
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
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
17/09/2026
Lions vs. Bills will also be the first regular-season game at new Highmark Stadi...
17/09/2026
Teradek has announced Bolt 7, a wireless video and data system that adds an integrated 900MHz radio to the Bolt's zero-delay video pipeline. The 900MHz chan...
17/09/2026
DAZN has announced three appointments to its executive leadership team, all reporting to CEO Shay Segev effective immediately.
Patrick Delany has been appointe...
17/09/2026
Monumental Sports and Entertainment (MSE) has announced a leadership restructuring. Zach Leonsis has been named President and Vice Chairman, a newly created pos...
17/09/2026
CP Communications has been named Best of Florida for Audio-Visual Services, and its subsidiary Red House Streaming has been named Best Movie and Recording Studi...
17/09/2026
Scripps Sports and ION have announced a broadcast partnership for the Shriners Children's East-West Bowl, the nation's oldest college all-star football ...
17/09/2026
The 17th annual espnW: Women + Sports Summit, presented by Toyota, will take place October 14-16 at the Ojai Valley Inn in Ojai, California, with virtual attend...
17/09/2026
The Professional Audio Manufacturers Alliance (PAMA) and Shure Incorporated have...
17/09/2026
Lithuanian broadcaster LNK Group has completed a migration of playout and media management for its five national television networks - LNK, BTV, TV1, InfoTV, an...
17/09/2026
Net Insight has announced a pan-Asian live media network created with its regional partners, giving broadcasters, production companies, and media service provid...
17/09/2026
After a high school football injury, the Orlando native found a new path in video production, gaining experience on ESPN college football broadcasts, Tampa Bay ...
17/09/2026
Popular DAW gains free pitch-correction tool
Image-Line have teamed up with Antares to kit their popular DAW software out with a built-in pitch-correction p...
17/09/2026
Promises unprecedented realism, dynamic nuance and clarity
Gibson have teamed up with acoustic pickup experts Baggs, creating a next-generation' pickup...
17/09/2026
Two new libraries join percussion line-up
VSL (Vienna Symphonic Library) have just launched two new libraries that bring some intriguing new instruments int...
17/09/2026
Hardware & plug-in versions gain new features
Arturia have just released a free update that brings some significant new features to their MiniFreak synthesi...
17/09/2026
Respected journalist Catalina Fl rez to succeed Anton Enus as SBS World News pre...
17/09/2026
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), in partnership with the Nation...
17/09/2026
Calrec brings leading audio solutions and long-term business value to IBC 2026 We're looking forward to meeting up with you all on 11-14th September in Amst...
17/09/2026
Streaming Content Ratings (SCR) Data Shifts to Daily Delivery Cadence, Mirroring...
17/09/2026
August brought further stabilization in total TV viewing time. Poles spent an average of 3 hours and 31 minutes a day watching video content on TV glass-just 2 ...
17/09/2026
Post-sports seasonal shift redistributes viewership across Poland, while streami...
17/09/2026
Television Content Analytics Pte Ltd (TVC), a Singapore-based deep-tech company specialising in sports technology, artificial intelligence and live broadcast in...
17/09/2026
Rise WIB, the global advocacy group championing gender diversity and career progression across the media technology industry, today announced the shortlist for ...
17/09/2026
RALEIGH, N.C. - Capitol Broadcasting Company (CBC) and Hurricanes Holdings annou...
17/09/2026
Lithuanian broadcaster deploys Playout X and Framelight X across five networks, combining on-premises software-defined playout with cloud-based disaster recover...
17/09/2026
Introducing Adobe Photoshop Elements & Premiere Elements 2027
Brie Clayton September 17, 2026
0 Comments
New tools make it easier than ever to enhance y...
17/09/2026
LA JOLLA, CA-While the brain orchestrates metabolic processes in the body, it al...
17/09/2026
The bold, new legal drama starring Dominic West and Sienna Miller launches on Sky and NOW on 2nd OctThursday 17 September 2026
Official trailer released for Sk...
17/09/2026
Every week we read headlines about new threats from AI. From taking over jobs to disrupting critical infrastructure, spreading misinformation or even destroying...
17/09/2026
Arqiva selected by SANZAAR to deliver global distribution of 2026 international ...
17/09/2026
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA This evening at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, Apple TV...
17/09/2026
A new creature-catching adventure is ready to stream from the cloud this week. Pawprint Studio's Aniimo arrives on GeForce NOW at launch, inviting gamers to...
17/09/2026
RT Statement:
RT is today confirming that its position regarding participation in the Eurovision Song Contest remains unchanged. RT will not participate in...
16/09/2026
Grass Valley has been recognized with a 2026 Technology & Engineering Emmy Award...
16/09/2026
Sports-media leaders explore how cloud, AI, and virtualization are transforming ...
16/09/2026
With a full crew on site in Springfield, deep access to players, and a growing d...
16/09/2026
John Wilson attends The History of Concrete premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Yarrow Theatre on January 22, 2026, in Park City, Utah. (Ph...
16/09/2026
Powerful soft synth receives free update
Wavea have just launched a new and improved version of their feature-packed soft synth, kitting it out with over 20...
16/09/2026
Physical-modelling experts launch pipe-based instrument
Modartt are well known for their impressive Pianoteq and Organteq offerings, and now, they've pu...
16/09/2026
Popular DAW gains free pitch-correction tool
Image-Line have teamed up with Antares to kit their popular DAW software out with a built-in pitch-correction p...
16/09/2026
Microwave Factory and Rohde & Schwarz enable automated SAR measurements with CMX...
16/09/2026
Rohde & Schwarz launches new security scanner for large events at Security Expo ...
16/09/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites eligible South African pro...
16/09/2026
Grass Valley honored alongside industry leaders for the development of web-based, frame-accurate remote monitoring systems for distributed broadcast production ...
16/09/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Capture Harvard Law School Alumni Event
Brie Clayton September 16, 2026
0 Comments
URSA Broadcast G2 and Pocket Cinema Camer...
16/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...