The Pro Files – Sam Hollander
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Sam Hollander wants you to take chances. The multi-platinum songwriter/producer who specializes in working with artists, and helping them put their best foot forward doesn’t think you should play it safe.
“Create your own movement, that is the boldest move right now.” He says, sitting on the couch in his studio, under a wall filed with the gold and platinum records of the artists who’s movements he helped define. Artists like Fitz and the Tantrums, Train, Weezer, One Direction, Gym Class Heroes, Good Charlotte, Carole King, Daughtry, Neon Trees, Cobra Starship, Panic! At the Disco, 3OH!3, Coheed and Cambria, Boys Like Girls, All Time Low, Metro Station, We The Kings, Olly Murs, O.A.R., Uncle Kracker, Sugar Ray, Matisyahu, Blues Traveler, Tom Jones, Hot Chelle Rae, Karmin, Chiddy Bang, and Kelly Rowland.
Hollander’s career has spanned more than twenty years, two coasts, 21 US Top 40 Hits, and worldwide smashes. This wealth of experience has given him a unique perspective on the industry, one that he was kind enough to share with us one Tuesday morning at his LA studio.
Chen Neeman: Tell us a little about how you came up? How did you get into music?
Sam Hollander: I was this kinda geeky record kid. I had 100’s of records and hung out at flea markets at like the age of nine, and I was a real collector. I sang in bands through high school, and got fired from bands because I was terrible. But I stuck it out and ended up at NYU, because I read an article in the village voice about Rick Ruben and his ascent through the dorm there on 5th avenue. I figured if he could do it, I could do it as well. I felt like we were pulling from the same hip-hop and rock influences.
At NYU I started rapping, and somehow I got a record deal two years later. My record failed, but through that, I connected with my manager, who I’ve been with for like 19 years. He asked me what I wanted to do, and back then no one was gonna let me write in a room (in the 90’s bands weren’t really collaborating), so I said I want to create bands so that they’ll have to write with me! I figured that was the only way they’d let me in. And that’s what we did. And for a long time, we failed and failed and failed, until we didn’t.
CN: Today, in pop music at least, the role of the songwriter that used to include a lot of different skills is more compartmentalized. You got your top liners, your track person, the lyric person. Working with bands the way you do, where do you fit into that landscape?
SH: I am a songwriter. Yeah, I can still work Pro tools, I can still make a beat. But I see myself as someone that can put together a song from top to bottom, and I’m lyrically driven. I’m whatever the song needs me to be. Also, I feel like defining roles like that is marginalizing. I don’t like the feeling of being in a room, where I might have to suppress my voice because I’m not the de-facto beat guy, or melody guy that day. So rather than working with a track guy/top liner, I work with artists. I work best in an intimate setting with writers, where there are no rules. Whatever the other person brings to the table doesn’t matter, I’ll play the role that is necessary for the song. Some days it’s being a shrink, some days it’s super heavy lyrical lifting, some days its nothing at all. It shifts hourly, and that’s what I love about it.
CN: You have a lot of experience working with bands. How do you navigate situations like that? How do you become part of their process?
SH: I’ll tell you why it works for me, I respect artistry. I still believe in the concept of superstars. As a fan, as that same record collecting kid I was, I still look at a band and see that intangible thing that I didn’t have as an artist (I was a terrible artist). And that gets me excited. And I don’t wanna suppress that, I wanna nurture it.
Working with artists in that mode, because I’m a fan, connects me to the whole process, not just the song, but in many ways to the entire experience of the record itself.
As far as dealing with the different personalities of bands, I never want more than two members of the band in a room, because in general, I don’t like writing by committee. Too many voices. It waters down the art.
CN: tell us a little about your personal creative process,
SH: I get up every morning and start writing at 6 am. I do an hour, five days a week where I put down on paper an entire verse/pre and a chorus. I just lay something down to whatever meter I’m feeling. I do it because it helps me pocket ideas for later use, and because I’m getting the muscle going.
When I get in the room with an artist, to me I’m not worried about making a hit or something for radio. I just want something that is interesting and focused. So a lot of the time it’s keeping things from derailing, keeping them inspired and loose.
One of the ways I do that, is by defining the title / hook from the onset. I think the title is king and it’s super important to me. For me, once I have it thematically in place, the song flows quicker. I look at it like the title sequence in the opening of a film. It’s gotta pop.
CN: As a producer, how do you stay ahead of the trend without chasing it?
SH: I’ve aged out of chasing. I think in my mind I’ve aged out of kid relevance, you know? I can’t compete with some 22-year-old and a laptop in their lane, so my songs have to pull from different references and be in their own space. And luckily, I still have relationships with label people who get that, and respect that. And so I tend to rely on my gut. I guess that’s risky, and I miss a lot sometimes because of it, but at the same time when I hit, I really hit because its unique.
I really like the lane I’m in because it’s kinda unusual and its mine. That makes it fun. At the end of the day if you’re trying to stay current, if you’re chasing, you’re already too late.
CN: You’ve spent a lot of time working in NY and also in LA, two of the biggest record industry hubs in the country. Where would you recommend aspiring songwriters/artists/producers, go today?
SH: I’m gonna give you the advice no one else is gonna give you… stay where you are. Carve out your own thing. In the globalization of our world, it’s possible to do it from anywhere.
LA has this great pop moment thing going, for a certain type of pop. And Nashville has its own thing (that is for certainly pushing more pop rock these days). But you know what? This is a huge country, and every city has its own unique musical history. Why is nobody blowing up out of Boston? Why is there no one heating up onto the national scene from San Francisco?
The boldest stroke right now would be to create your own movement where ever you are.
The dangerous thing about LA (which I love), is that it’s so close to the industry. And if you’re not careful, being in such close proximity to the business can impact your creative process.
CN: Final thoughts on the future?
SH: I hope that the next generation steps into this taking chances. Learn the rules and then break the rules. The machine that is the industry is very data-driven, and so it doesn’t necessarily cultivate the new. As a result, there are risks that people don’t take. Risks that you probably SHOULD take.
You can find out more about Sam here: http://www.samhollandersongs.com/
Read about Sam’s holiday supergroup on Sony Masterworks, Band of Merrymakers here:
http://bandofmerrymakers.com/
Award winning and multi platinum selling songwriter/producer Chen Neeman's songs have been recorded by artists such as Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Joe Jonas, Zendaya, and The Muppets, among others. Chen is dedicated to helping aspiring songwriters learn how to write better songs through personalized one-on-one coaching sessions via Skype, FaceTime, or in person at his L.A Studio.
Find out more about Chen’s Pro Songwriting Coaching, at HitSongCoach.com