Christian Gates-Bahlhorn, aka The Philharmonik, is American Songwriter's 2023 Song Contest Grand Prize Winner for his song "What's It All Mean?." We caught up with Christian to get the story behind his winning song.
After releasing my most recent album Kironic I was having trouble getting it off the ground, so I was looking for outlets that could potentially spread the word, and saw American Songwriter coming across my Facebook timeline. I usually am reluctant entering into contests, but I felt like this was the only move I had in the chamber to get the ball rolling. So I took it and submitted three songs.
Depends on the song and the concept. 9 times out of 10, I'm starting with the music. I will make a drum pattern and then keys, work on 8 bars, and start with the hook. But on some of my best ideas, there's usually a melody accompanied by words before the music is even thought of. I've only had that happen a handful of times though.
I've been writing for 14 years now, since I was 16 as a producer, multi-instrumentalist and artist. My songwriting goals have moved more into elaborate concepts and ideas. I want not only the songs to be good and relatable, but the environment and presentation of them to really give listeners a tangible perspective. I want them to feel as if people are watching their favorite film or reading their favorite book.
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