A new reality competition premiering on NBC this spring is set to take fans behind the scenes of a hit song. Airing for the first time on May 28th, Songland will find aspiring songwriters competing against one another to have hit makers like Kelsea Ballerini and Old Dominion record their songs.
The novel concept is being brought to life in part by the team behind NBC’s hit singing show The Voice, and its judging panel will feature Nashville songwriter and producer Shane McAnally (Sam Hunt’s “Body Like a Back Road,” Keith Urban’s “John Couger, John Deere, John 3:16” and many more). Other judges include OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder and Ester Dean.
Each songwriter will be trying to get their work into the hands of some big-named stars, which alongside Ballerini and Old Dominion will also include John Legend, The Jonas Brothers, Charlie Puth, Meghan Trainor, Will.I.Am, Leona Lewis, Macklemore, Aloe Blacc and others.
And fans won’t have to wait the whole season to see the contestants’ efforts pay off. According to E!, each episode will feature a winner, who will then have their song recorded by one of the guest artists.
In a promo clip posted by McAnally, the stars lay out the show’s intriguing premise.
“Every artist is looking for one thing,” says Legend, “that next great song.”
“This show is giving songwriters a real opportunity to pitch their songs,” Joe Jonas adds.
“We’re gonna pull back the curtains and we’re gonna show you how music is made,” explains Tedder.
Songland is being spearheaded by Maroon 5’s Adam Levine and Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart, plus The Voice’s Audrey Morrissey and Chad Hines and director Ivan Dudynsky. Stewart, Morrissey and Dudynsky teamed up to create the idea. Songland premieres May 28th on NBC.
