Champagne Night thrusts Merlo into the limelight
Lady Antebellum fans are cranking up the radio when Champagne Night comes on.
The Nashville trio’s latest hit comes courtesy of former Maple Ridge resident and country singer Madeline Merlo. The 2015 Canadian Country Music Association Rising Star winner pitched the song to the band as a contestant on Season 2 of NBC’s Songland.
Artists appearing on the program pitch an original song to a guest celebrity artist and the series producer-mentors Ryan Tedder (Taylor Swift, Adele), Shane McAnally (Kacey Musgraves, Kelly Clarkson) and Ester Dean (Rihanna, Katy Perry). These hitmakers work with the episode’s contestants to arrive at songs to suit the celebrity artist. One song is chosen for recorded release to the global audience that night.
Merlo pitched her tune on the April 13 episode and turns up in the Champagne Night video. It hit No. 1 on iTunes and Billboard that week and, at press time, was still sitting pretty at No. 16.
Merlo talked to Postmedia from her Nashville residence about the Songland experience, and what it’s like living in the heart of country music.
Q Congrats on the Songland win. Did working with the mentor change Champagne Night as a song?
A I was paired with Shane McAnally as a songwriting coach, which was incredible because he’s one of my favourite songwriters of all time and a king in Nashville. Pitching to Lady A was great fortune because I’m a huge fan and know their style. But I clearly hadn’t written it with them in mind or their reputation for quirky lyric hooks. We worked so hard on the original song for a week to come up with what is Champagne Night and when they heard it, they loved it.
Q Lady Antebellum has chosen your song for the new radio single, as well. After a few years building a rep in Nashville, is this is a huge leap forward?
A I’m floored. I moved here to become the best songwriter I could be, and I think I’ve walked out of this experience with my bar raised so high in terms of future songwriting. Shane really imparted some deep knowledge about lyrics that I know will always be there moving forward.
Q What is meant by “furniture in the room” in songwriting?
A Furniture in the room is that moment in songs, such as in Lady Antebellum’s Downtown or Hey Bartender, where the lyric becomes a hook that puts you right in the room and the experience. It’s a quirky quality of their music and what really makes a song stick in your head.
Q Has this win upped your profile in a big way?
A You go on (Songland) hoping for a win, but just being able to go on and sing is huge. But now I’ve got a Lady A song going to radio and that’s the Everest for a songwriter. It’s hard to put into words how big this is for me. I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy, there really is no room left for anything more inside.
Q What are your plans moving forward?
A Well, we dropped three new songs at madelinemerlo.com, all products of the past two years of constant, focused songwriting. So I’m glad to have those out in the world, and I hope to get out there and play live, but for the moment, it’s more about getting cancellations for shows that were booked for the summer. If I don’t play a gig this summer, it will be the first time that I haven’t since I turned 14, which will be incredibly strange. It is what it is. Everyone is affected and I’m lucky to be here writing songs.