See Your Shadow Songwriting is a musical creation entity currently based out of Phoenix, Arizona. Run by Michael Coleman, aka The Metropolitan Cowboy, See Your Shadow is unique in the fact that it is a collaborative network of talented vocalists and musicians who make the songs it creates their star. Michael Coleman, the artistic director of See Your Shadow Songwriting, writes and produces all the songs created and released by See Your Shadow Songwriting. See Your Shadow was launched in Columbus, Ohio, and takes its name from Michael Coleman’s birthday being Groundhog Day. Michael Coleman and See Your Shadow Songwriting’s lyrical writing style packs such a punch, that Michael has earned the distinction of being the only professional songwriter ever nominated for the office of Poet Laureate for the State of Ohio.
After primarily being known for its dance club music, and its work in film and television, See Your Shadow Songwriting rebranded itself and decided to switch its focus and sound to its first love, country and western. With a new stable of vocalists and musicians, See Your Shadow Songwriting, has crafted and developed its new sound harkening back to the vivid storytelling and emotion of old school country.
Single, “I Will Tell Jesus You Said Hello” reached #1 on the iTunes Country Songs chart in South Africa, while receiving national and international airplay and charting. Follow up, “My Worth” duplicated that feat.
You can learn more about See Your Shadow Songwriting and experience the See Your Shadow Songwriting sound at its flagship website, www.seeyourshadow.com
Flagship Website:
See Your Shadow Songwriting
Facebook Pages:
1.) What elements and/or characteristics made you say to yourself that you wanted to do music for a living? Who are your influences/heroes/role models?
Well I think that it was just the arts in general and while music is the flagship of the See Your Shadow empire, we do a lot of things in the arts and what made me decide to pursue the arts as a career, was I simply said to myself one day that it was time for me to start living my passion. There are so many people who influence me, it would be just too hard to narrow it down, I am however in general, influenced by those that have been dealt a hard hand in life and can persevere through it.
2.) If you could compare yourself to an already established artist, who would that be and why? If you don’t like to compare yourself, then music-wise, what separates you from other musicians?
There are two people that I would compare myself to, and that would be Quincy Jones and Berry Gordy. Quincy Jones is able to bring to life some fantastic work by bringing out the best in his artists and Berry Gordy was able to do the same but from the point of view of shaping and molding talent. I have done that with those that do make up the See Your Shadow Network of Stars.
3.) Everyone in life goes through adversity of some sort. Is there anything in your life that has any influence on the kind of songs you write? What is the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure on your path to becoming a musician?
My life as well as the life of those that I encounter generally is what influences the songs that I write. See Your Shadow is known for writing about the human experience and just living can be a difficult thing. Life in general is not easy. The most difficult thing I have had to encounter, I would have to say without a doubt it would be racism. Racism is just so prevalent, especially in the Country Music arena. In the early days of See Your Shadow it was way worse.
4.) How do you prepare yourself to write certain songs? What is your songwriting and recording process?
Everything always depends on the project. Once the inspiration hits me to write a song, it is something that consumes me until I am finished, and that is with any project. The process for both writing and recording is very methodical and detailed.
5.) Unfortunately, the music industry is full of talented individuals who just don’t get any recognition for their talent and/or hard work. What do you plan to do to make sure you stand out and get noticed? Would you rather be on a major label, or would you rather stay independent? Why or why not? In regard to the music industry itself, do you think that the traditional music industry model as we know it is dead?
See Your Shadow already stands out in the fact that we make the songs our stars and I have worked hard at crafting the See Your Shadow brand as well as my personal brand as the leader of the organization. We let our music do the talking and we succeed or fail based on the material. It is always about the material. There are benefits to both being an independent and being on a major label and See Your Shadow is in a unique position where we can court both. We release our music as an independent, but we still also keep our presence in Nashville with our team that markets our work to the major labels. As an independent you can create the type of material you want which is better than being on a major label, but the benefits of the major labels’ financial resources are always a huge plus. The music industry and show business in general, is such an ever-changing model that what is alive this week, is dead the next. I do think however, that when the industry follows trends, it is the art that suffers.
6.) Are you able to make a living with your music? If so, how were you able to attain a career doing what you love? If not, what do you do in order to fund your music career? What advice would give to someone who’s interested in pursuing a career in music?
