Channel 4 Developing UK Remake Of NBC’s Songwriting Competition Reality Format ‘Songland’
Channel 4 is developing a UK version of NBC’s songwriting competition reality series Songland.
The British broadcaster is remaking the unscripted format with NBC-backed producer Monkey Kingdom, the company behind hits including Made In Chelsea, producing.
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The move is C4’s first entry into the talent contest genre in a number of years, having previously dipped its toe in the area with 2014’s The Singer Takes It All.
The show, which debuts at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, May 28 in the U.S., originally hails from The Voice executive producer Audrey Morrissey, Eurythmics co-founder and producer Dave Stewart, Maroon 5’s Adam Levine and his 222 Productions and OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder.
The show which is produced by Universal Alternative Television Studio in the U.S., aims at giving talented up-and-coming songwriters the opportunity to collaborate with three music producers per episode who are responsible for today’s biggest hits.
In each episode five songwriters will perform their original tracks in front of three top music producers and a major recording artist on an intimate soundstage. The first episode features three-time Grammy nominee Charlie Puth as the recording artist along with a panel of producer-songwriters that includes Grammy winner Tedder, singer and Grammy-nominated songwriter Ester Dean and Grammy-winning country singer-songwriter Shane McAnally.
Each song’s lyrics, arrangements, beats, melody and story will be considered by the panel as producers discuss ways to creatively adapt them to better fit the style and sensibility of the recording artist of the week.
After the performances, the recording artist will choose three songwriters to move forward to the studio and pair them each with the producer best suited to perfect their song. In the studio, the songs will take shape as the songwriter and producer duos work together to win over the recording artist. In the end, a winner will be chosen and their song will be recorded and released as the top artist’s next single.
C4 in its commissioning brief hinted at its interest in “big scale formats,” noting, “Big scale formats are making a huge comeback, especially in the U.S, with exciting new shows like The Masked Singer, The Titan Games and Songland – all of which feature non-TV celebrity talent either hosting or involved.”
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