’ll be ahead of everyone else because ONLY YOU have this lane. It’s yours!
By doing this, you’ll most likely have a significantly better chance of not just standing out but completely owning the lane you’re playing in. And besides, this is what REAL artists do anyway, so it’s time to get to work!
In today’s landscape, where a listener’s attention span is literally down to seconds, this is your opportunity to stand out completely from the crowd.
The results aren’t just about getting editorial playlisting per se – this is about the big picture. It’s about fans being attracted to and hooked by your specialness. This is what attracts everyone else – be it music supervisors, the big tour, merchandise sales – because now you have a brand versus just a song, and also TikTokers who want to align with your song’s vision!
Why? I’ll say it again: because if you do this, you have a BRAND, silly! Not just “a song!” And people flock to that!
Yes! It creates the opportunity for more listeners to latch onto your brilliance – the kind that takes a risk, the one that’s a little weird, risky, unusual, exciting, twisted, fun, or edgy, whatever that is! That’s right. I think more people are apt to interact with that content, and even, I daresay, make those soon-to-be TikTok videos, than with some other super-obvious, predictable, “heard that before” type of song.
And btw, you can also go the opposite direction of “edgy.” You don’t have to reimagine what’s playing in a club two to three years from now. For example, just look at jazz-pop juggernaut Laufey and her brand of lifestyle jazz-pop. That works 1,000% too! You see, it’s AUTHENTIC to her! So what’s authentic to you?
Yes, this is all about creating your own lane entirely – one where the only competition is you!
This is also the core basis for what I call the “annihilation song” – the one that completely disrupts the landscape and makes your competition look like grandparents. Every single artist who has broken through did so with their annihilation song. For more food for thought, you can check out more about this concept here for VITAL reading.
Check out The Annihilation Song, Part 1 here.
Examples
What are some examples of artists who came with this sonic manifestation and created the DNA for their sound, launching them to a whole other level of stardom? Let’s take a look:
Destiny’s Child: The Writing’s on the Wall (1999) reset the standard for R&B and rhythmic pop hits à la “Bills, Bills, Bills,” “Bug a Boo,” “Say My Name,” and “Jumpin’ Jumpin’.”
The Writing’s on the Wall (1999)
They created a sound that also permeated the landscape (often duplicated) for the next six to eight years.
“Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child
Madonna: The perennial pop queen often created a sonic artist direction for each album or single across decades, whether it was tapping into the uber-cool electronic world of William Orbit for “Frozen” on the album Ray of Light (1998), experimenting with Latin pop in “La Isla Bonita,” or embracing the gospel vibes of the hit “Like a Prayer.” Madonna continually brought a new sonic DNA.
“La Isla Bonita” by Madonna
Lady Gaga: Euro dance and pop music was completely dead in 2008 when the airwaves were (unfortunately) dominated by really bad Jennifer Lopez-type singles. Then came “Just Dance.” It turned out she wasn’t reinventing the wheel so much as tuning in to what was (a) excellent, (b) not even in fashion, and (c) truly Lady Gaga. She’s also someone who completely reinvents the wheel and colors of her sonic landscape with each era.
“Just Dance” by Lady Gaga
Britney Spears, *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys: Courtesy of Max Martin and the team of writer-producers at Cheiron, we were given a new flavor of pop not yet heard before. The results were massive.
“…Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears
Kelly Clarkson: “Since U Been Gone” was a fresh sound at the time. Dr. Luke and Max Martin (again, here’s Max) created a sonic direction that was a mixture of Yeah Yeah Yeahs meets contemporary pop. This song alone forged the next decade of female guitar pop.
“Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson
Billie Eilish: Of course, Billie made all of her predecessors feel, look, and sound redundant and outdated when “bad guy” came out.
“bad guy” by Billie Eilish
But it’s not just the pop darlings.
Paul Simon: Paul Simon took a big leap with his amazing album Graceland (1986), combining talented African collaborators and blending their music with Paul’s singer-songwriter and folk vibes.
Graceland (1986)
The album earned Paul the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1987 and is touted to this day as one of the best albums in history. Sure, Paul could have maybe just continued to write folk-pop tunes, but no, he stretched and manifested this sonic direction!
“You Can Call Me Al” by Paul Simon
Metallica: Sure, this is on the 180-degree end of the spectrum from everything aforementioned. But who else sounds like Metallica? No one (okay, maybe Megadeth at some points in time, but of course, Dave Mustaine was originally in Metallica).
“Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica
You get the idea.
I’m sure you can look at your own favorites – from the historical to even today’s stars – and think back to their breakout moments.
A Question to Ask Yourself
Were those artists and writers following the crowd and doing what sounded familiar? Or were they authentically or intentionally creating their own lane to travel in – one where there is no traffic, no tollbooths, no traffic regulations, if you get the metaphor?
Or just maybe – no roads at all.
“Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.”
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Work on that FIRST. Tirelessly. Then, when you’ve dialed it in, then and only then, write the song.
As mentioned, who knows, once you have your sonic and artistic landscape painted, it just might write itself.
By doing that groundwork and foundational building, you’ll be 10 steps ahead of everyone else before even putting pen to paper or finger to mouse.
Here’s to your annihilation!
