NBC’s new series “Songland” features undiscovered songwriters pitching original songs to superstar recording artists and a panel of chart-topping music producers in hopes of creating the artists’ next megahits. A graduate of Belmont’s songwriting program, Kathryn Kempthorn, better known by her artist name Rynn, was one of the four lucky songwriters to pitch a song to former Disney stars Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas (aka the Jonas Brothers) on the show’s fourth episode.
Rynn performed her song “Crowded Places,” and the Jonas Brothers selected her song to move on to the next round, pairing her with producer Shane McAnally (Kacey Musgraves “Merry Go Round,” The Band Perry “Better Dig Two” and Keith Urban “Female”).
“Songland” celebrity artists each choose their favorite three songwriters to take to the next level. Pairing each selected songwriter with one of the show’s three producers, the contestants then tailor and evolve their songs to fit the artists, who will ultimately choose one winning song to record and release worldwide.
“Songland could not have been a more positive experience! It was so incredible to be a part of the first season of such an amazing show that champions songwriters and pulls back the curtain on an essential aspect of the music industry that the general public doesn’t normally get to see,” said Rynn.
Rynn graduated from Belmont in 2016 with her BBA in music business and B.S. in songwriting. She talked about Belmont’s story-driven approach to songwriting in a recent interview with Early Bird Music and said the songwriting program played a huge role in shaping her as a writer.
“It pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best ways and gave me the confidence and preparation to step out in the real world as a songwriter,” said Rynn.
Post “Songland,” Rynn is residing in Los Angeles and continuing to write every day, pitching songs to other artists, pitching songs for film and TV placements, as well as releasing music under her own artist project.
The 11-episode series “Songland” will feature artists: Jonas Brothers, John Legend, Meghan Trainor, Charlie Puth, OneRepublic, Old Dominion, will.i.am, Kelsea Ballerini, Leona Lewis, Aloe Blacc and Macklemore. Along with McAnally, producers include Ryan Tedder (Leona Lewis “Bleeding Love,” Beyonce “Halo,” and his own hits with OneRepublic) and Ester Dean (Nicki Minaj “Super Bass,” Katy Perry “Firework,” Kelly Clarkson “Mr. Know it All”).
