How a Nashville pro shaped SongForgeAI.

Q1Who are you, and what do you write?

I'm Brett The Writer, a professional songwriter and producer. I've been writing professionally for well over a decade and have spent the last several years immersed in the Nashville songwriting scene. While country music is where I spend most of my time, I'm comfortable writing across just about any genre. Writing songs isn't something I do occasionally — it's my full-time job. I write every day, often for multiple hours at a time. Over the years I've written for everyone from independent artists you've never heard of to major-label acts, and everything in between. One of the more unique opportunities I've had was being invited to contribute songwriting content for Kygo's Masterclass, which was a pretty cool experience.

Q2You've used a lot of tools — what made you skeptical of an AI lyric tool going in?

AI is going to take our jobs! Haha. Just kidding… kind of. I know a lot of writers are intimidated by AI. There's this fear that it's cheating, or that it'll eventually make human songwriters obsolete. I can relate to that, and that was probably the biggest reason I was skeptical at first. But after talking with other writers in my circle and spending time thinking about what AI actually is — and what it isn't — I came to a different conclusion. It's a tool. A construction worker uses a hammer. A producer uses a DAW. AI is just another tool. I started looking at it less as a competitor and more as an accountability partner. I've used ChatGPT and other AI tools, but SongForgeAI hits differently. And when I say I've “used AI,” I don't mean typing “write me a hit country song” and hoping for the best. That's not how I work. I write and craft my own songs. Then I use AI to help evaluate them, refine them, and compare them against commercially competitive material. It doesn't write my songs. I do.

Q3In your first review you basically said, "this isn't for me." Six weeks later you called it "a massive upgrade." What actually changed your mind?

It honestly felt like it went from zero to hero. In the beginning, some of the feedback felt a little stiff, uninspired, and almost like reading a fortune cookie. It wasn't giving me the kind of insight I'd expect from a professional songwriter. After the upgrades Todd made, the experience changed dramatically. Now it feels much more like sending a song to a trusted writer friend and asking, “What do you think of this?” The feedback became more nuanced, more actionable, and much closer to the conversations real writers have with each other. Being able to get that kind of feedback on demand is pretty awesome.

Q4What's one specific thing SongForgeAI did that surprised you — or that ChatGPT and other tools couldn't?

ChatGPT has never made me feel like I'm sitting in a writers room. SongForgeAI can. The Nashville Writers Room mode is where things really clicked for me. Instead of getting generic writing advice, it feels more like getting feedback from actual commercial songwriters. It's almost like having Shane McAnally and the guys at SMACK listening to your song and telling you why it's working — or why it isn't. I remember putting a song through the Nashville Writers Room and getting called out for leaning too heavily on a crutch I was using throughout the lyric. That's exactly the kind of feedback I'd expect from a trusted co-writer sitting across the table from me. It wasn't trying to rewrite the song. It was pointing out a blind spot I needed to address.

Q5Where does it fit in a real songwriter's workflow — co-writer, idea generator, editor? What's the honest role?

I'm not sure I'll ever subscribe to the idea of using AI to start a song. Personally, that's not where I see the value. The creative spark, the ideas, the emotional truth — that's the songwriter's job. Where SongForgeAI really fits into my workflow is as an editor. Once I've finished a first pass of a song, being able to get actionable critiques from different perspectives and mindsets is incredibly valuable. Sure, I could send a song to five writer buddies and get five different opinions. But that might take days — or longer. SongForgeAI gives me multiple perspectives and ideas in minutes. Now, that's just me. I'm full of ideas. But if I were a newer songwriter who struggled with titles, hooks, or song concepts, I could absolutely see value there too. I'd still encourage writers to develop those muscles organically, but as a tool to get unstuck or explore possibilities, it can be very useful.

Q6The Crucible / scoring side — did being told what's weak about a lyric actually help?

The scoring side was one of the areas where I saw the most dramatic improvement. Comparing the first review I received to what Todd has built now, it's night and day. At this point, I'd probably use the scoring and evaluation tools on 90% of the songs I write. What I found most useful was its ability to identify repetition and point out places where the story wasn't progressing as effectively as it could. Sometimes when you're deep inside a song, it's easy to miss those things because you already know what you meant to say. SongForgeAI does a good job of stepping back and evaluating what's actually on the page. It helped highlight repetitive ideas, repetitive phrasing, and opportunities to move the narrative forward in a stronger way. For me, that's where the value is.

Q7A lot of pros are skeptical or hostile about AI in songwriting. What would you say to a working writer who's on the fence?

As someone who's been writing professionally for over a decade, I understand why writers are cautious. I was skeptical too. But if you're viewing AI as a competitor, I think you might be looking at it the wrong way. To me, it's a tool — the same way a construction worker uses a hammer or a producer uses a DAW. The tool isn't replacing the craft, it's helping you execute it more efficiently. And to be clear, I don't think AI should be writing your songs or your melodies for you. In my eyes, that's crossing a line. The creativity, intuition, and emotional truth still need to come from the writer. But using AI to evaluate your work, identify weaknesses, compare your lyric against market standards, or surface information that might otherwise take you days to gather? Why wouldn't you use that? The way I see it, it's not cheating. It's an upgrade.

Q8What kind of writer — or what part of the process — benefits most from this?

I think every songwriter can benefit from it, but the benefit looks different depending on where you are in your journey. A beginner can use it as a learning tool. If you're still developing your songwriting instincts, understanding structure, identifying clichés, or learning what makes a lyric effective, SongForgeAI can help accelerate that process and build your skill set. For more experienced writers and professionals, the value shifts. At that point, it's less about learning how to write and more about staying accountable. It gives you another perspective and helps you evaluate your work against commercial standards and current market trends. That's one of the things I like about it — it can meet writers where they are. A beginner and a professional might use the exact same tool for completely different reasons and still find value in it.

Q9If you had to sum up SongForgeAI in one or two sentences for another songwriter, what would you say?

SongForgeAI feels less like software and more like having a Nashville writers room on demand. It won't replace your creativity or write the song for you, but it will challenge your ideas, expose your blind spots, and help you write stronger songs.

Q10Anything you hope it does next, or still want improved?

One of the reasons I'm comfortable recommending SongForgeAI is that I've already seen how quickly it has evolved. The difference between my first experience and where it is today is dramatic. So more than anything, I'd like to see that same commitment to refinement continue. Songwriting is nuanced. The closer AI can get to understanding not just what a lyric says, but why it emotionally connects, the more valuable it becomes. If the pace of improvement continues the way it has so far, that's what excites me most.