#alexberman

[futuremusicmoguls]

Farewell for now❤️

Ok. Hold it together Alex. I first want to start off by saying that these 14 weeks were the best weeks of my life. Each and every person has made such a significant impact on my life and I will never forget you. From dance parties in the studio to turning up at the LAUNDRY DAY concert, we have had so many INCREDIBLE experiences and so many to come! I want to express how grateful I am for having this extraordinary opportunity to learn about music business and gain significant insight into the industry; it has helped me grow as an artist and has put me into a productive mindset. FMM has truly proved to me that all I want to do for the rest of my life is do music because it is everything that I embody and love as an individual. So thank you. Next, I want to thank the absolutely wonderful TA’s: Devon, Muriel, Federico (kinda *just kidding*), and Ethan. You all made this experience so much more enjoyable and you helped us so much with everything especially production and setting up a studio session.

Finally, thank you to Marat and Nicole for being brilliant mentors, kind and genuine souls, and for facilitating this one-of-a-kind program. I have learned so much about the music business and production through this program and I am eternally grateful to you both.

I know that each and every one of you incredible souls will go on to achieve great success and it is only the beginning for us all. i love you FMM and i love you all❤️

[futuremusicmoguls]

[futuremusicmoguls]

Hey everyone! I’m Alex Berman, a junior at Staples High School. I was born in New York City, however, I currently live in Westport, Connecticut. I mainly sing, accompany myself on the piano, and write my own songs, but I’ve also been getting more familiar with Logic for music production. My first single is coming out soon called “drowning in your love” (yes it’s lowercase), which I’m very excited about! In FMM, I’m looking forward to learning a lot more about the music industry with the various exciting workshops and more about music production with the sessions in the lab. One of my goals is to learn how to play the guitar because I’ve always had an interest in learning to play it. I attached a song that I’ve been listening to non-stop; absolutely in love with the chords in this song and the vibe. I’m SO excited for FMM and to meet all of you guys!!!

[futuremusicmoguls]

Writing H.W.

Clairo is the most genuine teenage indie pop artist of our generation.

Only nineteen years old, Clairo brings to the stage an eclectic blend of lo-fi and bedroom vocals over mellow beats and synths. In August 2017, Clairo released a music video for her song “Pretty Girl,” which was ultimately how she gained such a huge following. Her song recites the story of a relationship she was in where she had to change virtually everything about herself in order to impress her significant other. Although she felt she looked ugly, the message of the video (and the song) was to embrace your flaws. Through messages in her music such as this, she doesn’t shape shift her character; rather, her brand is simply herself. Clairo also released a song, “Flamin Hot Cheetos,” which retains the authenticity that Clairo evokes through not only her music but her brand as well. This song is about how she romanticized a relationship when, in reality, there weren’t many positive aspects of it. She titled the SoundCloud demo “Flamin Hot Cheetos” because she had just eaten some. Although she didn’t mean to, that’s the title that was attached to the song when it uploaded, so she just flowed with it. Sarah Devoe of The Lamron says, “The authentic videos make her persona relatable. Clairo’s song covers consist of a webcam, her guitar and herself, which was enough to attract the attention of millions of fans.” Through her music, Clairo empowers people, especially young women by delivering messages that are significant in this day and time with our present society. Clearly, Clairo is doing something right by being genuine through her music and as a brand, and if she proceeds on this path, she will continue to achieve great and well-deserved success.

[futuremusicmoguls]

Performance Homework

Rising Star Artist Development Plan

1. My name is Alex Berman, and I am a sixteen year old singer songwriter. I was born in New York City, and though I am currently living in Westport, Connecticut, I feel that the city is my home. My style is pop though not mainstream pop with hints of soul, jazz, and R&B.

2. My influences are The Beatles, Carole King, Sara Bareilles, The Beach Boys, Rex Orange County, Amy Winehouse, and Alicia Keys. This is because all of these artists produce a new and unique type of sound and their music cannot quite compare to that of other artists, which is what I truly admire about each one. I want to be able to produce my own sound and offer something new to the world of music.

3. I feel that my strength as a performer is I can connect with what I am singing about and focus on the lyrics that I am singing to the audience. However, I want to be able to connect with the audience more and not just on what I am performing. I think what makes me unique is my songwriting; I like to mess around with the arrangement and lyrics a lot because I am very passionate about writing and the combination of different words to make powerful, sweet, soulful, sad, etc. phrases.

4. In the next five years, I want to release a lot of music and be completely comfortable with producing songs on my own using various software like Logic, etc. I also want to be able to make a living off of my artistic creations and play live a lot more. In order to do so, I will practice making my own songs in Logic and write several songs each week. I will also try to take advantage of any opportunities to perform live when possible.

[futuremusicmoguls]

Songwriting H.W.: Alex Berman Format: Intro, Verse 1, Chorus, Verse 2, Chorus, Bridge, Chorus Song Info/Credits: Written, produced, and performed by Rex Orange County (a.k.a. Alex O’Connor) and it’s Rex Orange County’s single “Sunflower.” Arrangement: The electric guitar is amplified throughout the song over a soft drumbeat. The song also features a saxophone solo toward the end of the song. Lyrical Notes: Rex utilizes assonance throughout the entire song. For example, in the First verse, he says “you don’t have to feel this emptiness” (rhyming the “e” vowel) and “I love you till the day that I die” (rhyming the “i” vowel). Throughout the song, Rex uses a sunflower to metaphorically describe the love that he has for his girlfriend. Although sunflowers need sun to grow, he basically says that even at night when the sun is down, his love for her proceeds to grow. Opinion: I personally love the songwriting and upbeat blend of instrumentation and mellow vocals. The sunflower metaphor expresses Rex’s pure and everlasting love for his girlfriend, and I thought that was a unique way to portray those feelings and emotions. The way Rex’s voice is muted in the intro over simple chords of electric guitar and a soft drumbeat and then transitions into the first verse with more open and clear vocals over a louder drumbeat and electric guitar works so perfectly. Production Moves: A hi hat is used in the intro of the song to create a mellow beat. In the chorus, trumpets are incorporated into the song to brighten it up even more. The saxophone solo toward the end of the song also adds to the jazzy vibe of the song. Overall, the brass blend that Rex incorporates into the song makes it a very joyful and optimistic song. Songwriting Success: The bridge is unique in that it is a speaking part as opposed to him singing. It adds to the authenticity of the song and what he is saying. Also, in part of the chorus, Rex uses a doo-wop lyricism, which contributes to the catchiness of the song. The song is very well-organized as well; after the saxophone solo toward the end, the chorus comes back in and it flows very smoothly.