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A voice that waited decades to be heard. A mentor who knew in seconds. We sit down with artist AC Scott and legendary A&R executive Kate Hyman to trace an unusual second act: writing a first song in her sixties, turning a life-altering diagnosis into creative fuel, and building a partnership that prizes emotions and heart. From the intimate ache of "Sometimes" to the cathartic sweep of "Highlands" and the poignant clarity of "Never Too Late", AC’s songwriting blends hard-won honesty with melodies that land on first listen.

Kate Hyman takes us inside her ear: why emotion and authenticity must shine through, how an unvarnished take can outshine perfection, and what it means to say yes or no with clarity when 40 to 50 strong songs arrive at once. We talk about chasing ideas with voice memos, co-writing experiments, and the practical art of sequencing a record with no filler. AC shares the transatlantic journey—literally crossing by ship to collaborate in person—and the moments of wonder that followed, from studio breakthroughs to finding home again in memory and loss.

The conversation gets candid about ageism, niche audiences, and the modern music ecosystem where story and substance win. We dig into women mentoring women, trust, and the courage to send imperfect drafts so the real work can happen. If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s too late to start, this hour offers proof to the contrary: keep living, keep writing, and let belief meet craft at the right time.

If this story moved you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs a nudge, and leave a review so more listeners can find these conversations.

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Ebonie Smith discusses her production work and origin story. From Memphis, where hymns and call-and-response shaped her music, to New York and LA, where Grammy-nominated projects and Broadway musical recording filled her credits, Ebonie shows how leadership, faith, and enlightened approach to engineering can create an open environment in the studio and elevate the artist’s voice. We spotlight her journey and follow the choices that built her reputation: invite artists to the console, demystify the gear, and treat technology as a shared canvas and support system instead of an obstacle.

The story doesn’t stop at credits. While building records for Hamilton, Janelle Monáe, and Cardi B, Ebonie launched Gender Amplified, first as a college thesis, then as a movement. She uncovered a vibrant, often unseen network of women producers and DJs, then built platforms where their work could be found, hired, and celebrated. We dig into why charts show where power sits—not where value lives—and how storytelling, community, and access can shift who gets heard and who gets paid. The conversation widens into the AI surge and why fear isn’t a strategy: audio jobs will change, and those who learn new tools, refine taste, and lead collaboration will thrive.

From her Recording Academy leadership to her AES keynote, Ebonie pushes a provocative idea: artists should build the tech that moves their art. Distribution solved a problem and created a gap between creators and their money. Her playbook points to ownership—of masters, publishing, audience, and the rails themselves. We talk indie wins, sustainable revenue, and the courage to design your own ecosystem. Then we look ahead: more records, daily piano, new content, and Gender Amplified camps in New York and LA that bring gender-expansive producers into rooms built for their success.

Subscribe, share, and leave a review to help more creators find these stories—and tell us: what would you build to put artists back in control? https://www.instagram.com/eboniesmithmusic

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On this episode, we sit down with Caron Veazey to explore how she built a career on passion, precision, and people-first instincts and turned her vision into global campaigns for icons and a blueprint for social change.

From a hallway conversation when just a page at Saturday Night Live she found her eventual direction. From that moment, Caron Veazey charted a rare path—crossing genres, continents, and roles to shape culture at scale while pushing the industry to be more future-facing and equitable.

Caron takes us from her first break at MCA to senior roles at RCA, Island Def Jam, and Sony’s global marketing team. She shares how refusing narrow categories opened doors for artists as different as Christina Aguilera, Rihanna, and Duffy, and why writing an unsolicited plan can be the most powerful calling card. We then dig into the Pharrell years—structuring I Am Other so music, fashion, film, and philanthropy fueled one another, and navigating the tidal wave of Get Lucky, Blurred Lines, and Happy without burning out the moment or the artist.

