Bay Area songwriter finds platinum success, helps other artists attain dream

A Peninsula woman and platinum-selling songwriter helped along the way by an industry organization is now paying it forward by leading the group and supporting other budding artists. 

With each lyric Jennifer Adan writes, she paints a picture she hopes will resonate with anyone who listens and strike a chord within herself.

"That's kind of what makes this so special is when I can write something that others can relate to and maybe I can put something into words that someone didn't have the words to say," she told CBS News Bay Area.

Growing up in San Mateo, she began to find her musical charm. But it wasn't an easy road.

"In high school, I was told by my choir teacher that I would never amount to anything in music because I couldn't sing," she explained, "But I used that to fuel my fire."

Adan has taken that spark to fuel a career as a platinum songwriter, penning lyrics for stars like Blake Shelton and the Pentatonix. With mild hearing loss in one ear, she's teamed up with songwriter Karl McHugh to create audible works of art.

"There are people out there who hear what I'm doing because I have a slight hearing loss," said Adan. "I felt inspired and empowered instead of beating myself up for something I couldn't do it was giving me strength to push through and do what I love."

Together with McHugh, they lead the West Coast Songwriters Association, guiding and educating budding artists through the competitive and ever-changing music industry.

"A songwriter's career is going to look different for everyone," McHugh said. "Enjoying the process is what I tell people a lot make sure you like that part of it the most."

The group is hosting a music industry master class in Livermore on July 20, hoping to encourage more music artists to step into the industry.

"Maybe they get inspired by something we say and it's like an 'ah-ha' moment for them so we just want to make sure we cover all aspects of the industry to maybe inspire people," said Adan.

It's help they received themselves, hoping to pay it forward for the artists of tomorrow, whose shoes they once filled.

"It's not us versus them, it's all us and we're all trying to go towards the same goal."