‘Songland’ Judges: Who Are The Music Producers On The NBC TV Show?

If you’ve ever wondered how your favorite artists continue to release hit after hit, NBC’s “Songland,” which premieres tonight, is the show for you.

You might know who sings the top songs on the radio, but there’s a good chance you don’t know the name of the songwriters and producers who helped create those tracks. This new series gives viewers a little behind-the-scenes glimpse into one of the ways popular artists get their songs — by buying them off of other singer-songwriters and having producers and other writers help tailor it to their personal sound.

Each episode of “Songland” features four unknown songwriters pitching their original music to a major recording artist (ex. John Legend is the episode 1 guest), hoping the big-time singer chooses their song to record as their own. There will be a new group of songwriters and a new artist for every episode of the 11-episode series.

Though most of the participants change week to week, there will be a few constants.

Three music producers/songwriters — Ryan Tedder, Ester Dean and Shane McAnally — will help the unknown songwriters in each episode rearrange their tracks to make them better, and they’ll also be judges of sorts, in that they’ll share their thoughts with the guest artist of the week about the competing original songs.

Before the show premieres, get to know the three music producers/songwriters you’ll be seeing on NBC’s “Songland” each week.

Ryan Tedder

Not only has he released four studio albums as the lead singer of OneRepublic, but he’s also a four-time Grammy Award-winning songwriter and producer. He’s worked with artists like Kelly Clarkson (“Already Gone”), Jonas Brothers (“Cool”), Beyoncé (“Halo”), Demi Lovato (“Neon Lights”) and many other singers.

Ester Dean

She isn’t just the actress who played Cynthia Rose in the “Pitch Perfect” franchise; she’s also a singer and songwriter. She’s behind some of your favorite Rihanna and Nicki Minaj songs, like “Rude Boy” and “Super Bass.” Plus, she’s also worked with Christina Aguilera, Katy Perry, Trey Songz, Usher, Britney Spears and a bunch of other top artists.

Shane McAnally

After helping so many country artists put out so many hit songs, McAnally won the 2019 ACM Songwriter of the Year award. In 2014 and 2018, he won Grammy awards for his work with Kacey Musgraves. The songwriter has also worked with Clarkson, Sam Hunt, Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line and quite a few others.

“Songland” premieres on NBC on Tuesday at 10 p.m. EDT.