I have my hands in so many things that all tie themselves together and that is what gives See Your Shadow the capital to create the art that we create. As an artist, it is important to be able to diversify and apply all the skills that make you a good artist into ways to make a living and that is the advice that I would give to someone who is interested in pursuing a career in music. Be aware of all the skills that make you good at your craft and find ways to monetize on that in addition to doing your craft. I would also tell them that they must be passionate about what it is they are doing and know the reason why they are pursuing this career. If it is fame and fortune, I would say to them, pick something else.
7.) How do you think the internet and social media affected the music industry and how musicians are able to market themselves? Social media is obviously an extremely important element in today’s world, especially when it comes to business, branding, marketing, etc. With that being said, do you think an artist will be able to survive in today’s music industry if they’re not social media savvy?
This is a good question and I think that social media has really made an impact in both negative and positive ways. The positive is that it does allow artists, especially independents to grow and reach a worldwide audience quicker, the negative is that anybody can become a star whether they have talent or not and it is the art that suffers. I do think that being somewhat social media savvy is important, but at the same time with so many social media platforms out there doing updates to all and being on all of the platforms and staying on top of them is indeed a full-time job in and of itself.
8.) Artists who try to make music for the general public and make more money are usually seen as “sell-outs.” Do you see it that way and if so, what do you plan to do to make sure your music stays true to your brand and make a good living at the same time without having to “sell out”?
Once again, I think it comes down to the material. I don’t think that artists are sell-outs if they create music that is commercial. Writing music that is commercial is an art form in and of itself. I think that there is a way to do both simultaneously. What I try to do is to create the art that I want to create and write the songs with the subject matter that I want to write about, but also make them commercial at the same time and that keeps me true to who I am as an artist.
9.) Professionally, where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
I see myself and See Your Shadow moving away from our music flagship and concentrating on bringing art to life in the visual mediums. I plan on writing the screenplay to our song, “Christmas on Cellblock 9” and hopefully we can have that in production or completed by then. Plus, I have a book I want to write based on my family story that I think will be able to provide help and healing to a lot of people.
See Your Shadow Songwriting is a musical creation entity currently based out of Phoenix, Arizona. Run by Michael Coleman, aka The Metropolitan Cowboy, See Your Shadow is unique in the fact that it is a collaborative network of talented vocalists and musicians who make the songs it creates their star. Michael Coleman, the artistic director of See Your Shadow Songwriting, writes and produces all the songs created and released by See Your Shadow Songwriting. See Your Shadow was launched in Columbus, Ohio, and takes its name from Michael Coleman’s birthday being Groundhog Day. Michael Coleman and See Your Shadow Songwriting’s lyrical writing style packs such a punch, that Michael has earned the distinction of being the only professional songwriter ever nominated for the office of Poet Laureate for the State of Ohio.
After primarily being known for its dance club music, and its work in film and television, See Your Shadow Songwriting rebranded itself and decided to switch its focus and sound to its first love, country and western. With a new stable of vocalists and musicians, See Your Shadow Songwriting, has crafted and developed its new sound harkening back to the vivid storytelling and emotion of old school country.
Single, “I Will Tell Jesus You Said Hello” reached #1 on the iTunes Country Songs chart in South Africa, while receiving national and international airplay and charting. Follow up, “My Worth” duplicated that feat.
You can learn more about See Your Shadow Songwriting and experience the See Your Shadow Songwriting sound at its flagship website, www.seeyourshadow.com
Flagship Website:
See Your Shadow Songwriting
Facebook Pages:
1.) What elements and/or characteristics made you say to yourself that you wanted to do music for a living? Who are your influences/heroes/role models?
Well I think that it was just the arts in general and while music is the flagship of the See Your Shadow empire, we do a lot of things in the arts and what made me decide to pursue the arts as a career, was I simply said to myself one day that it was time for me to start living my passion. There are so many people who influence me, it would be just too hard to narrow it down, I am however in general, influenced by those that have been dealt a hard hand in life and can persevere through it.
2.) If you could compare yourself to an already established artist, who would that be and why? If you don’t like to compare yourself, then music-wise, what separates you from other musicians?
