About Lee Laurent & Maddening Music

About Lee Laurent

I’ve been writing songs since I was 14 or 15 (over 40 years). Even at quite an early age I wanted to write for others as well as myself. I’ve never had writer’s block. I’m more likely to have writer’s diarrhoea where the ideas come faster than I can record them.

I have travelled extensively in Asia and Africa living in many exotic city locations, giving me a unique perspective on life.

I have studied many aspects of music, many times, in many ways including college and university other courses, books and video tutorials (including theory and harmony, arrangement and orchestration, studio software, culminating in an MA in Songwriting), so I have the skills to write what you need. I have never failed to sit down and come up with at least one idea, typically 2 or 3 at least.

My strengths are probably melody, harmony and arrangement. Style wise, my output is very broad and wide ranging. I would love to do more collaboration. I’m very open about accepting input on my ideas and open to trying things out. I just love creating music. I’m happy to take the lead or let others take the lead and just throw in ideas if that’s what’s needed.

I have written every kind of music under the sun including pop/rock songs, showtunes/musicals, film music and theme tunes. The songs here are only examples. I am happy to co-write or to write to a brief.

About Maddening Music

I have always loved working with others. And I have always wanted to improve what I do in the areas beyond my own abilities. I wanted to be able to focus on what I do best and not get bogged down in the “admin”. My original dream was to create a collective of creative people to work together to make the best end product.

Maddening Music is always looking for new (or established) talent; writers, producers, artists, video directors, etc. to collaborate. Have you got what it takes? We want to tie up quality songwriters from around the world, with suitable artists. We specifically champion the 'pure performer'—the artists who possess incredible voices but need world-class material to shine. In an industry currently obsessed with the singer-songwriter, Maddening Music returns to the classic model of the specialist writer providing the fuel for the specialist performer.

We’re also interested in producers who want to develop artists and writers. And imaginative video producers with innovative ideas to support the artists. And anyone with an interest in working in the music industry, such as writers, producers, music video directors, graphic designers, costume designers, artist managers, etc.

We come from a slightly old-fashioned world where record companies and music publishers developed and supported artists and writers rather than waiting for the finished, polished article to turn up so they could flick a switch at the factory and sell that finished product. We want to set up our own new independent music industry.

Maybe some of you are good at the jack-of-all-trades stuff and if you are, we wish you well. But for those of us who know our limitations; who know others could do some of the stuff better; and who don’t want to keep asking friends with better things to do; we want to build a collective of likeminded people.

Are you a new songwriter with no wish to perform? Do you write words but no music? Or music but no words? Are you a singer who doesn’t write songs? Are you someone who loves studio technology and playing with sounds but don’t really write music? Would you like to be a manager, promoter, marketer in the new independent music industry?

Then why not join us and make something special and unique? By joining together the talents of specialists rather than trying to make one person do everything we hope to produce superior recordings.

Do we want to make money? Of course we do. We're not here to pretend that artistic integrity is the be all and end all. Sure, there’s a place for it. But we all need to pay the bills and so we want things to be commercially viable. Personally speaking, we just love music. We don’t have a favourite style or artist. And we don’t think being “popular” or “arty” makes a good song bad, or a bad song good.

Who defines what’s good and bad anyway? Everyone has different tastes. And if it gives people pleasure then that’s surely what matters. So it’s not about how much or how little money the song or artist will make. It’s about making it the best it can be; and then getting it to the people who love it and will want to buy it.