Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cedric Israel. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Cedric, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
As an independent creative I work with many independent artists and writers. I love writing and producing music for artists who are leveling up and taking major steps forward. I’ve had the chance of working alongside many talented rising artists such as Emma James and McKenna Faith Winters. Check them out, they are outstanding and have a bright future.
There is one song in particular that I wrote a few years back that was very, very meaningful to me. During the fall of 2021 my family was in the process of making the move from Texas to Nashville and it was a high stress as we were getting our house ready to sell and trying to purchase a new house in the crazy Nashville real estate market. One Thursday night my family (my wife, son, and my parents) and I were having dinner. I looked across the table and saw that my father was motioning like he was trying to talk but no words were coming out, only mumbles. I realized quickly something was wrong. We all saw that he was having a stroke! My wife Joy called 911 immediately and I stood up and placed my hands on my father and said a strong prayer for him. Thank God that within 5 minutes there was an EMT at our house and they started treating my dad immediately. They gave him a shot of medicine, put him on the gurney and took him to the hospital that was 20 minutes away. This was during covid, so when we all got to the hospital only one person could be in his room at a time. So, my mom went into his room to be with him, and I waited outside in my car in the cold parking lot. I walked around and was praying and thinking, and as I did this, I noticed there were many other people just sitting in their car. I realized that they probably also had a loved one in the hospital that they could not visit as well. The feeling of powerlessness and desperation was very raw that night. Fortunately, my dad recovered well. The doctors were able to treat him and help him get back to a healthy recovery. All that to say was through this experience a week later I wrote with an artist that goes by the name of Bravely Gray (Her real name is Joelle Einerson). I told her this story and she too had a similar experience when one of her young children was very sick in the hospital and she could not be in the room with her child because of covid protocols. We ended up writing a song called “Praying In A Parking Lot.” It’s all about that feeling of desperation and begging God to give your loved one a chance. I remember the first time I played this song for my wife; she broke down in tears. She never cries at my songs (lol), so I knew I must be onto something very special. The artist Bravely Gray ended up releasing this song and it had such great reception by many listeners and got a substantial amount of streams. The vocalist that carried the song is Payton Brown, who was absolutely perfect! “Praying In A Parking Lot” is one of those very meaningful songs that help set the bar for the kinds of music I want to write. The best songs seem to come from a place of truth and vulnerability, and I take a lot of pride in that one.
Cedric, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a songwriter and music producer here in Nashville. I work with a lot of country music artists and Christian music artists. I love the process of writing and crafting a song. It is an incredible way to meet many talented people and make new friends. I have written well over 300 songs since being in Nashville and produced dozens of those songs.
I am also an instrumentalist; I primarily play the bass. In fact, I am with some great artists and bands. In 2024 I got to tour with an amazing Christian artist named Brennley Brown. I also play regularly with an awesome RnB cover band called Deondra and 46 story. You can catch us on Saturday nights at the 12/30 club on Broadway. One major highlight from 2024 was being asked to play bass at the GMA Dove Awards show with Joseph Habedank. That was a special opportunity to play in front of an audience like that for a national broadcast.
I would say I bring a musician’s perspective to my cowrites and productions. I play many instruments and have developed relationships with some of Nashville’s best studio players. I bring a very professional sound and feel to the songs and am able to do it for a very reasonable rate. I also love vocals and treating vocals. I can help bring the best performance out of singer in a way that is encouraging and fun. I get compliments all the time from artists I record about how much they love the sound of their voices on the songs. I credit that from working at the Rukkus Room studio under Jamie Tate for 2 years. I was able to sit in on sessions and watch how Jamie worked with artists and made radio hit worthy recordings on a daily basis. Now I can bring that approach into my own productions.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
I have always been a lifelong learner! I really loved school and college and still seek to learn more about the world, music, and business. There have been some wonderful books that have been helpful to me in understanding the music business. One of those is by Donald Miller called “Building A Storybrand.” It gives great insight into building a brand and business. One of the key takeaways is that I am not the hero of my own story. My client is the hero, and my role is to be a guide to help the hero through an obstacle or challenge. That is such a healthy perspective because it means I am a servant in what I do, and my role is to help the artist shine and them to be the focus. I love that, because I have never really desired to be in the spotlight, rather I love helping others achieve their goals. The longer I am in Nashville, the more I see that it takes a great team to help artists rise and succeed. So that book was very helpful to me in shaping my perspective.
I also want to give a shoutout to Clay Mills and Marty Dodson at songtown.com. Songtown is an amazing online community that taught me so much about writing and the creative community in Nashville. The songtown community has mentored me for many years.
Lastly, for those that are into music production, check out musiccityplaybook.com run by Forest Whitehead. Forest is a brilliant writer, producer, and teacher. Many of the techniques and skills I used today are taught by Forest at this website!
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Nashville is a very special place to live in. I don’t think anywhere else in the country has the amount of world class artists, writers, musicians, labels, publishers, and media (while still being reasonably priced to live). Here there is a well-established ecosystem.
I think the best way that society can help the creative community is to #1 go to live shows. Go to bars and clubs and coffeehouses and watch upcoming talent. Buy a ticket, buy a drink, buy some merch. Then the #2 main thing is, instead of streaming music for $10 a month, go and download 1 album a month from an artist. Streaming has gutted the music industry. I know it is not realistic to think it will ever go away, but if more people would download songs and albums, it can help artists and writers pay their bills and continue to make amazing music.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cedricsongproductions.com
- Instagram: cedricryansongs
- Facebook: cedricplaysbass
