How To Win A Grammy As Told By A Winner

Antea Birchett is everything a woman should be: smart, strong, beautiful, and accomplished, a force to be reckoned with. Her songwriting and licensing career include songs for A-List stars and Top 40 performers: Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Jennifer Lopez, Mary J Blige, Ciara, Mary Mary, Vanessa Bell Amstrong, Candice Glover, Teyana Taylor, Keke Palmer. In 2019 she won a Grammy Award for the song Gone Away by H.E.R. As a music instructor, she has couched the stars of TV shows and Broadway productions like Ryan Destiny (Grown-ish, Star) and Jawan Jackson (Motown). I met Antea a few years ago when she was a songwriting instructor for the Detroit Institute of Music Education. She was tough as nails but also incredibly generous with her students. She demanded as much of them as she does of herself, and it paid off. Her most dedicated pupils blossomed into professional songwriters with a bright future ahead of them.

In her own words, her story is a classic Motown tale: the daughter of a musician, she grew up in Detroit, singing Gospel in the church choir with her sister Anesha under the instruction of her father, Anthony Birchett. The Grammy Award Winner attended Wayne State University on a full scholarship to study opera, Piano, and Music Theory. On a dark twist of destiny, Antea lost her voice while still in college. That tragedy she turned over the years into a strength, becoming a brilliant Voice coach and an expert on Vocal Health. Despite such a massive setback, Antea's love for music and her tenacity kept her going. She certified herself as a recording and mixing engineer. She went to work for a radio station, where she climbed the ladder from Board Operator to Show Producer and eventually to Music Director. Yet, she never stopped writing songs. With her sister Anesha, they would work with young producers in the city, feeding an ever-growing catalog.

Through that network of Detroit musicians and producers, the sisters became acquainted with Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, who signed them both as songwriters. Then it was decision time. Antea had a stable job in Detroit doing something she enjoyed, but Jerkins needed a full-time writer. With no savings and no money for a plane ticket, Antea packed a bag and drove to New Jersey, hoping for the best. The gamble paid off. Within three months, the collective had the opportunity to work on Beyoncé's album B'Day at Sony Studios in New York. Fast forward a few years; the sisters got signed to Universal Publishing as songwriters. In the first six months of that gig, they got to write for JLo, Justin Bieber, and Mary J Blige. Eventually, their catalog got to the desk of Walter Jones, a long time colleague who had been a fan of their songwriting for years and who now held a high position at Universal. That's how they got in a room with H.E.R., and the rest is Grammy history.

As we had our interview over a fun zoom lunch, three big take away ideas stayed with me. I called them the how-tos of becoming a Grammy Award-winning songwriter:

1.Know-How: talent is great, but knowledge is priceless. Over her years as a working musician and Music Business Entrepreneur, Antea has accumulated an impressive wealth of knowledge that she now passes to her students. On her website, TeachWhatIKnow.com, Antea offers a customized curriculum that goes from Voice and Songwriting lessons to Music Industry consultations and professional level Song Critiques.

2.Stick With It: overnight success never happens overnight. There is passion, dedication, and long hours of work behind every success story. Absolute love and devotion to the craft make a final product great. They will keep you going when music is the moonlighting you do while working minimum wage jobs so you can get better and better at it, and that love is what will give you the courage to jump into the unknown when opportunity knocks.

3.Network and collaborate, always and constantly. Never underestimate the value of partnerships, from the ones you formed growing up to those that life presents along the way. Over time, you will cross paths repeatedly, and one of those encounters can be the first of many doors that will open in your future.

It was my absolute pleasure to write this magnificent black woman's story. You can contact Antea through her website TeachWhatIKnow.com and follow her on Instagram @anteaisaplus.