Ollie Childs

So what's all the noise about? My upcoming trip to Nashville, Tennessee!

I've been pinging around the music industry both sides of the Atlantic for almost 15 years now, and if I had a dollar (or a pound!) for every time someone mentioned this buzzing central US state as being the center of the music industry, I'd be headed down there in my private jet instead of squished in the coach class of Spirit Airlines.

It's hard to deny that Nashville has evolved into a hub not only for music of all genres - especially for songwriters like myself. (If I understand it right, there's even a burgeoning rap scene in town?!)

This is something I have to see for myself. I'm hoping to meet musicians and industry folk alike and already have a pretty extensive list of people to meet list, so I'm excited to finally  see what this much talked about city is all about!

I'm writing this from 32,000 feet in the air leaving an amazing week in Nashville. Don't worry, I'm not going to bore you to death with my obsessive inflight plane spotting, but here's a little snippet from the road that's sure to be more interesting...

Not only did I get a chance to really explore the music Capitol of America for the first time, but I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a special event hosted by The Oxford American (www.oxfordamerican.org) featuring Academy Award winning actress and talented songwriter, Mary Steenburgen. It was a wonderful evening of music in the round, with an exceptional list of artists all performing music written in collaboration with Mary. Among them hit-makers Barry Dean (Universal Music Publishing) and Luke Laird & Hillary Lindsey (bets known for their work with Carrie Underwood).

At the end of the evening, I went away with at least 80% of the songs stuck in my brain and have no doubt that there are some serious hits in the making among the collection. Besides the great music, it was a treat to watch the chemistry between these artists - it's clear that these bonds are one of the secrets to their success.

And to top off the evening, I found myself sitting at a table next to the beautiful actress Diane Lane, a smart charming and funny individual. What a night!