Shelly Peiken

Songwriter, singer, author, and musician’s advocate Shelly Peiken joins the podcast in this episode. She’s written some of the biggest hits of the past 30 years like What A Girl Wants, Almost Doesn’t Count, Come On Over Baby, Bitch, and so many more. Shelly talks about what got her into music as a kid and how she pivoted from a career in fashion to music. Being a hit songwriter was not straightforward or immediate. But once she sold a song that found it’s way onto a Taylor Dayne album, she discovered that songwriting was more her style than being a touring musician.   Shelly talks about how she wrote some of her biggest hits, how she also sang on some of them, and how digital delivery changed EVERYTHING and changed it almost overnight. That’s when she helped found Songwriters Of North America and advocated for the modernization of songwriters’ rights. In addition to writing hit songs, Shelly has also written a hit book, was nominated for a Grammy, and has won a She Rocks Award! So what’s next for her? She’s in the middle of writing a musical. This conversation was an amazing behind the curtain look at songwriting, how it’s changed over the years, and more. We even answer the question, “if you write the song but someone else records it before you, are you covering yourself when you record it?” Check out Shelly Peiken at shellypeiken.com, on Facebook or Instagram. Check out her album 2.0, Etc and get the book Confessions Of a Serial Songwriter. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on social media. Send us a cup of coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Buy merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Check out our sponsors and get ready for a peek behind the curtain with Shelly Peiken on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices