Matthew: Welcome back to the Travel Podcast. I'm Matthew Butler from the Travel Podcast. I'm your host. On this episode, we'll be discovering Nashville by looking into the soul of the city and the reason it's known as Music City. Our special guest joining us on this episode, live from Nashville, are Deana Ivey from Nashville Tourism and Nashville singer-songwriter Claude Kelly. So welcome both.

Claude Kelly: Thanks for having us.

Deana Ivey: Thanks.

Matthew: Thank you very much for joining us. Just to get started, a quick introduction to yourselves before we go into Nashville and really discussing how music really is the soul of the town and city. Deana, how long have you lived in Nashville and what attracted you to Nashville if you weren't born and raised there?

Deana Ivey: No, I wasn't born and raised here. I was actually raised not very far from here but I've been here 23 years this June. It's just such a great city but the real reason that I came in the beginning, so I was in tourism and marketing, and it was such a great destination that I wanted to come to a city that was fun to promote.

Claude Kelly: Oh, cool.

Matthew: Perfect. The same for you, Claude? I think you moved from New York, if I'm correct.

Claude Kelly: Yeah. I'm from New York City and I moved officially to Nashville four years ago in 2016, coming up on four years right now actually in May. I have been visiting Nashville as a songwriter for almost a decade, for the decade before I moved here. Just coming here to write with people, with friends and for music business and music industry reasons.
The first time I came to Nashville, I fell in love with the town and the music industry here and the camaraderie of the artists and songwriters. In the back of my mind, I said to myself and a bunch of friends back then, "I could see myself living here." Lo and behold, four years ago, here I am. It's definitely been the best decision I've made career-wise and for my peace of mind.

Matthew: Leading on to that before with Deana, discuss a view of Nashville, Claude I just wanted to ask you. What got you started into songwriting?

Claude Kelly: Oh, I am a music addict. I started my journey with music when I was literally two and a half, three years old playing classical piano. Music has been a part of my whole life but specifically songwriting, I'm actually a late bloomer. I did not know that songwriting was even a career when I was a kid, as I would assume most kids don't know, because it's not something that you get sold as a dream. You get sold the rock star or maybe even the record label owner, but never the person that's writing the songs.
So it wasn't until I went to Berkeley College of Music in Boston for college that songwriting was offered as a major that I didn't even know was something you could focus on. I still didn't choose it. I chose music business because if I felt if I knew the business, I'd be okay. Then it wasn't until I was graduating and I moved back to New York City, and the tough time that hit every musician hit me.
I had to figure out how to make a living if I wanted to do music. Then it was around that time I was hanging around in studios with friends and it clicked that I had this knack for putting words and melodies together. At that point, I literally fell in love with the art of songwriting and it's been nonstop ever since.

Matthew: The meaning of songwriting for you is such a passion now. As you said, you've gone through that journey to then become into a songwriter. It obviously does mean so much to you. Are there songs that people would know, that the people listening would actually know but obviously they wouldn't know that you've written them?

Claude Kelly: I think so. I've had a bunch of pretty big hits. "Grenade" by Bruno Mars, "Party in the USA" by Miss Miley Cyrus, who is a Nashville native. "My Life Would Suck Without You" for Kelly Clarkson, "Circus" for Britney Spears, many songs for Christina Aguilera and Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson. It's been a crazy, colorful, fun, creative songwriting career thus far. I certainly can't complain.

Matthew: That's what I said. There's a massive artists there and Grenade is a great song from Bruno Mars. So thank you for writing that. How has your songwriting changed, because you mentioned quite a varied group of artists there?