There are two people that I would compare myself to, and that would be Quincy Jones and Berry Gordy. Quincy Jones is able to bring to life some fantastic work by bringing out the best in his artists and Berry Gordy was able to do the same but from the point of view of shaping and molding talent. I have done that with those that do make up the See Your Shadow Network of Stars.
3.) Everyone in life goes through adversity of some sort. Is there anything in your life that has any influence on the kind of songs you write? What is the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure on your path to becoming a musician?
My life as well as the life of those that I encounter generally is what influences the songs that I write. See Your Shadow is known for writing about the human experience and just living can be a difficult thing. Life in general is not easy. The most difficult thing I have had to encounter, I would have to say without a doubt it would be racism. Racism is just so prevalent, especially in the Country Music arena. In the early days of See Your Shadow it was way worse.
4.) How do you prepare yourself to write certain songs? What is your songwriting and recording process?
Everything always depends on the project. Once the inspiration hits me to write a song, it is something that consumes me until I am finished, and that is with any project. The process for both writing and recording is very methodical and detailed.
5.) Unfortunately, the music industry is full of talented individuals who just don’t get any recognition for their talent and/or hard work. What do you plan to do to make sure you stand out and get noticed? Would you rather be on a major label, or would you rather stay independent? Why or why not? In regard to the music industry itself, do you think that the traditional music industry model as we know it is dead?
See Your Shadow already stands out in the fact that we make the songs our stars and I have worked hard at crafting the See Your Shadow brand as well as my personal brand as the leader of the organization. We let our music do the talking and we succeed or fail based on the material. It is always about the material. There are benefits to both being an independent and being on a major label and See Your Shadow is in a unique position where we can court both. We release our music as an independent, but we still also keep our presence in Nashville with our team that markets our work to the major labels. As an independent you can create the type of material you want which is better than being on a major label, but the benefits of the major labels’ financial resources are always a huge plus. The music industry and show business in general, is such an ever-changing model that what is alive this week, is dead the next. I do think however, that when the industry follows trends, it is the art that suffers.
6.) Are you able to make a living with your music? If so, how were you able to attain a career doing what you love? If not, what do you do in order to fund your music career? What advice would give to someone who’s interested in pursuing a career in music?
I have my hands in so many things that all tie themselves together and that is what gives See Your Shadow the capital to create the art that we create. As an artist, it is important to be able to diversify and apply all the skills that make you a good artist into ways to make a living and that is the advice that I would give to someone who is interested in pursuing a career in music. Be aware of all the skills that make you good at your craft and find ways to monetize on that in addition to doing your craft. I would also tell them that they must be passionate about what it is they are doing and know the reason why they are pursuing this career. If it is fame and fortune, I would say to them, pick something else.
7.) How do you think the internet and social media affected the music industry and how musicians are able to market themselves? Social media is obviously an extremely important element in today’s world, especially when it comes to business, branding, marketing, etc. With that being said, do you think an artist will be able to survive in today’s music industry if they’re not social media savvy?
This is a good question and I think that social media has really made an impact in both negative and positive ways. The positive is that it does allow artists, especially independents to grow and reach a worldwide audience quicker, the negative is that anybody can become a star whether they have talent or not and it is the art that suffers. I do think that being somewhat social media savvy is important, but at the same time with so many social media platforms out there doing updates to all and being on all of the platforms and staying on top of them is indeed a full-time job in and of itself.
8.) Artists who try to make music for the general public and make more money are usually seen as “sell-outs.” Do you see it that way and if so, what do you plan to do to make sure your music stays true to your brand and make a good living at the same time without having to “sell out”?
Once again, I think it comes down to the material. I don’t think that artists are sell-outs if they create music that is commercial. Writing music that is commercial is an art form in and of itself. I think that there is a way to do both simultaneously. What I try to do is to create the art that I want to create and write the songs with the subject matter that I want to write about, but also make them commercial at the same time and that keeps me true to who I am as an artist.
9.) Professionally, where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
I see myself and See Your Shadow moving away from our music flagship and concentrating on bringing art to life in the visual mediums. I plan on writing the screenplay to our song, “Christmas on Cellblock 9” and hopefully we can have that in production or completed by then. Plus, I have a book I want to write based on my family story that I think will be able to provide help and healing to a lot of people.