BYU music students write song with help of Grammy-winner guitarist

PROVO — Five lucky BYU commercial music students got the opportunity of a lifetime to write a song in three days with a Grammy-winning guitarist.

Students Carson Ripley, Kieran Hellum, Hanna Eyre, Michelle Cheuk, Kevin West collaborated with five-time Grammy winner Mark Lettieri when he was on campus last year to perform in the BRAVO! series.

The groovy pop song they wrote together, "Two Worlds, One City," was released to music streaming platforms on March 14. The record depicts a relationship dealing with miscommunication, and how even though they are in the same city, it feels like they are in different worlds.

"What I didn't want to do, was be the sort of elder statesman and come in and be like, "Hey guys, I wrote this song already, let's get going,'" Lettieri said in a video about the process. "My goal is that whatever we do, I want to be able to hear each person's individual voice somewhere in the composition."

From the producing, to the singing, to the lyrics, to the music arranging, each student had a part to play in creating the piece.

Lettieri said it was a communal, team effort creating the song. He was amazed they were able to write a tune and lyrics that quickly, as some songs can take weeks or years to finish.

"Everyone brought a little energy that is now in the piece of music. I don't even know what I did at this point. I played some guitar licks or something," Lettieri joked.

The students said it was a "surreal" experience to work with such a talented musician who was also humble and respectful to each of them.

"Collaborating with Mark Lettieri has been one of the most educational, terrifying, and exciting experiences I've had at BYU," said senior vocalist Eyre. "He's so professional but also a lot of fun to work with. He always lifted us up and helped us feel confident in our ideas."

Commercial music professor Ron Saltmarsh said Lettieri is a "phenomenal musician" who provided the students invaluable feedback through his technical excellence and musically inclined ear.

"Once we came up with a groovy bass line, everything started locking into place," Eyre said. "On the second day, we changed the feel of the chorus, and when we started layering melodies and vocals, it really started to come together."

Lettieri said he was inspired working with the students and that they taught him so much in the process.

"I never had access to a world-class studio as a college guitarist," said Lettieri. "These students are getting an education that is very practical. In today's music business, you have to know how to do a lot of things. So it's good that they're getting such a diverse education."

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