Long before words were sung and chords were played on the 16 stages of this year’s Norman Music Festival, preparation began in the minds of songwriters.
More than 100 bands performed during the festival, which concluded April 25 in downtown Norman. They played mostly original music in various genres — alternative rock, heavy metal, Americana and more. Despite the differences in styles, the mental manifestation of melodies and lyrics is a magical process shared by those responsible for authoring the sounds heard by more than 80,000 onlookers who attended NMF 2026.
So, it was fitting that the festival kicked off with a panel discussion on the “Science of Songwriting,” featuring artists Jordan Cain, Casii Stephan and Danny Davis at Norman’s historic Sooner Theatre. The talk was sponsored by the Oklahoma Film and Music Office.
Stephan, a Tulsa-based singer-songwriter and emotive vocalist, said that although songs may be written months or years before a given shown, they can take on a different form when rendered to a live audience.
“Recording is like oil painting, and live (performance) is watercolor. Two different forms. One is very precise, and one is not as precise — there is more of a flow. It’s energy on stage. It’s the energy of the audience,” Stephan said. “And it’s also sometimes by accident that you play something that turns out to be brilliant, and you think, ‘Where did that come from?’”
Cain, the lead singer and founder of the band Atlantis Aquarius — whose music has been broadcast by ESPN, HBO and Netflix, as well as performed by country singer Tanner Usrey and rocker Jonathan Tyler — said his favorite part of songwriting is how there are no rules.
Cain said songwriting is more art than science,, and he said that, once written, a song’s live performance can bring surprises.
“Sometimes, we’ll play some shit live, and I’ll think, ‘Damn, I wish that was on the record.’ Sometimes that can be frustrating, but I think that’s the beauty of a live show,” Cain said.
The “chicken or egg” question for songwriters often involves, which comes first: melodies or lyrics?
“Sometimes, I write a song based on a melody, or then it’s a lyric,” Cain said. “Sometimes songs are just channeled. I have no idea where these lyrics came from, but it just happens. That’s my favorite, obviously. It flows. That’s the beauty of it.”
On the other hand, Davis, whose band The Husbands was a headliner at NMF, said his writing usually begins with melodies and then a lyric that “guides the spirit of the song.” After that, he looks through different phrases and words that he keeps in a journal filled with ideas he has drawn from conversations, social media posts and even television. From there, he draws out the remaining lyrics of the song.
“Inspiration comes from anywhere. People are trying to be clever and creative all the time,” Davis said.
Stephan, whose band kicked off Norman’s Summer Breeze Concert Series in 2024 and who has become a favorite of local venues, said some of her songs take shape in a matter of minutes. Some songs take weeks.
“Some songs are super fast. One of my favorite songs, I think, took an evening at a pool party at a friend’s house. Once there was a hook of the lyrics, the rest of the song came out in an hour or two,” she said. “If it comes quick and it’s fast, just go with it and try not to overthink it. And there is what is going to be the first single off my album, a song called ‘Happy’, that took me over the course of two weeks.”
Shari Jackson, director of the Norman Music Festival, said 814 bands from 44 states and countries applied to appear at this year’s festival. That meant NMF staff had to exhaustingly comb through music samples to make the selection.
“What’s hard is when you listen to so many kinds of music. We were really thoughtful about it — we only get this much of you, and we’re trying to decide who gets these spots on these stages. It’s hard to know what to listen for, because songs are now so complex. We’re listening to the lyrics, what they’re trying to say — listening to skill level, style and their genre.”
For those embarking on their song-writing journey or interested in having their musical creations performed by bands on next year’s NMF stages, Cain had advice:
“Songwriting is just like an instrument. You have to practice,” Cain said. “You have to work your craft.”
Norman Music Festival 2026 photos