Claude Kelly: Well, I would say my strength as a songwriter is being able to be a chameleon for every artist that I work with. I guess there's a thread to my style but overall, I try to take on the life, the language, the mood of any artist that I'm thinking about writing for. That's something that's served me really well, I would say, the first nine or 10 years of my career because you get really good at putting words and melodies into people's reality. Moving to Nashville changed that a little bit more because what allowed me ... I shouldn't say allowed, it forced me to do, was dig deeper. There's a lot of soul and a lot of culture and a lot of history to music and music business that all stems from Nashville, Tennessee.
The record business in a lot of ways was born here. The publishing business in a lot of ways was born here. The Fisk Jubilee Singers are here. They were one of the first touring acts from America for soul music. Learning that stuff and living in the town and being forced to understand the importance behind buildings and institutions like the Grand Ole Opry made me realize that music isn't just something that's fun, although it is, but it's something that's drenched in history and can do a lot of good and make a lot of change if you know how powerful it can be.
That's what I was looking for when I moved here. I'm glad I found it but in finding it, it's made me a much better musician but it's made me have to work a little harder because I want to make sure that everything I do honors that tradition.

Matthew: That's a great journey that you've been on. I think it leads nicely into going back to Deana with regards to [inaudible 00:00:06:21]. I know Claude, mentioned you've moved from New York to Nashville and it's got that soul and that passion is really music-based and is driven as Nashville.
For those who may not be a native to the USA, how would everyone else be able to find their way to Nashville and get to discover that soul?

Deana Ivey: To find their way? Well it's easy from where you guys are. You could hop on that direct flight from British Airways anytime, seven days a week. Obviously not right this minute but soon, very soon.

Claude Kelly: Very soon.

Deana Ivey: Yeah.

Matthew: Very soon.

Deana Ivey: It's an easy flight but it's in the South in Tennessee and it's an easy journey really.

Matthew: Like you mentioned, we covered this fact, that music is such a part of the destination. How did it really get the name of music sit-ins and how may the listeners know Nashville or may have seen Nashville within the media?

Deana Ivey: Yeah. Well legend has it that actually the Queen of England was the one that gave us that name. When the Fisk Jubilee Singers, who were from the historic African-American University, they went out, exported music from Nashville to the world because they were raising money for the school and they sang for the Queen and she said, "Oh, you're from that Music City." That's the legend and then years later, actually the DJ from the Grand Ole Opry was the one who he started it, really using Music City, USA.
Years later, we have really wrapped our marketing and everything around the brand of music because it's what Nashville is all about. It's what makes us authentic and real and such a creative community. People like Claude come in here to write songs. That's what has built this city and it's just incredible. As Claude said, there's so much soul here and you feel it as soon as you get here. You really feel it.

Matthew: Do you think that's a special thing about Nashville is the highlights of the live music, the food scene and also, like you said, the friendly locals and really bringing it all together?

Deana Ivey: That's what we hear the most. I think sometimes you take it for granted. We've certainly realized not to take anything for granted during this COVID period but the music is everywhere. You can walk up and down the streets and you hear it almost 24 hours a day. That's what's always amazing to people. We forget about it because we just hear it coming out of all the venues and our visitors just love it because you can hear all kinds of music.
Now we're known for country music and that's probably what most of your listeners know us for but it's all kinds of music here, great music coming out of here. What has happened is because of all the musicians, it is such a creative community, and that breeds other creatives that are wanting to move here like chefs. There's some great chefs that have moved here. It's become a food scene like a real foodie city. It's a great place to visit. It's one of those places that as soon as you land, you go, "Oh, I get it. I get it. It's Music City."

Matthew: Moving on, I know you've done this amazing documentary and it's an amazing documentary, where it all begins with a song, which is a big focus on songwriters and artists that have become part of Nashville and really built that community. Why did you decide to make the documentary and what did you hope to achieve with the documentary?

Deana Ivey: Well honestly we made one documentary several years ago, about five or six years ago, and it was called "For the Love of Music: The Story of Nashville." That was really a way to talk about our foundation and the depths of Nashville's music history. That one was so successful, we had a lot of artists and musicians that just told their stories that was so successful. We realized that we could dig deeper and really what's behind it, which is the creativity and the song writers.
We've used songwriters a lot on the road to sell. We take Claude on the road a lot to sell Nashville, to promote Nashville for us, but we'd never really told their story or let them tell their story. When we decided to do this documentary, we said, like the first one, "We're not scripting anyone. We want them to just talk," and they're such great storytellers anyway.
We want them to talk, to really speak from the heart and just tell us what it's about. Dig deeper in any of the songs. When you watch the documentary, you will be amazed at some of the stories that are in there.

