.@BMI'S ANNUAL ‘HOW I WROTE THAT SONG’ PANEL

BMI'S ANNUAL ‘HOW I WROTE THAT SONG PANEL’ PANEL TO FEATURE RICK ROSS, ESTER DEAN, DAVID HODGES, MANNIE FRESH, NATALIE HEMBY & MORE SPECIAL GUESTS TO BE ANNOUNCED

Anual Event During GRAMMY Weekend Will Take Place On February 7 At 1OAK

WHO: Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI®), a global leader in music rights management, is set to present its GRAMMY-infused “How I Wrote That Song®” panel moderated by BMI Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations Catherine Brewton. Invited panelists include:

GRAMMY-nominated hip-hop magnate Rick Ross
GRAMMY-nominated scribe Ester Dean
GRAMMY Award-winning songwriter & producer David Hodges
Multiplatinum, GRAMMY-nominated producer Mannie Fresh
#1 Country hit-writing wordsmith Natalie Hemby

WHAT: BMI’s “How I Wrote That Song ®” is an annual pre-GRAMMY weekend event that celebrates GRAMMY winners and nominees, and serves as a platform for panelists to discuss the process of writing, producing and performing hit songs. Previous panelists have included Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Nas, will.i.am, RedOne, Zac Brown, Cee Lo Green, B.o.B, Kara DioGuardi, Seal, Luke Laird, Claude Kelly, John Legend, Wiz Khalifa, Charlie Wilson, Alex Da Kid, Dallas Davidson, Common, Colbie Caillat, Linda Perry, Salaam Remi, Rev Run, RZA, The Madden Brothers and more. BMI’s “How I Wrote That Song®” is open to members of the public, ages 18 years old and up (with photo ID). Tickets are $20 in advance; $25 day-of-show. Tickets can be purchased at https://bmihiwts.eventbrite.com. To view a brief reel of previous panels, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23FFVqbeJGY.

WHEN:

Saturday, February 7, 2015
Media check-in begins at 10:30 a.m.
Press interviews begin at 11:00 a.m.
Doors open at 11:30 a.m.
Panel discussion will be held from 12:30 - 2:30 p.m.

WHERE:

1OAK

9039 Sunset Boulevard

West Hollywood, CA 90069

ABOUT THE PANELISTS:

Rick Ross (@rickyrozay) is a GRAMMY-nominated rapper and founder of the record label Maybach Music Group. His latest album, "Hood Billionaire," was released on November 24 on Maybach Music/Def Jam Recordings. "Hood Billionaire," is the follow-up to Rick Ross’ "Mastermind," which was released March 2014 and became his fifth career album to debut at #1 on Soundscan. "Mastermind" succeeded Ross’ 2012 release, "God Forgives, I Don’t," his fourth album to debut at #1 on Soundscan, which included top hits “Touch'N You” featuring Usher, “So Sophisticated” featuring Meek Mill, and fan favorite “Diced Pineapples” featuring Drake and Wale. Ross’ previous best-selling albums include "Port Of Miami" (2006), "Trilla" (2008), and "Deeper Than Rap" (2009), all of which debuted at the top of the Billboard 200.

Ester Dean (@EsterDean) Singer, songwriter, and actress Ester Dean has been proclaimed "The Song Machine, with a Betty Boop voice." by The New Yorker. She's a multidimensional, charismatic young women, who has worked with the top artists and producers of our time. Ester Dean has created some of the most infectious songs in the past decade, including co-writing Katy Perry’s "Fireworks," Nicki Minaj’s " Super Bass", and the David Guetta collaboration "Turning Me On" as well as Rihanna's hits "Rude Boy", "What's My Name", and “S&M'. Dean also contributed to albums by Robin Thicke, Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Usher, Mary J. Blige, and Chris Brown, netting a total of 5 GRAMMY nominations in the process and being named BMI Songwriter of the Year.

