Rolling Stone All Access Nashville's Songwriting Secrets with Laura Veltz
Jan 28, 2026
Laura Veltz, Grammy-nominated songwriter behind hits like 'The Bones' and 'Speechless', shares life in the Nashville writing room. She describes intimate collaboration, crafting hooks across genres, working with artists who hold different beliefs, and balancing creative risk with mentorship and midcareer perspective.
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615 Indie Live Festival Model
- Jamie Kent describes 615 Indie Live as a $20 day pass across 15 venues showcasing 65+ local artists to support independent venues.
- He explains proceeds go to Music Venue Alliance and WNXP and visits highlight Nashville's diverse, non-Broadway scene.
Authentic Nashville Lives Off Broadway
- Kent and Veltz contrast glossy Broadway honky-tonk tourism with the deeper authenticity of independent Nashville venues.
- They argue local venues are the true incubators that launch artists' careers and preserve Music City's identity.
Songs Are Found, Not Forced
- Veltz says the song is often 'written by the room' and writers listen for what resonates rather than force it.
- She frames songwriting as assembling a 'scoop of sand' of many life experiences to find a universal sound.