Courtneys Got Talent Hit songwriter and America's Got Talent producer Courtney Harrell's seemingly impossible path from hardship to hard-won success.
By
Kimberly Ashton
June 9, 2023
Courtney Harrell
Image courtesy of the artist
Courtney Harrell '01 remembers being about 11 or 12 years old when her mother, a gospel singer, started calling her up to the front of church congregations: She would point to me, and just say, Come up here,' while she was singing, and toss me the mic.
Her mom would do this at Faith Tabernacle Assembly, the Dorchester church where she and Harrell's father were co-pastors, and at the many churches where she was a guest singer. That was her way: She just threw me in the deep end, Harrell says. Her mother expected her not to just keep her head above water but to be able to plunge into its sonic depths and glide atop its buoyant surfaces. It's like, You're not learning, you're doing it, and you need to sing it like you wrote it,' Harrell remembers.
The message-this is your moment, take it-was one Harrell internalized as an invaluable lesson that has helped her have a successful career as a songwriter for some of the biggest names in the industry, as a teacher at Boston Public Schools, as a performer who's toured with John Legend '20H and landed in the top 10 on The Voice, and as a casting and lead producer for America's Got Talent (AGT).
It's a r sum many musicians would envy, and Harrell built it after becoming a mother at 17, while also often working jobs in retail and trying to become self-sufficient enough to get off welfare.
This spring, Harrell returned to Berklee to receive one of the handful of Alumni Achievement Awards the college gives out every year (see p. 8) and to participate in Career Jam. Berklee is home, she says. In March, while she was at her current home in Los Angeles as the next season of AGT got under way, she talked with Berklee Today about her unlikely path to success, her tips for songwriting, what she looks for in musicians she's casting for AGT, and what she calls the big fear.
The interview below has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
I want to talk a little about how you grew up. What was your early exposure to music? Was your family musical? My parents are pastors. My mom-incredible singer. Voice like Patti LaBelle ['96H] that soars through the air. She was the first one that I saw that was like a superhero in music. She would sing at the Gospel Night at the Pops. What is now TD Garden was the Fleet Center at one point, and the opening night they requested my mom to come and open the Fleet Center.
Everything I know about music, like songwriting, delivering emotion in song, comes from my father. He was a songwriter, too. I have memories of him calling me into a room where he's listening to Motown or whatever. [He'd say,] Do you hear phrasing? Do you hear how they delivered this line? The rhythm in this line?
There were times that a song would come to him at like 2, 3 in the morning, and he'd get me and my mom up and say, Wake up, wake up! I hear this! Sing this part! And then he'd record it in a tape recorder.
In addition to that, your dad was a social worker? Yes, he worked for-I think the name has since changed in the last two years-but at the time it was DARE Family Services.
Did your mom have a profession other than being a pastor? She was a homemaker. She had a home daycare for a while, and then started teaching in Boston Public Schools. She's still there to this day. She teaches children who are challenged, in fourth grade.
You were 15 when you entered Berklee's City Music program. Did you enroll at Berklee right after high school? I started at 20. [Before that] I thought, Oh, I don't want to do this anymore. I'm so tired of music. I wanted to study sociology, so I went to Brandeis University for a year. [Then] I was like, Ooh, no, I miss music. So I came back.
Tell me about your choice to major in music business if your passion was to be a performer and a writer. I wanted to be equipped, businesswise, to pursue the goal that I had of being a singer and a songwriter. Oftentimes, you'd find songwriters and singers who would get shafted because they didn't know the business. And I had a child; I couldn't afford that.
I wanted to ask about that. You had your son in high school, then you went to Brandeis, and then to Berklee. How did you manage that? I don't know. Jesus and family. And holding on to what was in my gut, that there's more, and now I have a reason to do it. My son was my reason to do it.
You're saying that your son motivated you in going to Berklee and in succeeding at Berklee? Absolutely, my son saved me. Most people would think, Oh, 17! You had a kid. Oh, how unfortunate! You know, your life is over. Dylan gave me my life. Because prior to him I was talented, but I was terrified of the world. my esteem or belief in myself was it wasn't there. But [after his birth] I had someone I had to do it for.
I hid my pregnancy for seven months. I was just afraid. But I would talk to him in my womb, I would tell him I loved him. I didn't see a doctor until I was almost eight months, and then I went into silent labor at eight months.
What is silent labor? You're having a baby but you don't feel it. So I would tell him, Dylan, you are born to do the impossible, because this is crazy. But I can't tell you that if I'm not able to do what's possible for me, which looks impossible to most. So now I have to do it to show you who you are.
What part of it do you think looks impossible to most? Teen mom, going to college, full scholarship, raising your kid, putting your kid through college, touring the world, writing for some of the bi
North America Stories
19/05/2026
Cisco and the USGA have announced a multiyear extension of their partnership, which began in 2018. Cisco serves as the Official Technology Partner of the USGA, ...
19/05/2026
Urban Edge Network (UEN), a streaming platform for NAIA sports, has announced a partnership with Spiideo to provide streaming and production tools to UEN's ...
19/05/2026
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) will provide live coverage of all 900 Roland-Garros matches across its platforms beginning with qualifiers on May 18. In Europe, 21...
19/05/2026
Tubi, Fox Corporation's free streaming service, has announced the launch of the FIFA World Cup 2026 FOX Hub, a dedicated destination for World Cup programmi...
19/05/2026
Telef nica, in collaboration with Sony, has conducted a 5G connectivity trial at the Movistar Arena in Spain using the 26 GHz millimetre wave (mmWave) band. The...