David Hodges (@hodgesmusic) David Hodges is a multi-platinum, GRAMMY and BMI award-winning, Golden Globe-nominated, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. David cut his teeth as one of the founding members of 18-million selling Little Rock, AR based legendary rock act Evanescence. In the height of the band’s success, he left for Los Angeles to focus on songwriting and production. Over the past decade, David has worked with some of the biggest artist’s in the world from writing their hits to creating successful end titles for film. From the haunting piano melodies of Evanescence’s "My Immortal" to the 7 million selling cinematic Twilight end title, Christina Perri’s "A Thousand Years…" Hodges signature sound starts on the piano and can be heard across every song he’s written. David also co-wrote #1 smash singles Kelly Clarkson’s "Because of You," Daughtry’s "What About Now," Carrie Underwood’s "See You Again," and many others. David has sold over 65 million records to date. He is currently working with Carrie Underwood, Christina Aguilera, Josh Groban, Nickelback, Avril Lavigne, Christina Perri, Tim Mcgraw, Lady Antebellum, Hunter Hayes and others.

Mannie Fresh (@manniefresh) is known to fans and throughout the music industry as the former in-house producer for Cash Money Records, artist, and entertainer, but he started out as one of the best DJs in New Orleans and he is now returning to his musical roots. The multiplatinum, GRAMMY-nominated producer responsible for creating hits (for Lil Wayne, Juvenile, Big Tymers, The Notorious B.I.G.) is now back to spinning full time, moving the crowd and DJing in clubs across the country. Mannie has always pushed the envelope, mixing layers of hip hop, funk and southern bounce with his sense of humor and warm personality proving that he is a force to be reckoned with. Mannie split with Cash Money in 2005 and later signed with Def Jam Records. He continues to work with some of today’s biggest stars producing bangers for T.I., Bun B., Young Jeezy and Rick Ross. He’s now focusing on launching the careers of his own artist with his own imprint, Chubby Boy Productions. As Mannie Fresh pursues his new passions he remains grounded by DJing and interacting on a personal level with all his fans.

Natalie Hemby (@nataliehemby) is a driving force among songwriters, being revered as one of the top female writers of the industry. Hemby signed her first publishing deal in 1997 and has since written songs recorded by artists Sheryl Crow, Miranda Lambert, Eli Young Band, Lady Antebellum, Rosi Golan, Toby Keith, Little Big Town, Lee Ann Womack and more. In the past four years, Hemby has garnered five No. 1 country singles – Lady Antebellum’s “Downtown,” Little Big Town’s “Pontoon” and “Tornado” and Miranda Lambert’s “White Liar” and “Automatic.” Among her impressive discography of songs are Miranda Lambert’s “Baggage Claim” (#3 Billboard single), “Only Prettier” (#12 Billboard single), as well as Toby Keith’s “Drinks After Work” (#17 Billboard single) and Kelly Clarkson’s “Don’t Rush” feat. Vince Gill (#27 Billboard single). This year, Hemby co-wrote seven songs on Miranda Lambert’s most recent release, "Platinum," has a cut on Keith Urban’s "Fuse," and co-wrote four songs on Little Big Town’s latest album, "Pain Killer." She is currently a songwriter with Creative Nation/Pulse.

About BMI:

Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI®) is a global leader in music rights management, serving as an advocate for the value of music. BMI represents the public performance rights in more than 8.5 million musical works created and owned by more than 600,000 songwriters, composers, and music publishers. The Company negotiates music license agreements and distributes the fees it generates as royalties to its affiliated writers and publishers when their songs are performed in public. In 1939, BMI created a groundbreaking open-door policy becoming the only performing rights organization to welcome and represent the creators of blues, jazz, country, and American roots music. Today, the musical compositions in BMI’s repertoire, from chart-toppers to perennial favorites, span all genres of music and are consistently among the most-performed hits of the year. For additional information and the latest BMI news, visit www.bmi.com, follow us on Twitter @BMI or stay connected through Broadcast Music, Inc.’s Facebook page.