
FINNEAS and Ashe Talk Confidence and Collaboration in the Music Industry Days before his sister Billie Eilishs new album announcement, producer and songwriter FINNEAS joined singer-songwriter Ashe BM '15 onstage for Berklees Career Jam keynote panel.
By
Andrea Recalde
April 16, 2024
Left to right: Songwriting Department Assistant Chair Jonathan Perkins, FINNEAS, Ashe BM 15, and Paul Wachter shared the Berklee Performance Center stage during this years Career Jam keynote panel discussion.
Image by Kelly Davidson
Fresh off an Oscar win for Best Original Song with his sister, Billie Eilish, and days before the announcement of Eilish's new album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, songwriter and producer FINNEAS took the stage at this year's Career Jam, Berklee's annual career festival, for a conversation with two long-time collaborators. Joining him onstage were singer-songwriter Ashe BM '15, whose breakout hit Moral of the Story (coproduced by FINNEAS) was featured prominently in the Netflix film To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You; and businessman Paul Wachter, founder and CEO of Main Street Advisors, who helped make the crucial connection that brought FINNEAS and Billie Eilish into the Barbie soundtrack, which led to this year's Academy Award.
Listen to Moral of the Story by Ashe, cowritten and coproduced by FINNEAS.
Each panelist readily acknowledged their Berklee connections and affections. Ashe spoke consistently to the crowd about her Berklee experience ( CWP, anybody? Yeah! You can't say that anywhere but here, she joked at one point), and she explained how her classes in big band and orchestra writing influenced her approach to songwriting. FINNEAS recalled learning music techniques in high school from watching videos on Berklee's YouTube channel. And Wachter, a member of Berklee's Board of Trustees and founder of the school's Wachter Fellowship program, talked about the uncommon energy and sense of community he finds whenever he comes to campus.
In a conversation moderated by Jonathan Perkins, assistant chair of the Songwriting Department, the panelists discussed the value of confidence and authenticity, the crucial role of collaboration in music-making and business, and the realities of life in the music industry. FINNEAS also offered insight into his approach to producing the new Billie Eilish album alongside his sister.
Collaboration in Art and Business
Left to right: Paul Wachter, FINNEAS, and Ashe at Career Jam 2024
Image by Kelly Davidson
Collaboration was this year's Career Jam theme, and it especially shined through in the panel's conversation. FINNEAS discussed how the collaborative dynamic with his sister Billie has evolved over the years. He noted that when they made her first album (When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?), he sat in a chair at his computer and she sat on his bed with a microphone; then on the second album (Happier than Ever), she sat on a couch and he was at the desk; and finally, working on her upcoming third album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, their collaboration was more like the two of us at the desk, like copilots on an airplane.
I made a point to teach her over the last two records how to do all her vocal engineering, he said, describing his sister's extremely meticulous process of selecting the perfect vocal takes for her songs. She is an incredible vocalist, and I am but a puppet if Im comping with her.
FINNEAS went on to talk about his role as a producer and a songwriter in other scenarios, saying, I try to fill the empty space, you know? Sometimes, you get in the room with an artist, and they fill like 99 percent of it. And thats awesome. . . . And sometimes you get in the room and somebody, even if theyre incredibly talented and they can sit and write songs on their own, and that day theyre just like, I want a lot of help.' Thats the other thing. Its different day to day.
Ashe was able to speak about her own years of producing and cowriting music with FINNEAS. Weve done a lot together, she said, and then turned to speak to him directly about one specific instance: I was working on my first album [Ashlyn], and I wrote the bones of Till Forever Falls Apart' . . . I texted you and asked just to ask you if you wanted to be a part of it, and you rewrote the second verse, which she said, self-deprecatingly, became the best lyrics of the song. The song became the album's opening track, and we got to do all this amazing promo together [for the song]. You just hang with your buddy. It was so good. From a professional standpoint, collaboration is essential to everyone in this industry, but as the panelists showed, it can also be an excellent opportunity to meet people and spend time with friends.
