Detroit songwriting duo shares their journey to the Grammys
(CBS DETROIT) - When you hear Antea and her sister Anesha sing, despite what they may think, it's no surprise that the duo has gone far in their careers.
In 2019, their talent took them to the Grammys, but it was for their writing, not their singing.
The duo wrote the song "Gone Away" from the album "H.E.R," which won Best R&B Album that year. As a result, Antea Birchett and Anesha Moody-Birchett received Grammy certificates, and Antea Birchett made a trip to the Grammys to see H.E.R.'s big win in person.
"That kind of stuff just don't happen to two girls from the west side," said Birchett. "When she won, the way she leaped up in the air and jumped out into the aisle and turned in circles, it was amazing to actually have that moment."
The writing duo calls themselves APLUS and credits a big part of their talents to being from Detroit.
"There's nothing in no place like Detroit, especially when it comes to the talent," said Birchett-Moody. "You can walk past a homeless person, and they'll sing down to the ground. That's just what it is here. So, of course, that amplified that particular accomplishment."
The song they wrote for artist H.E.R. is called "Gone Away."
"There was a whole lot of them in the booth singing and trying to figure out the right melody. The right cadences. Should we do this riff, this run," said Birchett.
Birchett said writing "Gone Away" pushed them as creators.
"I felt like it stretched me as a writer because having that type of collaboration with that type of musician. It took us out of our comfort zone of what her and I do," said Birchett.
In their long career, they have worked with artists like Justin Bieber, Favorite Girl, Ciara, Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez and Mary J. Blige.
Being a professional songwriter has its challenges at times.
"It starts to turn more into a lottery," said Birchett "Now, it's going viral on TikTok, and I have 80 million streams on whatever, and then no songwriters make any money."
But this is their passion, and they say they are not quitting anytime soon.