Matthew: Obviously, you had that previous documentary that did so well, which has led you into this one. A bit of a question for both of you. What was the reaction within the songwriter community when you said you're going to be making this documentary, because you said you delved beyond the artist, which is normally what gets the highlight in those that help create such great music.

Deana Ivey: Yeah. Well I'll speak first and then I'll let Claude do.
First people are like, "Wait, the tourism people are doing a documentary?" The ones who saw our first one, it gave us a lot of credibility and they knew that we did it and it was very authentic. It was true to the story and what we wanted to tell and it wasn't in any way a tourism promotion video. I'll let Claude, when he thought [crosstalk] because we had just met him actually at a lunch with Little Richard.

Claude Kelly: Yeah, exactly. I would say that songwriters in general, I would say, are notoriously shy. That's part of the reason why they're so comfortable being behind the scenes. There's always that first step of trying to get us out of our cocoon and out of our shell to talk about ourselves. On the flip side, songwriters are also often frustrated because we have all this passion and all these ideas and all these stories of how songs were created and what happened and what didn't happen.
Those stories often get overlooked because the world is focused on the artists who made the song, who they attached the hit to. With that being said, it's always an honor when people want to hear the stories of the songwriter because we are so invisible that we love ... it's a little bit of love.
Also it's important for the world to understand, not just because we want praise, but for the world to know how much time and love and care goes into making the music that they dance to, cry to, party to. It's all coming from a very simple thing: A room with a guitar and a piano, and a pen and a pad. A very simple setup, ends up entertaining the world. It's important for the preservation of Nashville, of course, and also for music in this country, in schools for kids, for people that want to pursue this, to understand that number one, it's a career but also it's a delicate and ought to be cherished talent for the lack of a better word. So anytime that anyone asks ... Deana did ask me, right?
We had met that day and I was like, "Absolutely. I'll do it, of course. Of course, I love this city and I want to talk about it." I was so moved because I was sitting at a table with Little Richard that I felt anything I can share about this excitement. For me, it was an honor and a pleasure to do it and I would do it again. Just recently, I watched it because obviously we have a lot of time on our hands these days.
I watched it one evening just by myself eating popcorn and I was sitting there crying as if I hadn't seen it three or four times before because it's that moving in itself. I said when it was over, I was like, "Man, if I wasn't a songwriter, I damn sure would be one after watching this." That's a win. That's what you want. I think that they check all the boxes with this one specifically. I'm proud to be a part of it.

Matthew: That sounds very, very moving. I'm looking forward to watching it myself. With that, what do you think is the key highlights of the documentary? The funniest part, the hardest part, the shoot.

Claude Kelly: [Crosstalk 00:15:18].

Matthew: Yeah.

Claude Kelly: Oh, Deane. You want to go first?

Deana Ivey: Well to me, the funniest is Desmond Child talking about writing a song. Dude looks like a lady.

Claude Kelly: Yeah.

Deana Ivey: That's pretty funny because it's not what you expect when he tells the story.

Claude Kelly: Yeah. I would say the same thing actually. I know Desmond really well. I texted him after I watched it the first time. I was just like, "Listen." He has so many of those stories. I was cracking up because he's very animated. Desmond is a star. Desmond Child is a star.
He's written many, many hit records: Bon Jovi and Ricky Martin and all kinds of stuff. That was my favorite moment. The rest of it, I was weeping half the time because it was just so expressive. I was appreciative of the chuckles in between with Desmond and a few others.

Matthew: Do you think that's because, like you said, the story that goes from your own, what you mentioned earlier is how you get into the mentality of the artist and what they go through? Do you think it's really moving on the story behind telling the stories and writing those songs really gets to you?