Watch the music video for Till Forever Falls Apart by Ashe and FINNEAS:
Of course, collaboration takes many different forms throughout the industry. Wachter, whose professional network includes numerous Hollywood creatives, described hearing about the Barbie movie soundtrack as it was coming together, and realizing that Billie Eilish and FINNEAS would be a perfect fit. It seemed to me that they were missing a song like that [What Was I Made For]. They needed . . . a serious, great song. They had a lot of dance numbers. Im not a musician like they are, but I know enough to say, Okay, I know who this is perfect for.' And that is collaboration, he said. Im not writing a song, but Im at least out there in the world thinking about the people I work with and what opportunity that Im hearing about or that Im seeing is right for a certain person.
If youre songwriters, or performers, or producers, or business people, whatever you are, youre going to meet people who are potential collaborators and partners for you, said Wachter about the importance of choosing the right p
Most recent headlines
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
01/05/2025
WASHINGTON The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has filed a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from firing three of its board members, claiming the pre...
01/05/2025
HONG KONG Riedel Communications today said it has opened a new office in Hong Kong, enhancing its presence in the Asia-Pacific region....
01/05/2025
MUMBAI, India & BALTIMORE In a development that could advance efforts to bring NextGen TV to cellphones, FreeStream Technologies, Lava International and HMD hav...
01/05/2025
01 05 2025 - Media release Screen Australia empowers 100 distinctive Australian narratives
All The Boys Are Here writer/director Goran Stolevski and It s All...
01/05/2025
How PFX Delivered 750 VFX Shots in Just Four Months For Anthony Hopkins Thriller...
01/05/2025
Careline's New Wave Makeup Commercial Shot With URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton May 1, 2025
0 Comments
CAD Studios relies on large format, full fram...
01/05/2025
RT Investigates reveals details of Christian Brothers who were senior leaders a...
01/05/2025
RT Statement
The Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project is one of the projects that was funded from the proceeds of RT 's land sale in 2017, the init...
01/05/2025
Watch our promo: RT Supporting the Arts | What's on
This May, RT is delighted to support Bealtaine Festival, Fastnet Film Festival, and Dublin Dance Fest...
01/05/2025
For Nicolas Simon, advancing the field of robotics is a personal mission that could change his siblings' lives.
Two-thirds of Simon's family members us...
30/04/2025
Film elements held at the Deluxe warehouse in March of 2015. Photo by Luis Silva...
30/04/2025
EA SPORTS FC 25 fans in Australia and Saudi Arabia, get ready to immerse yourselves in the beautiful game like never before. Spotify is excited to announce a n...
30/04/2025
The past year has been nothing short of a whirlwind for Tucker Wetmore. After th...
30/04/2025
Mexico's love for podcasts is no longer a trend-it's a lifestyle. With m...
30/04/2025
Slam poet Huda the Goddess wins 2025 Les Murray Award
30 April, 2025
Media releases
Australia for UNHCR and SBS are proud to announce that Huda Fadlelmawla...
30/04/2025
SBS, NITV and NIDA partner to empower the next generation of screen creatives
30 April, 2025
Media releases
SBS, National Indigenous Television (NITV) and ...
30/04/2025
By Joyce JC Cataldo
The media and entertainment industry is evolving faster than ever. Technology is shifting the way we create, distribute, and experience c...
30/04/2025
An image of Valencia, Spain, in the OneAtlas Living Library...
30/04/2025
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. WPSD-TV, the NBC affiliate in Paducah, Ky., has selected Bitcentral's Central Control playout system to upgrade the station's mast...
30/04/2025
AMSTERDAM Zero Density, a global provider of virtual studio productions and on-air graphics, has appointed Baris Zavaroglu as its new CEO. Zavaroglu succeeds Of...
30/04/2025
The Avit Group, a forward-thinking audio-visual technology company, is bringing over 50 years of combined experience in delivering audio-visual design and insta...
30/04/2025
NXTGENbps will be showcasing its latest sustainable battery power solutions at this year's Media Production & Technology Show (MPTS), appearing alongside pa...
