Events

Merry ASCAP Centennial Awards!

In your life, how many times can you find yourself in the same room as those who inspire you?

When I embarked on my journey to compose Christmas music, there are a few songwriters that have always been an inspiration to me. Billy Joel music inspired me to teach myself how to play piano at a young age, Stevie Wonder’s Christmas music is on constant repeat in my ears throughout the year and the bar in which I set my catalogue against, and of course Irving Berlin. Irving Berlin, was a composer of one of the most famous and quintessential Christmas songs of all time, White Christmas. Irving was also an advocate for composer rights and was one of the founders of The American Society of Songwriters, Composers Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) to help maintain and protect the work of Composers in America.

This historical lineage, helped me to join ASCAP as a composer. The organization has been instrumental in helping me find my way in my Christmas journey.

Tonight I’m pretty excited to be part of ASCAP’s Centennial Awards, where I’ll be able to support and celebrate these songwriters who inspire me so much and celebrate their work and also support songwriters who will come after. I’ve been very fortunate to be able to attend and will kick off the rest of my sparkly holiday season! 🙂 It’s also awesome that the festivities will take place right here in New York City, in the same ballroom where I had my High School Prom. So there’s that too in the historical aspect.

My latest record “Christmas in the City” and my catalogue was absolutely inspired by Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel and Irving Berlin. In fact, while working on the single “Christmas in the City” I often reminded the musicians I worked with that I wanted to really capture a song that was like Joel’s “New York State of Mind.” Whenever you hear horns on my record, its an homage to Stevie Wonder and the Christmas music of the 60’s.

Again, I am really blessed to be able to have the opportunity to be in the same room as some of my favorites!