Claude Kelly: Oh, I think so. I think so. I think there's the memories that you have attached to the song just because you heard on the radio and it lined up with a time in your life. That was the intended purpose of putting the song out. Then if you're lucky enough to watch this documentary or even better, come to Nashville and visit the Bluebird or any one of those awesome bars when music is playing on Broadway, you get to see people that you didn't even know you knew because they were the person that wrote this song, tell you these stories that are even more heartwarming and relatable to your life than you would have imagined.
Sometimes when you see the songs, they're already in their big state. The music videos and they're blasting out of stadiums. That's a feeling but then to hear, "Oh, my goodness. The person that created this was heartbroken the way I was when I heard it and I needed it," is just another level of intimacy with the music that really, I think, is a special treat that most people don't get.

Deana Ivey: Yeah. There's nothing like hearing a song from the songwriter that wrote it. That's one thing. Claude was talking about Bluebird or Listening Room or some of those places that you get to experience in Nashville that you don't get to experience anywhere else. I can't tell you how many times people have said, whether it's clients or visitors we've taken to a show, "I've never seen anything like this," or when we take a song writer on the road, people are just amazed.
They're like, "Okay, I don't know them. I haven't heard their name most likely but hearing it from them," like Claude said, "It's their heartbreak and their story." There's one part in the documentary where Liz Rose says, "It's like a songwriter is putting their journal out there for you to read." It really is. It's deep and it's from the heart.

Matthew: I think that's a great way and very genuine way to actually understand the song. I think it'll be very moving. I'll probably be in tears like you were Claude when I watch this. I totally.

Deana Ivey: Grab a Kleenex.

Matthew: Yeah.

Claude Kelly: Yes, a box.

Deana Ivey: There's one part in it that people don't expect and they're ... Yeah. I'd say Claude was probably bawling.

Matthew: Yeah. I know a lot of my friends love their music. So I'll be definitely getting all of them to watch it as well so they're going to be very excited and obviously probably would need tissues. Probably sell out in the supermarkets over here this time. Talking about those venues and really delving into the songwriters that can go and play.
I've managed to see I think one artist that's gone on to be very big, so you then hear their songs all the time on the radio. I think it was Ed Sheeran, in a very small venue in America, where there's only maybe 500 people. Then you see him on these live gigs but from that intimacy, I think that is one of the best shows I've probably ever seen because again, he writes so much of his own songs.
Like you mentioned, delve in deeper into their understanding. When you're so close to people, I think live is amazing. That's something that I didn't realize that a lot of the songwriters actually they perform live around Nashville. If someone's to go and see a songwriter perform in Nashville, where do you recommend that they would best go and seeing them in the venue?

Deana Ivey: Well, the place where it all started of what we call "Writers in the Round," because it's usually three or four writers and they take turns and tell their stories and seeing their songs, is a Bluebird Cafe, which became really well known from the Nashville TV show. That was the set in the show. That's a great place.
It's a really small venue. It's 90+ and the audience really tight. They're in a circle going around. The writers are and everybody's just right around them, right on top of them. It's not social distancing.

Claude Kelly: Not at all.

Matthew: Yeah, that's not opening for a while.

Deana Ivey: It's great. We can't wait to get back to it. Then there's other places around here like Douglas Corner and Listening Room. We do a lot of private events for our clients and it's just great. It's great to see one.

Claude Kelly: Can I just add to that just real quick because I think this gets overlooked, it's actually happening currently is that Nashville is famous for a lot of things already. Obviously, country music and its Music City and the Fisk Jubilee singers. The idea of the Writer's Round as a concept like Deana said, it was invented, created at the Bluebird. Because it's gotten so popular, Nashville has gotten so popular, I've traveled to many of the cities and that whole concept is now spreading like wildfire as a new form of community and entertainment.
Everywhere I've been, it's been attributed to Nashville. It's not like they're stealing the idea and doing their own thing. I was in London apart from our trip. Deep in, I went to London last year but apart from that, I was there a second time. Andrew Lloyd Webber has his other songs, this beautiful theater and they were basically doing a writers round.
They were talking about how they went to Nashville and they were influenced by songwriters coming together and sharing their story and explaining what was the meaning behind the songs. It was everyone from new writers to veteran writers but it just says a lot about how in 2020, Nashville is still ahead of the curve and the kind of community and support that musicians need, and also the kind of entertainment the world needs.
That's why even right now with the world we live in where we're all virtual, in my opinion, Nashville has been ... and I've watched other people on the city that's been the most flexible in becoming a community for their fans because we're used to this. We're used to just grabbing a guitar and a piano and singing your heart out and telling people how you feel that way. It never had to be the big show. So it's really inspiring to watch the Bluebird specifically, but also the concept of that become now kind of the world format.

