The Art of Collaboration with Daphne Willis & Friends

Presented by Academy145

On this music-centered panel, Daphne Willis and friends discuss the intricacies of professional co-writing and provide insight into this very niche and nuanced artform that has been elevating creative careers at the foundational level since the birth of the music industry itself. Tune in for a first hand glimpse of how today's established songwriters, artists and producers are creating (and working) the music we hear everyday in TV shows, films and advertisements, as well as on the Top 40 Charts and Viral Spotify playlists. 

PANELISTS: 

Voli Martung - As a jack of many trades, producer-rapper-songwriter Voli has been a creative facilitator, producing for a range of projects from songs with major label artists to executive production for large brands. Over the course of the past decade, Voli has produced for a number of major artists (J. Cole, Bebe Rexha, NCT 127, Meek Mill, The Game). Collaborating with licensing companies for major synch placements, custom producing for Fortune 500 companies and ad agencies, and working as lead music strategist at Era of the Engineer (a social enterprise created by legendary mixing engineer and DJ Young Guru) illustrate some of the marks Voli has left on the music and entertainment industry.

Sonia Leigh: an American country music singer-songwriter. Following her 1998 debut, Remember Me, Leigh has performed extensively as a solo artist, headliner, and as the supporting act for Jason Mraz, The Marshal Tucker Band, Zac Brown Band, Blackberry Smoke. Her 2007 release Run or Surrender was produced by John Hopkins of the Zac Brown Band. Her Southern Ground debut album, 1978 December, was released on September 27, 2011. The first single off the album is "My Name Is Money," which Juli Thanki of Engine 145 gave a "thumbs up". Leigh also co-wrote the Zac Brown Band singles "Goodby in Here Eyes" and "Sweet Anne".

Christopher ‘C4’ Umana is a Nigerian-American record producer, rapper-songwriter, and pianist. C4 has a very distinct sound. Growing up in a Nigerian household in Atlanta, he was exposed to a lot of different genres of music. His sound is unique as he enjoys blending trap, R&B, funk and west-African rhythms. C4 has worked with major recording artists such as: Trey Songz, Tank, Kelly Rowland, Teyana Taylor, and Big Sean. In addition to working with major recording artists, C4 has had tons of success with his music in TV & Film. His works have been placed in numerous adverts such as Apple, Barbie, Toyota, Twitter, and more.

Sophie Delila (Million Miles) is the brainchild of Franco/ British musician Sophie Baudry. Her bluesy uplifting tracks, littered with meaningful soul and resonating lyricism, are hard to resist. After being offered a scholarship to study at Berklee College of Music at the age of 16, Baudry moved to Boston, then found herself in multiple cities before finding home between London and Nashville. Along the way she wrote songs of love, loss and everything in between which became the building blocks for her debut and sophomore Eps, Berry Hill and Good Luck, Honey. Her debut single Ice Cream & Cigarettes reached No.2 in Spotify’s US viral charts, whilst single Honey has enjoyed great success at AAA and College radio and she has been supported by Billboard, Paper Magazine and Pop Matters.

Daphne Willis:

Born in Texas and raised in Chicago, Daphne cut her musical teeth sneaking into the blues and jazz clubs of the windy city. Described as “strong, resilient and passionate,” by B-Sides and Badlands and “a badass, a mic killer, and a hustler,” by Popdust, Daphne Willis is a genderfluid artist that exists with her multitudes on full display. This sentiment has helped her create a diverse catalogue of work that straddles worlds of commercial incandescence and raw emotionality, all whilst defying the constraints of conventional genre. Her powerhouse RnB releases like “BrickxBrick” are favorites on ESPN, whilst her pop/rock track "Legacy" was featured in Equality Now's gala in tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsberg (introduced by Meryl Streep and Gloria Steinem). Her music is constantly featured in popular programming like Empire, One Tree Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral and more. Meanwhile, her breathtaking musical letter on addiction, “Somebody’s Someone”, has amassed over 24 million views online, and launched her as a sought after speaker in the worlds of mental health, addiction and trauma recovery. 

Seeing a serious lack of access to co-writing relationships as well as vital music business knowledge for both aspiring and established writers and producers, Daphne launched Academy145 with her co-founders, Phil Brezina and Tony Amoyal. Academy145 is a powerhouse of tools and resources for both aspiring and established songwriters and producers. Offering both online and in-person songwriting boot-camps run by the best writers and producers in the industry, an innovative co-writer match app (think tinder), and their ever expanding one-stop sync catalog, Academy145 is aimed at creating upward mobility and access for writer/producers of all levels while also providing music industry businesses, supervisors and agencies alike with a unique opportunity to empower and support a wider range of songwriters and producers one-fell swoop.