30/04/2025
Van Dyke skates and operates on Shoresy | photo by Dave Ferguson
Toronto-based Cinematographer Brett Van Dyke (Heartland, Jann, Carter) stepped into the rink...
30/04/2025
Leading provider of media playout solutions PlayBox Neo will exhibit a vast array of significant upgrades to its range of smart media innovations at CABSAT from...
30/04/2025
ITV Studios is renowned for its award-winning productions, including the reality TV phenomenon I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! Produced by Lifted Ente...
30/04/2025
The UK's presence at this year's CABSAT brings together 20 innovative companies under the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland banner. From advanced infra...
30/04/2025
Lightware continues to strengthen its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives by fostering diversity, inclusion, and community engagement within...
30/04/2025
LiveU is demonstrating for the first time in the UK, its revolutionary technological breakthrough in IP-video transport, LiveU IQ (LIQ ) and bringing its expand...
30/04/2025
Stand: A40
Calrec has been putting sound in the picture for more than six decades and is still pushing the boundaries of audio broadcasting with a full range o...
30/04/2025
Buckinghamshire New University (BNU) has opened its new virtual production studio, designed and integrated by CJP Broadcast. The installation equips students wi...
30/04/2025
Independent news producer in India focuses on delivering stories
nxtedition has supplied a complete newsroom system to Collective Newsroom, based in New Delhi,...
30/04/2025
Connecting the present, building the future
FOR-A, a cutting-edge video broadcast technology company backed by more than 50 years experience, will showcase it...
30/04/2025
DAD by NTP Technology reports a successful NAB Show in Las Vegas where the company focused on upcoming expansion options in development for its Thunder | Core a...
30/04/2025
CVP and Canon UK & Ireland are proud to announce the winning projects from the third annual Stories in Motion Young Filmmakers Awards, which took place on the e...
30/04/2025
Leading video software provider, Synamedia, today announced that beIN MEDIA GROUP ( beIN'), one of the foremost global sports and entertainment broadcasters...
30/04/2025
The Canadian Premier League (CPL) today launched a new-look website and app, offering supporters of Canada's men's domestic professional soccer league a...
30/04/2025
WASHINGTON In a wide-ranging press conference, Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr had both good and bad news for broadcasters, stressing that ...
30/04/2025
TORONTO Cignal TV is relying on Quickplay's Shorts tool for its recently launched Pilipinas Live Shorts service, available to millions of users of Pilipinas...
30/04/2025
NEW YORK Steve Lanzano will retire as president and CEO of the Television Bureau of Advertising at year-end, the group said....
30/04/2025
The news production tech provider nxtedition is reporting that it supplied a complete newsroom system to Collective Newsroom, an independent news producer based...
30/04/2025
NEW YORK As part of a major push to advance the role that artificial intelligence (AI) plays in the advertising industry, the Interactive Advertising Bureau has...
30/04/2025
Uzbekistan Airways is the latest airline to choose SES's network, while Thai...
30/04/2025
Loaded Uses Blackmagic Design for shroud Subathon Live Streams
Brie Clayton April 29, 2025
0 Comments
Blackmagic Studio Cameras and Micro Studio Camer...
30/04/2025
Help shape the future of video creator tools with MIDiA
Brie Clayton April 29, 2025
0 Comments
After a successful debut in 2024, MIDiA is calling once...
30/04/2025
Tania Le n and Kelli O'Hara to be Honored at Boston Conservatory at Berklee&...
30/04/2025
Andr 3000 and Sara Bareilles to Receive Honorary Doctorates at Berklee College ...
30/04/2025
You've seen the headlines, now it's time to go Behind the Story
RT News has today (Wednesday) launched a brand-new news podcast, Behind the Story, h...
30/04/2025
Damien Molony will head back to Jersey for a second series of Bergerac, written by Toby Whithouse alongside Ashley Sanders, Emilie Robson and Faebian Averies
D...
30/04/2025
Advancing multi-domain EW operations: Rohde & Schwarz unveils latest innovations...