Matthew: I know during this time, there's been a lot of live streaming performances by artists, which has been massive. I know there's such great lineups every day from Nashville. I think you're completely right, at the forefront of delivering and still performing for the audience and fans and giving back to everyone during this tough time. As like you said, as everyone is isolated in the house, being able to go through that and find an escapism is vital, I think and going on from songwriting.
Claude, back to you. What is the process of songwriting like and what do you think is the best and worst things when you're writing a song?

Claude Kelly: Well, the worst thing is overthinking because that messes you up from being free enough to be creative. Really, what song writing is about is getting out of your own way. The best songwriters are able to remove their ego and not worry about what makes them look good or makes him look cool but think about what's the most necessary words or expressions to get out the emotion.
I'm a guy. I mean, the most manly thing to say might not be the most macho thing to say or even the coolest thing but it's the truest thing to say. The hardest thing is getting out of your own way. My process is very much stream of consciousness. I don't write anything down with a pen or paper.
I usually visualize the whole thing in my head. I see the end result and I work backwards. I know how I want the song. I know what I want the song to say and feel, and then I work all the way back to the first line and I make sure that the story makes sense line to line, melody to melody. I started a piano with my business partner and band member, Chuck Harmony. Once we have an idea, we lay us a work tape down, which is just a vocal and piano or vocal and guitar.
Then we build it into the dream song we want it to be, without any instruments or any rhythms or any harmonies that will make it magical. At the end of the day, I am more respectful of the song than anything else. Like I said, getting out of my own way is my goal. I'll know a song is done when I feel like it's giving me chills down the back of my neck. That's how you know a song is right. I'm always fighting for that feeling, so that's really the inspiration behind every time I write a song.

Matthew: I know a lot of people will probably feel those chills when listening to a lot of the songs as well. So to hear that's what you want to achieve when writing really synergizes the whole journey from listener to ... from writer all the way through to the listener. I know we're very fortunate that you'll be doing a song to see us out on the episode today. What would be the story behind the song that you choose to sing?

Claude Kelly: The song that I think best describes my mood, and I think really speaks to the heart of the matter, is a song called Slow Motion. It's a song that I love to sing. I have a band called Louis York, which is myself and Chuck Harmony. He's from St. Louis. I'm from New York. Our city is combined into a band and we've been putting out music for a few years but our album came out last year.
This song is one that we end our shows with because it reminds people what it's all about. After the fun and the lights and the whole thing, it's really about making sure that you're connecting with real people and keeping connection, and taking some time to slow down from all the noise outside and make sure you tell people that matters, how you feel that you love them, that you miss them, that you care about them.
That's really what music has done for me. It's allowed me to communicate with people better sometimes in words or emails or texts. Yeah, I hope Slow Motion connects with people, and I guess connecting for me.

Matthew: Looking forward to hearing that. Again, what we'll do for everyone else, if you're interested in listening to a lot more of Claude's songs, will be on the travelpodcast.com. We'll have links out to that. Going back to the documentary, why do you think Nashville ... why has Nashville become such an epicenter for writing music?

Claude Kelly: For me?

Matthew: For both.

Claude Kelly: [Crosstalk 00:27:46].

Matthew: Sorry, that's my fault.

