Songwriter Jada follows in Footsteps of Funky Atlanta Artists from Usher & Ciara, to Lil Ron, Lil Nas X & Sammie

"Jada is an awesome collaborator, and we’ve also grown to become friends. She’s like my sister and has been there for me not only as a writer but as someone I could count on when I was going through my ups and downs throughout the making of my EP and album. I’m really grateful to her, she is such a genuine but strong woman.”— gifted songwriter Lindita at Einnor Studios in Atlanta

Teamwork and hard work are two of the hallmarks of a successful music career, and they’re two assets that songwriter Jada Morandi Avezzu has in abundance. For example, Jada’s talented hard-working efforts have earned her various musical partnerships like being made part of the songwriting team for all clients that recorded at Einnor Studios and also gaining a non-exclusive Licensing Representation with Songmill.

Indeed, Jada talks about working with gifted songwriter Lindita, whom she met through Einnor:

“I met Lindita while I was an in-house writer at Einnor Studios and we hit it off right away, which is the key to collaboration. I’ve found that in the real world of the songwriting industry, the focus is on let’s make this song great, whether I write 300 lyrics for it or just one. When writing for an artist, the artist needs to be the focus for they also want to express their opinion and their creativity. Understanding their intended creative vision for a song or album is key to ensuring that the music created not only is of outstanding quality that will attract an audience, but also satisfies the artist’s hopes and vision for the record.”

Through Einnor and the company’s founder, Ronnie “Lil Ron” Jackson, Jada has worked alongside a prestigious crew of young and legendary R&B/Hip Hop hitmakers including Felly The Voice, Jaylyn MacDonald, Keith Thomas, Manmade, and The Chainsmokers; in addition to distinguished artists such as Lindita and Sammie, both of whom have used Jada’s songwriting abilities on their newest records.

Of her role as a highly sought-after writer within Einnor Studios, she explains, “My challenge was that if any projects needed to be toplined I would be the go-to person that would be called to do so.” That’s a crucial responsibility when producing music, a responsibilities Jada welcomes, because “toplining” is a specialized niche of songwriting where the focus is on putting melody, lyrics, and performance over an existing beat or track. As a result, her work’s impact can be seen throughout the entire production.

Indeed, Jada already has had an array of experience with successful single releases when she was starting in the music space in her native Switzerland. She started piano lessons early and wrote her first song when she 11, after being inspired by the Camp Rock movie starring Demi Lovato. She experienced her “first minutes of fame” when she was amassing countless views on YouTube and being recognized on the street for her songs.

Moving to the U.S. to continue her career, she expanded on her piano and vocal lessons at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, where she also learned some practical aspects to the music business, explaining, “Regarding the business side, I learned how important it is to build relationships with people and to always be a nice person. Jon Aldrich was one of my favorite professors at Berklee and from him I learned to never rely on just one source of income. That, as a creative, you really have to work on being versatile and have more than just plan A in your cards.”

As a thoughtful and accomplished musical talent, Jada discusses some of her collaborative songwriting experiences; learning from multiple Grammy-nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi; and, a less than “six degrees of separation” to Usher, the king of R&B, who has sold 80 million records worldwide.

—How’d you contribute to Lindita’s single and upcoming record?

—I remember our first session, when she and I clicked, and I wrote a verse very quickly and she was quite impressed. We spoke about a lot of things and our experiences within the industry, and Lindita and I actually became really good friends. I felt I was there for her as more than just a credited co-writer on her single. We would support each other, and as we’re both European, we definitely felt “close” for that factor as well. As a result of our close relationship, I was able to play a central role in the creation of her single and upcoming works. I contributed lyrics and versus that accurately portrayed her intended creative vision for the project. During our sessions together, we actively bounced ideas off each other ensuring that the final product was the absolute best version of our work and I think this approach directly contributed to the subsequent success of record.

—What did you learn from the “bootcamp” with Kara DioGuardi?

—It was a really fun experience. Intimidating at first, as Kara is such a distinguished and recognized talent within the industry, but I thought the bootcamp was great. Kara was strict but in the best way, and her critique was always helpful. The bootcamp consisted of a weekly session where we had to write a song for each meeting and during which we would listen and Kara would give her invaluable feedback. One thing I took away was something Kara said which was: “I am being honest with you guys and telling you exactly what you will hear in the industry, if not worse, so you have to learn how to take it.” I believe her guidance and feedback has transformed my work for the better, I am a better songwriter and musician because of the bootcamp and my subsequent work and success reflects this.

—How did working with Ronnie lead to an opportunity with Usher?

—Actually, I have a cool story from working at Einnor. As an in-house writer, I had written a song, not for any specific artist, more for fun and it was stored in one of the studio computers. My boss, Ronnie, was in the midst of doing the “clean-up” process and he stumbled upon that song. I was just passing through, heard it and was going like “Wow, that song sounds familiar” and then was like “Wait, that’s my song that’s being played.” So, I knocked on the door and said like “that’s my song” and Ronnie basically said that he would want to pitch it to Usher. That was definitely an amazing feeling, and so unexpected and gratifying. Having my music be appreciated by and pitched to such legendary artists has always been a career goal of mine and one that I can now say that I have and continue to achieve.

—How did a second connection to Usher happen for you?

—Keith Thomas is one of Usher’s best friends, but he’s also his A&R, so that means he’s very influential in choosing the songs that Usher might like to cut. He has a very close relationship to Felly and I met “Keef” at Einnor Studios, where he heard one of my songs. These things take time, but I was so proud and excited to work alongside such incredible talent. He asked me to keep him in the loop and send him any new stuff and so we exchanged contact information and I’m always sending him new records.

—Can you explain how Ronnie and Einnor also gave you an opportunity to work with MegaMind Media a Film & TV production company which was founded by Tressa Smallwood, an award-winning television and film producer?

—MegaMind was involved in Wicked City and First Lady Of BMF, The Tonesa Welch Story which was directed by Vivica A. Fox, and I was lucky enough to get asked to be a part of the writing process. I mainly worked with Ronnie, along with Felly and Jaylyn, who were also the main songwriters for most of the songs for those projects. I mainly collaborated with them on writing the songs but also did some background vocals from time to time on certain songs. It was enlightening and amazing opportunity to expand my expertise into the film and television industry. I look forward to working with similar productions in similar capacities in the near future!

—Are you writing songs for yourself and what’s upcoming?

—Yes, I am! However, one of the things about being a songwriter is that I’ll always be open to pitching any of my songs. I’m not particularly attached to my product, not because I don’t love them but simply because if I wasn’t open to pitching my songs, I wouldn’t consider myself a songwriter. A cornerstone of my career thus far has been allowing fellow artists to prosper using my songs. I feel immense satisfaction and joy being at the center of a music production, watching artists take my music and achieve immense success. Nevertheless, I definitely think I sometimes write songs that go into a lot more detail regarding my experiences and my personal life, which I look forward to sharing soon. Upcoming, I’ve been approached by more artists, professionals and companies in the industry and I’m considering amazing offers for what could work best for my career. One of my goals is to one day soon earn a Grammy nomination and award.

Drop in on Jada Morandi Avezzu (ZKJade) at YouTube and on Instagram.