SONGBYRD TAKES FLIGHT!

By: Connor Duszynski

Hannah Rutti, an incredibly talented Loudoun County-based musician and songwriter, is the driving force behind Songbyrd, LLC, a unique business that crafts custom songs for any story or occasion. This innovative venture showcases Hannah’s creative prowess and entrepreneurial spirit, offering a service that is as personal as it is artistic. Having employed a number of writers to join her team, Songbyrd is taking flight.

Songbyrd is a platform where artists create original, studioquality custom songs tailored to individual narratives and special events. The business caters to a wide range of occasions, from holidays and anniversaries to birthdays and weddings. It even offers the opportunity to express love or appreciation for someone through a personalized song. For my boyfriend’s birthday last year, I received a personalized love song from Hannah about our relationship, which I gifted to him. Needless to say, he absolutely loved it and we still listen to it often. The starting price for these custom creations is $180, making this unique gift accessible to a broad audience.

The company's mission is to bring people's stories to life through music. The result is a one-of-a-kind piece of music that captures once-in-a-lifetime moments in a format that can be cherished forever. Songbyrd's website showcases samples of their custom songs, providing potential clients with a glimpse into the quality and diversity of their work. The range of styles and themes in these samples demonstrates the versatility of the Songbyrd team and their ability to cater to a wide array of musical tastes and personal narratives.

I caught up with Hannah to talk about the latest developments at Songbyrd and to reflect on her musical journey since we were in grade school together. Her musical evolution as a musician and songwriter has been a thrill to watch ever since we first joined forces in our middle school performances. As Songbyrd continues to thrive, there’s no doubt in my mind that it will continue to make a significant and heartfelt impact in the music scene.

Hello, Hannah! Thanks for fitting me in to your busy schedule. What have you been up to lately?

So much! I’ve been so busy with Songbyrd lately. Whereas before I was focused more on my own personal live performances, I’ve taken a bit of a backseat in this area to focus more on the business, running things from this end. We write custom songs for any and all occasions. Birthdays, weddings, engagements, and other familyfocused events are really popular requests or occasions that we write for. I love this customized, personalized approach to songwriting because I get to know my clients well; they share a lot of personal details with us so we may produce the best product for them and their occasion.

Well, I can attest that getting a custom song from Songbyrd is so meaningful. It’s really a game-changer. It was probably the most personal and special gift I’ve ever given to someone else. I can’t rave enough about it. How and when did you know you wanted to take this route? When did you decide you wanted to establish Songbyrd?

Songwriting has always been a passion of mine. I would say that I covered more songs when I was first starting out, but even then I was writing my own originals. Back then, I was trying to learn my technique and more of who I am as an artist, musician, and vocalist. During the transition from middle school to high school, I started exploring more in-depth who I am as a writer. I knew then that I wanted to pursue songwriting in college at Berklee. Here, I learned new ways of songwriting that completely changed my approach to it. I would say now that I’m more focused on conveying raw emotion than the ‘fluff’ of songwriting. I floated the idea of starting my own business for some time, coming from a family of entrepreneurs and business owners. It felt right for me.

That’s a unique and difficult skill to have. I’m sure it isn’t always easy putting yourself in a client’s shoes to understand their perspectives and emotions. Your approach to songwriting has changed over time. Has this changed the course of Songbyrd too or has your vision for the business remained the same?

Songbyrd is a relatively new venture for me. However, for the short time we’ve been up and running, we’ve shifted course a few times and developed quickly. Initially, it was all me. I wrote all the songs, handled every client onboarding, ran our social media accounts, and other tasks on the business side of things. Now, I have a great team of about twelve artists working with me at Songbyrd. It’s a tremendous help. When we get orders in, the artists are able to claim songs and projects that resonate with them. Every artist at Songbyrd has deadlines and has to get the song back to me for final review, edits, and approval. After this process, we send it back to the client to enjoy. It’s much more streamlined now.

I still try to claim as many songs as I can; songwriting and singing are two of my greatest passions, so I personally love doing as much creative work here as I can. We’ve had such an overwhelming influx of orders, it made sense to outsource some projects to other artists and give them an opportunity to showcase their work and talents. We’re very team-oriented here.

I’m so glad things are going well! It’s not easy being a young entrepreneur. I imagine it’s also difficult as a musician trying to make things happen in a world and industry that’s hyper-competitive. What advice would you give to young musicians and/or entrepreneurs starting out?

It’s important to have a solid plan. Things change, but if you can follow your plan for the first few months or year of operation, you’re golden. You have to have some foundation for your business before you change things right away. You have to test things out and see how your business is going to work in the real world; it’s oftentimes very different from the vision you have in your head during the planning stages. Seek out advice from other entrepreneurs and get their thoughts on things. It’s tough but also very rewarding.

For you personally, what is most rewarding to you? What makes you most proud of your work at Songbyrd?

The ability to communicate with clients one-on-one and the ability to earn their trust is extremely fulfilling. I love bringing their stories and emotions to life. Hearing their reactions and about how our songs impacted their days makes me happy. Even when it’s a song that’s written by one of my artists, I love knowing that their work is connecting with the clients.

As an artist, what personally inspires you? Of course at Songbyrd, you’re writing for the client. But was inspires Hannah Rutti?

Family plays a huge role in inspiring my day-to-day life and my music. Lyrically, this is my greatest influence. I have a number of musical influences I look up to sonically as well — they inform the sound I like and utilize in my own personal songs. While these influences have changed throughout various phases of my life, some I love listening to now are Moonchild, Daniel Caesar, and Sasha Alex Sloan. I’ll always be in love with Amy Winehouse.

Are there any upcoming projects or developments with you and at Songbyrd that you can share with our readers?

Right now, I’m really focusing on growing Songbyrd and the brand. I would recommend that readers who are interested in learning more about us or ordering a personalized song check out our website. Clients can also always email us with any questions about the process. Moving forward, I’m excited for us to have a more active social media presence on Instagram and Tiktok. Readers can follow along with us at @songbyrd_llc.