Claude Kelly: I can answer that. Nashville is unique in that it has the utmost respect for the songwriting community. That is important because like I said, songwriters often feel underappreciated but here, it's almost ... I was told before I moved here that the songwriter is king, meaning that they get the same respect that the artists do and the important folks, the record labels do.
Anyone who's aspiring to be a musician, does a little homework of the songs they love, and you realize that they were recorded in Nashville and you visit here and you realize, "Wow, there's a true respect for the musician and songwriter here." It's a no brainer. It's really a no-brainer that the respect level and also the bar of excellence that is here. Deana will tell you, "Everybody can sing and play. Everyone is good."
I don't mean just good. I mean, "You should get on the stage and do it for life," good. So it's intimidating, but it's also encouraging because you feel you found your family. You feel like you found your tribe. That's what I found being here. I was craving that. The reason I left New York wasn't because New York was bad. It was because I was looking for my like-minded friends who took it as seriously as I did and would work as hard as I did to make the best music possible.
I can't suggest Nashville enough for aspiring or veteran songwriters. It's just the place to be.

Matthew: Do you think, like you said, that everyone is at that level, that it drives ... You drive each other on?

Claude Kelly: Yes, absolutely.

Matthew: [Crosstalk 00:29:24].

Claude Kelly: It's all love but I would say there's also a healthy competition because we all love music and want to write that big one. You hear songs that come out and I definitely send some semi-angry texts to my friends like, "Oh, I hate you for that one because I wish I had thought of that first."
That just drives you to get back into the studio or get back at your instrument and come up with your best work. That's why there's constantly good music and good artists coming out of Nashville. It never slows down because you're always being inspired. Just one night out, one night out on the weekends to any one of the great musical venues in Nashville will make you run home to write the best song possible.

Matthew: I love it. I love the sound of that.

Deana Ivey: You know, it's so amazing to me is because it is a competition but it's a very healthy competition, like Claude said, they're so supportive of one another. The one thing that we always talk about in Nashville is that we're very collaborative. We all work together and that's why we've had so much success.
That really stems from the songwriting community because they're so used to writing together and supporting one another and being inspired by one another. I think it just permeates through the entire community and city. It really is what makes it special.

Matthew: Oh, I love this. The community bond between everyone sounds amazing. Like you said, even though there's healthy competition, everyone admires each other so much that it resonates across the whole town. It's like the Queen said, which makes it become music city.

Deana Ivey: That's right.

Claude Kelly: The Queen knows.

Matthew: The Queen knows. The Queen knows. She knew back then.

Claude Kelly: She knew.

Matthew: She knew. For those who really want to ... oh, everyone should go and watch this. For those right now who want to go and find the documentary and watch it right after this podcast, where can they go? Where can they be able to find it, whether it's in the UK or if they're listening from around the world?

Deana Ivey: So in the UK and in the States, right now you can get it on Amazon, on Google Play, on iTunes. In the States, it's about to go up on UPtv, and then it'll be on Amazon Prime pretty soon.

Matthew: Perfect. I'll be definitely ...

Deana Ivey: It will also be on British Airways. It will be on British Airways and Delta Airlines pretty soon. So probably in the fall.

Claude Kelly: Oh, that's good.

Matthew: The people will be able to listen to it on route to Nashville if they're on that direct.

Deana Ivey: Yeah, they can watch it. They can watch it on their seatback TV.

Matthew: Oh, absolutely. Love it. Sort of outro for from that, because I think the highlights in that documentary will really drive people to go to watch this, really make you want to go in and visit Nashville and feel that vibe. Make sure you do have some tissues ready, if anything, that Claude's said about the documentary is to come true, which I think it will do.
Remember, it all begins with a song and you can go and get it from iTunes, Google Play, Amazon. If you are looking forward to getting back out there and exploring the world once all the lock downs are over, you've got to pick up one of BA or Delta flight in the future. So make sure if you are flying, especially to the States, you are looking for it on next.
It will again, definitely help your journey. We will have links to everything we've discussed from Claude's songs, to Nashville, the Music City so you can explore the destination and also links to the documentary. So where to watch it, all on the travelpodcast.com.
Do go and check that out. If you've enjoyed the episode, please go and rate us from where you're listening. Give us five stars. I think a great way to finish off is we're very, very fortunate that Claude is going to be performing Slow Motion for us. So thank you very much, Claude.

Claude Kelly: Appreciate you. I hope you enjoy this.

Matthew: Thank you, Deana.

Deana Ivey: Thanks so much. I really appreciate it.

Matthew: Over to Claude.