
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
09/05/2025
AJA I/O Gear: The Heart of Broadcast Solutions' VEGO Mobile Editing Solution
Brie Clayton May 8, 2025
0 Comments
When working remotely on broadcas...
09/05/2025
What do they teach in an Advanced Adobe After Effects Course?
Roland Kahlenberg May 8, 2025
0 Comments
There aren't many advanced After Effects co...
09/05/2025
Larry Jordan Sits with Trevor Morgan of OpenDrives at NAB 2025
Brie Clayton May 8, 2025
0 Comments
Trevor Morgan, COO of OpenDrives, shares how the co...
09/05/2025
Berklee Popular Music Institute Announces UK Festival Debut and Tour Dates For the first time, BPMI will bring Berklee-affiliated artists and students to the ...
08/05/2025
A sinister fairy infiltrates a desperate family in Kenneth Dagatan's In My Mother's Skin, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Photo co...
08/05/2025
For skyward-bound operators, training focuses on the unique aspects of flying ISR missions, including the management of onboard surveillance equipment and the e...
08/05/2025
The cable industry has told the Federal Communications Commission it supports the National Association of Broadcasters' proposal to allow broadcasters to us...
08/05/2025
WASHINGTON The Consumer Technology Association has continued its opposition to mandates requiring that NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 tuners be included in new TV sets, sa...
08/05/2025
TAG Video Systems, the leader in software-based IP end-to-end workflow monitoring, deep probing, and real time visualization, has named Paul Maroni as Vice Pres...
08/05/2025
This year's UK Pavilion in hall 5, once again managed by Tradefair, will provide visitors with the unique opportunity to discuss and be involved in cutting ...
08/05/2025
Rohde & Schwarz will showcase its latest energy-efficient transmitters and 5G Broadcast technologies, designed to support network operators and content provider...
08/05/2025
IRVING, Texas Nexstar Media Group has tapped Bill Nardi as vice president of station operations, responsible for overseeing the day-to-day broadcast operations ...
08/05/2025
SEATTLE LumaTouch is partnering with CNN Academy to improve mobile storytelling techniques and support training across all of CNN Academy's training simulat...
08/05/2025
WASHINGTON The Society of Broadcast Engineers has filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission that support a proposal by the National Association ...
08/05/2025
Senior adviser to the United States Agency for Global Media Kari Lake has announced that One America News Network (OAN) will provide newsfeed services for fre...
08/05/2025
EdMon Expands as AI-Driven Post Production Workflows Gains Traction in Sweden an...
08/05/2025
Using Luma Mattes in Adobe Premiere Pro
Graham Quince May 7, 2025
0 Comments
This very quick tutorial shows you how to take an RGB clip and apply its ...
08/05/2025
OpenDrives Unveils Free Your Data' Initiative with New Astraeus Cloud-Nativ...
08/05/2025
Student Spotlight: Grigori Balasanyan The Armenian composer, who was named Boston Conservatory at Berklees 2025 student commencement speaker, talks about his ...
08/05/2025
May 8th, 2025 Press Materials Available Here
Tribeca Festival 2025 Unveils New Premieres Spanning Film and Music
Slick Rick's Victory with Idris Elba a...
08/05/2025
May 8th, 2025 Press Materials Available Here
Tribeca Festival 2025 Announces Lineup for Inaugural Storytelling Summit
11-Day Industry Event Launches with Tal...
08/05/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Vizrt's Nicholas Jameson on AI in Workflows, Pushing Boundarie...
08/05/2025
Creating Alternative Brand Experiences: Live Sports in the Age of Fortnite, Meta...
08/05/2025
PGA TOUR's David Piccolo: Advanced Graphics and Virtual Production Tools are...
08/05/2025
Tech Focus: Advancing Immersion in Sports Broadcasting with AR and Virtual Produ...
08/05/2025
Back to All News
Now in Production: Comedy Action Film Husbands in Action'...
08/05/2025
Artificial intelligence is helping identify and treat diseases faster with better results for humankind. Natural disasters like wildfires are next.
Fires in th...
08/05/2025
Calling all wiseguys - 2K's acclaimed Mafia franchise is available to stream...
08/05/2025
As AI use cases continue to expand - from document summarization to custom software agents - developers and enthusiasts are seeking faster, more flexible ways t...
07/05/2025
Warsaw, Poland - April 28, 2025 - Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, has released its latest March All Screens Video Landscap...
07/05/2025
LONDON Movie fans hoping to save money by waiting until their favorite new films appear on streaming services will have to wait a bit longer now, according to a...
07/05/2025
MECCA, Saudi Arabia Saudi Broadcasting Authority (SBA) has selected Grass Valley to provide a major technology upgrade of its broadcast facility here....
07/05/2025
Sony and Nevion provide guidance on IP network architecture options for live pro...
07/05/2025
Media Pioneer Publishing AG Expands Editorial Capacity
Brie Clayton May 7, 2025
0 Comments
Pioneer 2 boat production environment powered by Blackmagic...
07/05/2025
LONDON Movie fans hoping to save money by waiting until their favorite new films appear on streaming services will have to wait a bit longer now, according to a...
07/05/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau is seeking public comment on a Petition for Rulemaking from HC2 Broadcasting Holdings asking...
07/05/2025
WASHINGTON Following a decision by U.S. Department of Education to terminate its 2020-2025 Ready To Learn to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, CPB has in...
07/05/2025
NEW YORK Fox's ad-supported streaming Tubi made a series of product and partnership announcements during IAB NewFronts in New York, including the launch of ...
07/05/2025
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. Google Fiber (GFiber) has announced a redesigned app that the company said will simplify how customers set up service, manage devices, and...
07/05/2025
WASHINGTON NASAs on-demand streaming service, NASA+, has launched a FAST (Free Ad-Supported Television) channel on Prime Video....
07/05/2025
NEW YORK The WNET Group, parent company of the PBS station Thirteen, has announced the appointment of Randall T. Decker to senior director, technology, effectiv...
07/05/2025
Atomos announced an executive leadership transition as the Company continues to evolve and expand its strategic focus.
Peter Barber, currently serving as Chie...
07/05/2025
Steve Wagner, Jerry Holway and Robert Orf at the 2024 Scientific and Technical Awards at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.
The ...
07/05/2025
nxtedition, the Swedish company behind the leading integrated platform for news and program production, and TASCAM, the iconic Japanese manufacturer of professi...
07/05/2025
Signiant is bringing its Camera-Raw-to-Any-Cloud workflow to the UK for the first time at the Media Production & Technology Show 2025 (Booth# M69) with a live d...
07/05/2025
MNC Software Inc., a global leader in software and network solutions tailored to the broadcast and media industry, has appointed Gencom Technology as an officia...
07/05/2025
Rise AV, the award-winning advocacy group championing gender diversity and professional development in the AV sector, is proud to announce 31 mentor-mentee pair...
07/05/2025
Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics of Europe, is to bring a selection of its leading products for IP, SDI and hybrid workflow requirements to this...
07/05/2025
The Global Media and Entertainment Talent Manifesto announces that the World Skills Caf will return at IBC2025 with an expanded skills and diversity programme,...