The conversation turns toward impact with the Black Music Action Coalition. Born in 2020, BMAC moved beyond statements to accountability: contracts, hiring, funding, measurement. Caron is candid about the progress and the backlash, explaining how to keep pressure on when the headlines fade. We close with a clear-eyed look at women’s leadership—where the pipeline is strong, where the ceiling still holds, and what solidarity, mentorship, and strategic yeses can do to move more women into SVP, EVP, and CEO seats. Along the way, Veazey shares the traits she looks for in talent, why multi - hyphenate creators now set the pace, and how to protect the creative chemistry that makes great work possible.

If the conversation resonates, tap follow, share it with a friend who needs a nudge, and leave a quick review—your support helps more listeners find stories that open doors.

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Lauren Christy’s story is one of resilience and re-invention and this episode shows us the journey of one of pop music’s most impressive careers.

We go deep on her early London years, the Atlantic Records implosion that left her in debt at 20, and the hard reset that carried her to Mercury, late-night TV, and a Golden Globe–nominated single. Then the twist: a label’s priorities wipe out her radio moment, forcing a choice that would change the sound of the 2000s.

Lauren explains how she read the room and built The Matrix with Graham Edwards and Scott Spock—a writer-producer collective modeled on the approach of Cheiron; Max Martins hit making machine. Inside those sessions came earworm-first craft, bass-led toplines, and a new lane for a 16-year-old artist named Avril Lavigne. The result: Complicated, Sk8er Boi, and a sustained run at number one that redefined pop-rock. We unpack the process, the pressure, and what it meant to be among the first women ever nominated for Producer of the Year for producing other artists.

There’s more than career lore here. Lauren talks about faith as a daily practice that steadied her through industry politics and redirected her toward a life she actually wanted—family, mentoring, and meaningful work without constant travel.

We get into practical safety rules for sessions, why women remain underrepresented in production, and the path forward: learn a DAW, produce your own demos, protect your time, and build teams that let songs breathe. She also shares updates on SkyChristy, her daughters’ duo, and recent projects spanning pop, rock, and classical crossover.

If stories of resilience, real-world tactics, and transparent mentorship fuel you, press play and join us. Subscribe, share with a friend who’s building their music career, and leave a review so more creators can find these conversations.

https://www.instagram.com/thelaurenchristy/?hl=en

lauren@laurenchristy.com

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Many thanks to Anne Tello for her vocals on the theme song and to our sponsor 'Heard City'.

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The year closes with gratitude and anticipation for what’s next. After a debut season that landed in the top 80% of new podcasts and the top 98% of most shared shows, we’re taking that momentum into a bigger, bolder Season Two that continues to inform us on how music gets made—and who makes it happen.

If you care about songwriting craft, studio engineering, music production, artist development, and the real mechanics of the music industry, this season is built for you. We’ll keep the warmth and honesty you’ve come to expect while delivering more diverse voices, and conversations that move from inspiration to application.

Thanks for listening, sharing, and being part of this growing community. Hit follow, send this teaser to a friend who loves music, and leave a quick review to help more listeners find these stories. Your support helps us keep amplifying the women who move the industry forward.

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Many thanks to Anne Tello for her vocals on the theme song and to our sponsor 'Heard City'.

Check out https://www.shecreatesnoisepodcast.com for more episodes featuring women who power the music industry.

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We sit down with Grammy-nominated artist, songwriter, and poet Valerie June to explore how everyday life becomes a creative channel— Valerie traces her roots to Tennessee and a childhood surrounded by music. We talk about her father’s involvement as a promoter of performers like Prince, Jojo and Jodeci. That early vantage point meets a deep well of influence—Appalachian folk, gospel, blues, dream soul, and how her music draws from artist’s as diverse as Curtis Mayfield, Tracy Chapman and Leonard Cohen.

She shares how her ideas and melodies show up unannounced, how she protects the solitude of writing before inviting collaborators to add their contribution in the studio, and how her three-breath meditative reset keeps her centered. We listen to and talk about a song from her newest album, Owls, Omens and Oracles. The song “Endless Tree,” is a radiant experience that asks whether we can be free and still disagree, and we also unpack the quiet power of opening doors as a Black woman in Americana without having to explain it at every turn.

