NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Every year for his daughter's birthday, a Virginia dad works with a songwriter in Nashville to write and produce a song about her year in review.
"The philosophy behind it was is that you know, there's poems as you write for your kids. There's pictures you take but me being a musical guy–I mean, I'm not even close to being like a famous writer or anything like that. But for someone like me, if you still want to sort of use your gifts, right?" explained father and songwriter Jamie Trent.
Trent's wife challenged him to do so before his daughter Kardigan was born and it has become a family tradition ever since.
Although he is a songwriter himself, he decided to partner with a songwriter in Nashville to help him with the annual project.
"As a songwriter, you're in a 12 by 12 room all day, writing the same stuff Nashville, Tennessee wants you to write and so when I'm approached by other people, ‘Hey, my daughter's turning nine. Would you like to write a song about her?' And I'm like, 'Yes!' It's so different. And it keeps me on my toes too," explained Songwriter Arlis Albritton.
The duo meets in person or via Zoom to write the song every year.
"Typically when him and I get together I'll have a sheet of paper of about 100 ideas. And I mean you got to pare that down to about 15 or 20 to get it in a three-and-a-half minute song," explained Trent.
"We write this song and next thing you know, it's like we do a little work tape, I do, and send it to him and then he gives me a key we figure out the right key once we're done writing it," Albritton added.
Once the song is written, Albritton then hires musicians and a producer and tops the song off with vocals from Trent.
"I think it's very rewarding when you take all the memories you shared with someone and put them all in a compiled three minutes song with the same idea surrounding it," said Albritton. "It's just the memories that you build with this...you're expressing love in a poetry, poetic way."
Trent takes the completed song and turns it into a music video with photos and videos of his daughter and plays it for her on her birthday.
"She'll start hitting me up about eight months into the year now, 'Hey, Dad, you started writing my song yet?' Like are you kidding me?! Eight months! I mean, it is a pressure cooker!" explained Albritton.
His hope with sharing his family's tradition is to inspire other parents.
"Mainly if it just inspires parents and guardians to take a more active role in their kids lives then, you know, What's that song? Don't blink? I mean, the next thing you know you're not gonna have time to take pictures because they're going to be gone," Albritton said.
To watch the full music video, watch it on Trent's YouTube channel.
To work with Albritton on a song, reach out to him on his SoundBetter page or via email: info@songwritersfest.com.
