Sticking With You

Parting is such sweet sorrow!

I hope you enjoyed our finale episode. It was so fun for me to watch this one. Back when we were taping, I was so nervous for all the contestants it was hard to enjoy it. But sitting in the comfort of my living room, it was nice to see everyone perform. I was really struck with how far everyone had come. It took a while for them to stop thinking like artists or singer-songwriters and to begin sounding commercial.

I loved everyone's songs. Jes really pulled it out. She improved so much over the show -- her structure and lyrics came a long way! And Scotty had his best night I thought, making a song that was the most sound conceptually to date. It was a beautiful sentiment and so touching to see his dad and his boyfriend sitting together! What a great thing to be able to sing that song, and his truth, to them both.

I really thought Sonyae deserved the win. There are a lot of writers who can write catchy melodies or chords, but it is rarer to find a strong concept writer. Concept makes a song stand out on the radio. It makes songs like "Firework" by Katy Perry or "The House That Built Me" written for Miranda Lambert stand out amongst all the heavy traffic of disposable songs on the radio. They are the ones that tend to climb the charts and stay there, and in the memory of a generation, when it really is done well. Think of "You're So Vain," or "Yesterday," or "Viva Las Vegas" or "Free Fallin'" --- all of them are so different, but so complete in a concept that they stick with you for generations.

I hope Sonyae takes the time to learn an instrument. It must be so frustrating to hear the music in your head but rely on others to make it come out. She will always be very valuable in a co-write, but would be a monster if she played for herself and could get the music just the way she likes.

It was fun for me to film this show. It was a lot more work than I realized, and being pregnant while filming was exhilarating and exhausting! I loved the contestants dearly, and want to thank them all for the opportunity to be in their creative lives. They were all good sports and able to sort through so much information, take from it what worked for them, and hopefully leave the rest behind. No one has all the answers -- certainly not us judges. All we can do is try to help each other along the way.

If we do another season, I look forward to better and better writers -- and I look forward to getting better at hosting! It's funny watching this season; I am so reserved. I guess I have been on stage my whole life. . .and unless there is an audience, it's hard for me to really turn on. I'm naturally laid back and shy off stage, but when I'm on stage I'm much more animated. It never dawned on me that filming on a closed set for a camera would make me feel less energetic or emotive. . .so that was interesting for me! The best part of the show was being able to be authentic and tell my real opinions. I was never asked to sugarcoat or pull a punch. I got to share with you all a craft I am so passionate about, and hopefully you learned to judge songs for yourself in a new way as well. I feel blessed to get to talk about music for a living, and for that I am really grateful.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it, and hope to see you next year or down the road! As always, follow me on Twitter (@Jeweljk), and don't be a stranger!

xo jewel