Style becomes another instrument in this conversation: Bowie-inspired silhouettes, thrift-store treasures, and street-stall finds that build a living mood board around her music. Valerie describes the slow climb from fly-on-the-wall sessions with Dan Auerbach to co-producing with conviction, and she opens up about poetry arriving after loss, spoken lines in her poetry that later find their way into her songs. Beyond the stage, she is a mentor and brings mindfulness into classrooms, helping students turn attention into art and courage into performance.

Listen to hear about her songwriting secrets, stay for the practices you can use today—portable meditation, patient craft, and the reminder that creativity thrives when we listen and engage. If this conversation moves you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review to help more listeners find these stories.

https://www.instagram.com/thevaleriejune/?hl=en

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Many thanks to Anne Tello for her vocals on the theme song and to our sponsor 'Heard City'.

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We sit down with Nashville powerhouse Anastasia Brown—music supervisor, consultant, and author—to chart the moments that reshaped her career and helped reshape the city’s relationship with film and television. From her early days as a manager, the Bluebird Cafe revelation that led to signing Keith Urban to his first record deal; Anastasia shows how conviction, curiosity, and grit can lift you to new career heights.

We unpack the real Nashville: a ten-year town for artist development because of the density of talent and the apprenticeship needed for songwriting. Anastasia explains how sync licensing became her pivot as mechanical royalties for record sales fell, why authentic archival recordings can save a budget without shortchanging writers, and what it takes to spot an artist before the market does. We talk frankly about songwriter pay, the realities of streaming royalties, and the practical ways supervisors and producers can protect value for the people who create the songs. If you’re searching for artist development, music supervision strategy, sync licensing, Nashville music scene, or songwriter rights, this conversation delivers an insider’s view.

The episode also moves into leadership and resilience. Anastasia shares how women in Nashville pushed through outdated norms, the mentors who opened doors, and her goal to build a self-sustaining scoring industry in Music City—highlighted by recording The Shack with a 74-piece orchestra at Ocean Way. Finally, she opens up about her own loss and purpose, launching “There Are No Words, But We Have A Few” to give grieving parents a community and a voice.

If this resonated, tap follow, share it with a friend who loves music and stories that matter, and leave a quick review to help more listeners find the show. Your support keeps these conversations—and the songwriters behind them—thriving.

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Today Sarah sits down with Rachael Yamagata. Her new album asks you to stop scrolling and truly listen. That’s the invitation at the heart of our conversation with Rachel Yamagata, whose new record, Starlit Alchemy, unfolds as a continuous journey—interludes, transitions, and songs that flow like a single film score. We trace the winding path to release: tours planned for 2019, recording plans derailed in 2020, the pivot to a home studio in the Catskills, and the choice to embrace an album-first vision when the industry rewards singles and snippets.

Rachel shares the stories behind the music, including “Birds,” a meditation on signs, loss, and the ways we make meaning during uncertain times. She opens up about the tradeoffs of full independence: self-management, learning marketing from scratch, funding a record out of touring, and crafting DIY visuals on her phone to reach new listeners. The numbers are real—tens of thousands to make an album, streaming payouts that don’t cover the costs, and the long grind of booking, rehearsals, and promotion. Yet the creative intent shines: immersive shows in listening rooms and resonant spaces with strings, soundscapes, and a set designed for deep focus.

We also revisit Rachel’s early 2000s roots—Hotel Cafe, global tours, and collaborations—and explore why placements in TV and film still give songs a second life. Then we get candid about the present: social media as both lifeline and time sink, gatekeeping that privileges surface over substance, and the uncertain role of AI in shaping the next wave of artistry. Rachel’s answer is to go deeper, not faster: make work that rewards attention, build community, and let the album format carry the weight of complex emotion.

Hit play to hear a veteran artist map the real economics of creating today, the philosophy behind an album that demands presence, and the optimism that keeps the music moving forward. If the conversation resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find these stories.

https://rachaelyamagata.com/

https://www.instagram.com/rachaelyamagata/

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Many thanks to Anne Tello for her vocals on the theme song and to our sponsor 'Heard City'.

Check out https://www.shecreatesnoisepodcast.com for more episodes featuring women who power the music industry.

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