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For anyone who has tried, it’s difficult to write a song.

And it can be even more difficult to write songs for other people. Not only do you have to craft lyrics (or music) that work, but you often have to interview an artist or channel them, or… who knows what. It can all be so challenging.

But one artist who has mastered the craft is the Los Angeles-based R&B artist Parisalexa.

Paris, who has been featured on the NBC competition show Songland, also recently wrote the verse for artist Normani on the newly released track “Don’t They,” a remix by Josh Levi that featured Normani.

Here, we catch up with Paris to ask her about her process when it comes to writing for others, how she worked with Normani and how she keeps her solo career distinguished from her collaborative one.

When the singer/songwriter Jeff Buckley died mysteriously in Memphis, Tennessee, nearly 25 years ago on May 29, 1997, a giant hole formed in the hearts of music fans. Gone was the 30-year-old’s immaculate singing voice and his charm in the world of music.

But more significantly than that, it left a hole in the heart of his mother, Mary Guibert. However, Guibert wasn’t going to let the sadness of losing her son overtake her. She decided to be proactive.

The fruit of that determination is the non-profit organization Road Recovery, which Guibert co-founded with industry professionals and Buckley’s associates, Gene Bowen and Jack Bookbinder. Road Recovery works to help bring to light issues with addiction and young people in the music world with the hope of preventing unnecessary deaths like Buckley’s.

We caught up with Guibert to talk about her son and the work she’s done in the wake of his passing. These were not easy questions, nor were they easy answers. But we’re thankful for Guibert’s work and her responses in this interview.

The blues-rock group The Black Keys is one of the biggest bands in the world. But the project originated from humble beginnings in small Akron, Ohio, some 20 years ago.

Today, The Black Keys, which is comprised of frontman Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney, have more awards and accolades than can fit in the trunk of a pink Cadillac. But the band’s story, as you can see here below, first begins on a school bus.

Below, American Songwriter caught up with Auerbach to ask him about his early days falling in love with music, how he and Carney got together, and the genesis of the band’s new rollicking 10-song LP, Dropout Boogie, which is out Friday (May 13).

Auerbach also tells us about one of the group’s trophies coming to them with another band’s name on it—thanks MTV!

Seattle resident Craig Montgomery is the former longtime live sound engineer for the legendary grunge rock band, Nirvana. For years, Montgomery toured the world with Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, and Krist Novoselic. He spent time in the back of vans and, when it came to showtime, enlivening thousands of music fans as Nirvana played.

Here, as we celebrate music festivals this month on American Songwriter, we wanted to connect with Montgomery to ask him what it was like to work with Nirvana for some of the biggest festivals they ever played. Here, we get the inside scoop from someone who was on the ground floor with one of the biggest bands of all time.

So, sit back and enjoy these stories of the road and of big music festivals, dear reader. Without further ado, here is what Montgomery had to say about those epic years.

Rocker Ted Nugent has a new album out on April 29. That LP, Detroit Muscle, showcases the musician’s signature hard-pounding, frenzied songs buoyed by his guitar prowess and gravely voice. But these days, Nugent is more than a musician. He’s a social media presence, an outspoken, often harsh voice in the face of what he perceives as right and wrong in America today.

Here, we caught up with Nugent (of “Cat Scratch Fever” fame) to ask him questions about his new album, his relationship to Detroit rock and roll, his thoughts on COVID-19, Kyle Rittenhouse, the past three American Presidents, and much more. (Hint: he doesn’t hold back.) So, prepare yourself, dear reader, for all that is Ted Nugent.

HBO’s new television show, The Baby, is billed as a horror series in the vein of the acclaimed movie Get Out. And it’s true. The show, which debuts on the premium channel on April 24, is both terrific and eerie, odd and sumptuous.

But beyond the excellent acting, storytelling, and plot, how does a show like this come together musically? How do the folks in charge of writing the songs, scoring the show, and editing the sounds make everything work to bring those eerie feelings to life?

Well, that’s exactly what we asked the show’s composer Lucrecia Dalt, music supervisors Pete Saville and Zoe Bryant, and music editor Ed Hamilton. So, without further ado, let’s see what they had to say about their work below.

Megan Jasper is a true success story. This is funny because she works for the (legendary) record label, Sub Pop, which often bills itself as “Going out of business since 1988.” Clever marketing aside, Jasper is a beacon in the industry. From starting at the label as an intern to becoming its CEO, Jasper oversees quite a bit of music history and future-making from her Seattle-based office.

In the conversation below, American Songwriter asked Jasper about her first days on the job (make sure you check the Kurt Cobain story ). Jasper is also gracious enough to give insight into what a label looks for when potentially signing a new band, how the label looks to honor its local and global music communities and what she loves most about music.

Ethiopian-American songwriter and performer Meklit Hadero is a dynamo. A force. A person to know and cherish. Her music is as spiritual as it is entertaining.

Hadero’s latest project is MOVEMENT, which is a traveling series that highlights the complexity and relationship between migration and music. It begins on May 7 in Seattle at the University of Washington.

We caught up with the artist to ask her about the series, its origins, and what she hopes will manifest from the work that went into creating it. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the wisdom of Hadero here below.

The hit song, “Take Me Out,” by the Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand is like a slug to the head. In fact, that was what helped originate the idea.

The track, which was released in 2004 as the band’s second single from their self-titled LP, is likely the band’s biggest song to date. It reached No. 3 on the U.K. top singles chart and it hit that same number on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks chart. It also hit No. 66 on the Billboard Hot 100.

But where did the inspiration for the song come from? How did the band, which included frontman Alex Kapranos, conceptualize the tune? For starters, it all began, Kapranos says, with a sniper movie.

American Songwriter caught up with Kapranos to ask him about the origins of “Take Me Out.” Here’s what the songwriter, guitarist, and frontman had to say about its beginnings and fitting the sonic puzzle pieces together.