Greg Shilling has something big to celebrate. The songwriter is one of two winners for American Songwriter’s Songs That Sync Promotion for his song, “Gorilla Grip.”
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“Gorilla Grip” came to be after Shilling went through a “horrible break up,” which, on the upside, made for a “beautiful song.”
“I felt that ‘Gorilla Grip’ was a song that could supplement a scene, but not take away from it,” he said. “I felt in my heart that it could have potential to be used, so I wanted to give it a shot!”
With his win, Shilling will receive a mentorship with top music supervisors in TV, film, and ads, which he considers a “dream come true.” The mentorship, Shilling believes, will help teach him “how to make my songs more suitable for sync opportunities in the future.”
Read on to learn more about Shilling.
Greg Shilling Q&A
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SONGWRITING?
I’ve been actually songwriting since I was about 6 years old. I remember the first song I ever wrote was called “I don’t want to go to work.” (I’m not sure what “work” I was doing straight out of kindergarten, but my boss must have been a real peach.) I always loved storytelling and listening to stories as a little kid, so songwriting was a natural extension of that.
WHAT GOT YOU INTO MUSIC IN THE FIRST PLACE?
The thing that got me into music in the first place was actually my dad. He had this huge stereo system in our family room, and he would blast music right after he got home from his job. He absolutely loved music. It was palpable. He had a piano in our family room, too, and he would just sit and play the blues on it for hours. That inspired me to want to make songs.
I think every son wants to make his dad proud, so naturally, I became a musician. My dad passed away when I was 19 years old, so he never got to see me become a professional musician and follow my dream. But I’d like to think he’s looking down and saying, “That’s my boy! The winner of the American Songwriter Songs that Sync Contest!” (or something like that).
WHY DID YOU ENTER AMERICAN SONGWRITER’S SONGS THAT SYNC PROMOTION?
I wanted to see if my music could be seen with sync potential by professionals in the field. I hope my music could be synced with tv and film one day, so this was an affirming win for me.
HAVE YOU HAD SYNC OPPORTUNITIES BEFORE? WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THAT IF SO?
I have been asked to make bespoke songs for sync opportunities before, but I’ve never had a song I’ve written as an artist be used before. I would be thrilled if I had the chance to use one of my songs for sync! That would be so fun.
WHAT SONGWRITERS DO YOU COUNT AS YOUR BIGGEST INSPIRATIONS? WHY?
Burt Bacharach, Barry Gibb, and Jackson Browne are my favorite songwriters. With that list, some might be surprised that I’m 32 year old guy living in L.A.
The reason those songwriters resonate with me so much is that their music is absolutely timeless. Their melodies and their lyrics have stood the test of time, and resonate across generations, and will for years to come. That is the music that I want to make. Those are the songs I want to write.
WHAT SONGWRITERS WOULD YOU LOVE TO COWRITE WITH?
I would really love to write with Bruno Mars. He’s one of the greatest songwriters of our generation, and I think he knows how to make classic timeless hit melodies, all while topping the charts in the modern era. He’s awesome!
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PLANS IN 2026. NEW MUSIC RELEASES? NEW COWRITES? SOMETHING ELSE?
I am planning to release 8 more songs in 2026, and I am SUPER excited about these ones!! I can’t wait!
WHAT WOULD YOU TELL OTHER ARTISTS WHO ARE CONSIDERING ENTERING THE CONTEST?
I would tell other artists to JUST DO IT! You never know who’s watching, and you never know who’s listening. And hey, ya might just win!
Photo by Brittany Burton
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