Justin Timberlake en la conferencia de la ASCAP «I Create Music»

Ayer sábado 24 de abril Justin Timberlake asistió a la exposición de la Asociación Americana de Compositores, Autores y Editores «I Create Music». El cantante ofreció una conferencia junto con Bill Withers. A continuación varias imágenes del evento (a pesar de que las cámaras estaban prohibidas) y una crónica con diversas citas de los cantantes: «Escribí la canción para que todos pudieran sentirse como si eso lo estuvieran haciendo ellos mismos», el cantante sobre uno de sus éxitos más reconocidos, «SexyBack».

Just the Two of Us: Bill Withers & Justin Timberlake

As this is my last post of the ASCAP «I Create Music» EXPO and my brain feels like pudding after so many consecutive hours of panels, I’m going to try to balance out detail with self-preserving brevity.

The conversation with Bill Withers and Justin Timberlake was absolutely hysterical. Withers has this natural Southern charm, melodious voice, biting wit, and relaxed attitude that combine to make him the kind of person you just want to have tell you a bed time story. Or maybe that’s just me. Anyway…

The night started out with Withers cutting on Timberlake for a long answer to moderator Randy Grimmett’s question. The jokes kept rolling as he pretended to fall asleep, talked about being a ladies’ man and about his advice for other songwriters.

There’s absolutely no way that I’ll be able to recapture the hilarity of the interview, so instead I’ll leave you with the pieces of advice that speak for themselves and let you make of them what you will. Henceforth, «BW» is Bill Withers, and «JT» is Justin Timberlake. Rocket science, I know.

[BW on songwriting] «If you open up your mind you might get lucky and be a conduit for something great».

[JT on songwriting] «Most of the songs I’m really proud of, I don’t remember writing».

[BW on doing your own thing] «We like different people for different reasons and you have to work with what you’ve got. I don’t know an F sharp from ice cream. If you have an education, work with that. If you have instincts, work with those…Your job is to make somebody interested enough in you that they’ll pay you for the privilege».

[BW on the recipe for success] «There’s always the X factor — the gift, which is an absolute requirement».

[BW on enjoying the journey] «You can’t do anything about the destination…The odds are against you, so if you’re not enjoying yourself there’s no point…Whatever you’re doing, if you’re doing it for the sake of doing it — that’s what it’s about».

[JT on enjoying the journey] «It’s more interesting to want something than to have it. So many people miss the journey just looking at the goal».

[BW on sticking to your guns] «Sometimes you’ll play something and your friends won’t get it, and that’s okay. The dumbest thing you can do is to hold somebody else responsible for something that they just don’t know».

[JT on Sexyback] «I didn’t really think I was bringing sexy back, it was just part of the character…it was creative and unapologetic».

[JT & BW on advice to aspiring songwriters] «Write songs!»

Justin Timberlake’s label didn’t understand «Sexyback» when he brought it to them. Neither did the radio stations. A&R was pissed off at Bill for breaking every rule in the book with songs like «Ain’t No Sunshine». John Mayer didn’t recognize Bill when they met the other day, because his music, not his face, is a legend. After all of the celebrity interviews, nobody has had the formula for how to be a great songwriter.

There are no guarantees in the music business. There are a million versions of what success as a songwriter can look like. You might be the next Bill Withers, you might end up scoring for the Disney Channel, you might be a famous writer, or you may have a dedicated fan base that you play to in your hometown. Whatever your path ends up looking like, don’t resent it because it’s not exactly what you planned.

In the same way that you can’t judge a song as it’s flowing through you (not if you want to get anywhere, anyway), you can’t judge your process while you’re in the middle of it. Enjoy the ride and always be on the lookout for what’s next, but make sure you’re always driven by the love and the passion for what you do more than anything else.

Justin Timberlake Dishes on Music & Romance

Justin Timberlake has come a long way since his days in the boy band N’Sync, but the 29-year-old pop star sat down on Saturday to talk about his experience with music and romance.

«I just think I find it more interesting to want something than to actually have it», Justin revealed his take on love at the ASCAP Panel.

«People miss out on the journey because they’re so focused on the goal….the things that happen on the way are just more interesting», Justin, who has been linked to actress Jessica Biel since 2007, gushed in L.A. while speaking with Bill Withers.

And, while his romantic life seems to be pretty stable at the moment, getting to this point in his musical career as a solo artist hasn’t been as easy to do.

«It was hard to walk away from because one of my friends said, ‘You guys are bigger than bubble gum — actual bubble gum!'» Justin spoke of making the decision to go solo from N’Sync in 2002.

But once the «Sexy Back» artist made a name for himself, he claims that he has learned that it’s all about enjoying the experience.

«I’ve met so many talented people who are so tortured and not enjoying the journey. I grew up with the radio more than anything and I loved songs».

Drawing inspiration from the late King of Pop, the Tennessee native explains that the journey of making music should be all about the process.

«I grew up knowing who Michael Jackson is because you couldn’t grow up not knowing who Michael Jackson is but I cared more about who made that song…my experience is once a song is done, you have to let it go. Don’t worry about the goal and enjoy the process», Justin explained at Hollywood and Highland.

Justin Timberlake reveals his label thought ‘Sexyback’ was going to bomb

On the face of things, it would seem that Justin Timberlake and veteran artist Bill Withers, best known for his early ’70s hits, «Ain’t No Sunshine», «Lean on Me» and «Use Me», wouldn’t seem to have much in common given the 40 + year-age difference. However, they displayed a stirring number of similarities as they discussed their creative processes and record company struggles during a joint session during the April 22-24 ASCAP Expo, a three- day conference organized by the performing rights organization for songwriters and producers in Los Angeles.

Neither the two artists, nor the interviewer, ASCAP’s Randy Grimmett, explained the link between the two artists, which was a shame, but a fondness between the two, with Timberlake deferring to Withers a number of times, was apparent from the start.

Speaking before the audience of aspiring songwriters, Withers stresses playing to one’s strengths, but added that having a gift meant little if it wasn’t partnered with commitment and willingness to take rejection. Withers walked away from the music business a number of times and, at one point during the session, declared his envy of Timberlake’s drive: «I’d do anything to have the gift to be driven to do it over and over again», he said. «I admire that gift most of all.

Both artists shared stories of contention with their record labels. Withers talked candidly about his fights with his label, Columbia, after he turned in his second LP, which he had produced. «The A&R guy got really insulting to me. He heard one song and said it was [terrible]», and questioned if Withers had wasted the label’s money. The song the A&R executive heard? «Lean on Me», now considered a classic. Small wonder Withers said «I have a name for A&R: antagonistic and redundant».

Timberlake said he’d gone through a similar experience when he played his Jive Records label head the electronic «Sexyback», the first single from 2006’s «FutureSex/LoveSounds», the follow-up to his multi-platinum «Justified». «The first thing he said was ‘What is this?’ I said, ‘It’s a feeling’. He said, ‘You’re not singing in your falsetto’. I said, ‘Damn straight, I’m not even singing'». Timberlake even had to call radio stations to assure them that the song was not a joke. The label also insisted that he shoot the video for second single, «My Love», immediately following the clip for «Sexyback», since the label expected it to bomb. Timberlake had the last laugh: «Sexyback» was not only a huge hit, it stayed at No. 1 on the Billboard 100 for seven weeks.