A catchy melody isn't everything, but it sure doesn't hurt! For this final episode of the Playbill Songwriter Series, we're spotlighting the work of Ellen Winter, a gender expansive Brooklyn-based composer whose music may have been the soundtrack of your favorite 2020 TikTok trend.
While "For The Record" from Winter's 36 Questions went mega-viral in the early days of the pandemic, this time they've brought along four highly variant yet equally catchy tunes, including “Feel Good,” performed by Winter (piano and vocals), Sahar Milani (vocals) and Maya Sharpe (vocals) from Winter’s studio album, Yikes. Written by Winter, Chris Littler, and Charles Wanless, the song is the first single off of the irreverent, anthemic, break-up album. When writing this record, Winter asked herself what she needed to hear to get through the grief of heartbreak, and “Feel Good” emerged.
Next up is “Idle Hands,” performed by Winter (piano and vocals) and Nina Ross (piano and vocals) from The Rumpsringa Project, written by Winter and Ross. The song is from an in-development piece inspired by the Amish coming-of-age tradition known as Rumspringa. If idle hands are the devil’s play things, then how do guilt and desire move through the body of a person coming into themselves and their queerness? The Rumspringa Project writing team includes Machel Ross, Sekai Abeni, Bubba Weiler, Winter, and Ross. It’s been developed at Mercury Store, Pace University, Berkeley Rep Ground Floor, and through the Joe’s Pub Working Group.
The next song is “Animal Magnetism,” performed by Winter (piano and vocals), Milani (vocals) and Sharpe (vocals) from Animal Magnetism, written by Winter and Littler, with additional lyrics by Kelly Tieger. In 1783, Paris was the home of the unconventional Viennese doctor, Franz Mesmer (the origin of the word “mesmerize”), who, using the power of “Animal Magnetism,” sent the aristocracy into a sexual frenzy. Animal Magnetism is an immersive, hypnotic interpretation of what went down during the height of Mesmer’s rockstar-like influence in a society on the brink of revolution. This song is part of the opening number.
The final offering is “Hear Me Out,” performed by Winter (piano and vocals), from 36 Questions, written by Winter and Littler. Released in 2017, 36 Questions was the first of its kind: a Broadway-calibur musical podcast conveyed through a series of musicalized voice memos. The show follows Judith and Jase, a couple on the brink of divorce, who use the 36 Questions to Fall in Love to try and save their marriage. After blowing up their relationship, Judith seeks out Jase who’s fixing up his moms’ remote cabin in the Outer Banks, and from the other side of the door asks him to ‘hear her out’ in the opening song of the three-act show.
Winter is a Brooklyn-based composer, music producer, and performer whose songwriting fuses theatrical storytelling with indie pop instincts. In the world of music, their newest album Yikes is now out everywhere. Her hit song “Mantras” off her debut record Every Feeling I’ve Ever Felt rocked the number-one slot on In-Store Radio Charts for the better part of 2022 and last year, and her cover of "Paper Roses" was featured in the Emmy-nominated Hulu show, Tiny Beautiful Things, starring Kathryn Hahn. She’s collaborated with the likes of Sara Barielles, Ingrid Michaelson, Monique Moses, Mark Sonnenblick, and Softee.
In the world of theatre, they composed and performed with in On The Rocks Theatre Co's world premiere production of The Beastiary at Ars Nova. Winter has been on the music teams of Salty Brine, The Bengsons, Heather Christian, Dave Malloy, Ross, Miranda Haymon, and Cėsar Alvarez.
Winter is a recipient of the 2024 EST/Sloan Commission and the 2021 Bryan Gallace/Posthumous Prodigy Productions Musicians Fellowship. Their residencies include Joe’s Pub Working Group, Berkeley Rep Ground Floor, Mercury Store, Ars Nova Maker’s Lab, SPACE on Ryder Farm, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, and BarnArts. Visit EllenWinter.com.
The piano utilized in the filming of this episode was provided to Playbill by Sing For Hope. Sing For Hope harnesses the power of the arts to create a better world. Our creative programs bring hope, healing, and connection to millions of people in hospitals, schools, care facilities, refugee camps, transit hubs, and community spaces worldwide. A non-profit organization founded in New York City in response to the events of 9/11, Sing for Hope partners with hundreds of community-based organizations, mobilizes thousands of artists in creative service, and produces artist-created Sing for Hope Pianos across the US and around the world. The official Cultural Partner of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, Sing for Hope champions art for all because we believe the arts have an unmatched capacity to uplift, unite, and heal. Learn more at SingForHope.org.
