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The first great song that Taylor Fagins wrote was called “Watch Me.” At the time, he was in college and in the middle of a severe bout of depression. He was struggling with suicidal ideation; he says now that’s something he no longer struggles with but admits it’s a constant battle to keep it at bay. Through that depression, Fagins knew he didn’t want to end his life, though the impulse to do so felt as strong as it ever had. Instead, he just started crying and singing as loudly as he could. The words for “Watch Me” tumbled from his lips.

Singing about his own death kept Fagins from going through with it and, in essence, saved his life. Today, Fagins draws from that same emotive well when he writes new work. It’s what he did on his latest single, “We Need More.” The song, which in many ways epitomizes the contemporary American social divide, brought Fagins to the attention of American Songwriter. We’re pleased to announce that Fagins is our 2020 lyric contest winner.

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Pacific Northwest singer-songwriter, Stephanie Anne Johnson, says, these days, they’re learning to pivot. In fact, the artist, who prefers the pronouns “they” and “them,” has written a whole song about it: “Naturally,” which we’re happy to premiere here today.

Johnson, who was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington, which is about an hour south of Seattle, has learned over the years that even the best-laid plans can shift, crumble or change. So, instead, they’ve practiced the ancient art of acceptance, the ability to roll with whatever might come next. In other words, Johnson, who rose to prominence, in part, from their stint on NBC’s The Voiceand who opened for Bernie Sanders in 2020 at a Tacoma political rally, is getting more adept at things happening simply, organically. In this way, the worry of control can subside and Johnson is left to create, which they do prolifically.

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For French hip-hop producer and musician Wax Tailor (born Jean-Christophe Le Saoût), a completed album is an important thing—maybe the most important. When hunkering down to make a new album, Tailor says he’s often not the most enjoyable person to be around. His focus is generally one hundred percent on fleshing out the work, bringing it to life in a full and personally representative manner. There is a considerable difference between simply making music and making an album, and perhaps an even larger gap between making an album and making your album. For Tailor, the latter is paramount. It’s a reason to live, a mode of honest, humbling excitement. And this attitude is ever-present on Tailor’s forthcoming LP, The Shadow Of Their Suns, which he will release Jan 8th.

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In many ways, the band, The String Cheese Incident, is synonymous with the idea of playing live. If you’ve ever been a part of their crowds, you know the wide, sweeping, jamming celebration that is a String Cheese show. Playing live is likely the one thing the band misses most during this upended era of COVID-19. But to continue to engage with its community, the group has been hosting regular “Friday Night Cheese” events online, during which the members broadcast past live shows, recent and old, for fans to relive or enjoy for the first time.

This New Year’s Eve, The String Cheese Incident will conclude the series with an exclamation point. It will stream the 20th anniversary of the Evolution concert filmed in 2000 in Portland and the band’s three-set NYE show in Broomfield, Colorado, from 2016. While 2020 has been a time of rest and reinvention for the group – including keys player, Kyle Hollingsworth – the band hopes, like many do, that the new year will bring the renewed opportunity to play again in front of audiences.

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When speaking with the accomplished musician, Chief Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, it can often feel like you’ve opened an encyclopedia filled with history, culture and artistry. Adjuah, who was born and raised in a region where music was part of its DNA, understands songs almost like recipes. They are passed down for sustenance and from these deeply rooted compositions spring nations. As a musician, Adjuah, who comes from a line of artists and prominent indigenous New Orleans people, carries a nuanced burden. In one respect, he aims to tell the stories that have kept him and his family alive through centuries of hardship and discovery. In another, he pays them homage by reevaluating their nature to potentially re-form or broaden their scope so as to incorporate modern, though equally hard-earned ideas of care and community. Adjuah, whose latest live improvised record, AXIOM, was recently nominated for a Grammy, brings this in-depth understanding of musical reconstruction to each trumpeted phrase he plays.

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When Aloe Blacc is poised to release a promising new song or album, he says it can feel like playing an invisible game with a hidden opponent.

Blacc — who boasts hits like “I Need A Dollar” and “Wake Me Up” that combined have accrued more than 100 million YouTube views to date — says that trying to figure or plan the right moves can be tricky, even for him. You line up your pieces, you know strengths and limitations, but you don’t know what might be shaping up on the other side of that proverbial board.

Thankfully, though, for the Grammy-nominated, golden-voiced artist, Blacc won’t have to worry much about a wrong move in the aftermath of his latest LP, All Love Everything, which he released in October.

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When the accomplished guitarist, Billy Strings (born William Apostol), thinks about music, he’s often transported to the past. He remembers growing up with songs all around his childhood house and getting his first guitar at four-years-old. He remembers learning chords and playing music with his father at seven-years-old and he remembers seeing his dad liven up a party by fingerpicking local favorites. These are the fondest moments of Strings’ life, he says. But just because Strings can recall such joyous occasions doesn’t mean there haven’t been many rough ones between them. He remembers these, too, often writing about the heft of life in his music. Strings, whose latest record, Home, was recently nominated for a Grammy, carries his past to every gig he plays. Fans can continue to bear witness to his emotive, powerful performances now through Christmas as the Nashville-based musician broadcasts his original sets via his YouTube page to benefit Tennessee food banks and shelters.

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Providence, Rhode Island musician, Jake Blount, can talk to ghosts. He communes with them in song. He’s part exorcist, part séance leader. He resurrects their spirit in the music he makes and, over the course of a rocky 2020, Blount has earned great levels of praise for his often-spirited work. That he’s received positive responses for the old time and traditional music he plays has, in many ways, been the catalyst to new creative evolutions (more on this later). But it’s also offered real-time validation for Blount’s efforts, which first began with a desire to connect with his roots. To cap off a year in which he released a popular LP and earned high praise from outlets like NPR music, Blount recently unveiled his latest music video for the track, “The Angels Done Bowed Down.” In true form, the song is about murder’s revenge but is sung and couched in such a way that one could play it on a porch to toe-tapping neighbors.

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