19/05/2026
Ross Production Services (RPS) has installed a Calrec Argo M console into its new Hypermax-1 remote production truck, replacing one of three Argo S consoles pre...
19/05/2026
Panasonic Projector and Display Corporation has announced the acquisition of 100% of the shares of UK-based media technology company Hive Media Control Ltd. (HI...
19/05/2026
Globecast has announced the completion of a nine-month renovation of its Singapore facility, converting it from a traditional linear broadcast operation into a ...
19/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced a three-year enterprise agreement with Phoenix Broadc...
19/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that Watch Brasil, a streaming platform operating across Brazil and Europe since 2018, has replaced its legacy systems with Bitmovin'...
19/05/2026
Ateme has announced the migration of Dish Home Nepal's Nepal Premier League (NPL) streaming infrastructure to Ateme's TITAN Live solution deployed on Ak...
19/05/2026
CMSI provided workflow, media management, and HDR support for ESPN during coverage of the NCAA Gymnastics Semifinals and Championships. The company supported fi...
19/05/2026
In advance of this year's Sports Emmy Awards, SVG is taking a deep dive into the six production-technologies nominated for this year's George Wensel Tec...
19/05/2026
In advance of this year's Sports Emmy Awards, SVG is taking a deep dive into the six production-technologies nominated for this year's George Wensel Tec...
19/05/2026
Featuring a fully IP infrastructure, Supershooter 11 is intended for large-scale events. Enabling remote and distributed workflows, Supershooter 65 joins the RE...
19/05/2026
By Jessica Herndon
The line wrapped around the building outside Denver's La...
19/05/2026
When all companies in the market are allowed to compete under the same set of ru...
19/05/2026
Battle-proven technology withstands electronic warfare threats across air, maritime surface and subsea domains....
19/05/2026
WESCAM MX-Series EO/IR systems provide high-precision targeting across domains, including counter-UAS applications...
19/05/2026
Champaign, IL - March 16, 2026 Cobalt Digital, the leading designer and manufa...
19/05/2026
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. April 16, 2026 - Cobalt Digital today announced a partnership ...
19/05/2026
Las Vegas - April 18, 2026 Cobalt Digital, the leading designer and manufactur...
19/05/2026
LAS VEGAS April 18, 2026 - Advanced HDR by Technicolor and Cobalt Digital are ...
19/05/2026
LAS VEGAS - May 4, 2026 - Cobalt Digital, the leading designer and manufacturer of signal processing products, and a founding partner in the openGear initiativ...
19/05/2026
London - 11 May 2026 Cobalt Digital, the leading designer and manufacturer of award-winning signal processing products, and a founding partner in the openGear...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Grass Valley has entered into a three-year enterprise agreement with Phoenix Broadcast Solutions as the Singapore-based company expands its live production oper...
19/05/2026
Clear-Com supported Musikal Perahu Kertas, a large-scale musical theater production in Indonesia adapted from the acclaimed novel by Dee Lestari, through the d...
19/05/2026
Actus Digital, a LiveU company, and a leading provider of intelligent media monitoring and broadcast compliance platforms, announced today that METEO CONSULT ha...
19/05/2026
Globecast, a leading provider of managed services for the broadcast and media industry, today announced the completion of a major renovation of its Singapore fa...
19/05/2026
Following a major upgrade to its Connecticut remote production centre with the installation of three 60-fader Argo S consoles in 2023, RPS has switched one of t...
19/05/2026
PlayBox Technology today announced the launch of Celebro Play, a browser-based media orchestration platform designed specifically for broadcast facilities and p...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
LYNX Technik, provider of modular signal processing solutions for broadcast, post, and professional AV will showcase its latest signal processing solutions at B...
19/05/2026
Media Links, a leading developer and manufacturer of IP media transport solutions, has announced the integration of its Xscend platform with Skyline Communicat...
19/05/2026
Collaboration expands regional partner ecosystem as Media Links showcases IP media transport solutions on stand 4M4-4 and alongside Clearcast Asia on stand
Me...
19/05/2026
Company Highlights Labor-Saving Control and Custom Branding Opportunities Designed to Increase Integrator Profitability
LynTec, a leading manufacturer of ele...
19/05/2026
Mago Studio Moves AI Video Beyond Prompts with New Production-Focused Tools
Brie Clayton May 18, 2026
0 Comments
New Capabilities Bring Controllable, ...
19/05/2026
It May be Time to Stop and Take an AI Breather
Brie Clayton May 19, 2026
0 Comments
If the rock you stay on starts to roll, jump clean. Or you'll...
19/05/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the Trailer for RAFA, the Documentary Series A...
19/05/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Expands Consumer Products Footprint with Strategic Con...
19/05/2026
Matt Derella Expands Leadership Across LinkedIn Ads and Microsoft Advertising Published on May 19, 2026 Categories: Company News
LinkedIn Corporate Commun...
18/05/2026
Despite a bumpy start to the year, the provider of event-production support and ...
18/05/2026
Daktronics has partnered with the University of North Carolina to manufacture and install 11 LED displays totaling more than 10,000 square feet and more than 14...
18/05/2026
CBS LA has announced a multi-year partnership with the Los Angeles Rams, covering exclusive local broadcasts of Rams preseason games, weekly year-round programm...
Courtneys Got Talent Hit songwriter and America's Got Talent producer Courtney Harrell's seemingly impossible path from hardship to hard-won success.
