As Chris Daughtry’s honey-toned voice belted out the heartwarming lyrics to “Home,” I couldn’t help but think how stoked my college girlfriends and I would have been to be standing in the exact same spot to see the country-rock cutie perform during his American Idol climb to fame. Ten years later we’re approaching the show’s final season, and though my pals and I won’t be gathering in my parents’ living room to watch it, I did send a quick pick of Daughtry to a friend who quickly responded with heart eyes and kiss mark emoji. Daughtry’s performance was part of a media event at BMI’s headquarters to showcase emerging talent and highlight the services the company offers for songwriters.

The evening included a range of music genres including R&B singer and Brooklyn native Justine Skye who kicked off the entertainment portion of the evening with good energy and spunky lyrics. Next up was Chino & Nacho, a Venezuelan pop duo, whose irresistibly catchy sound had some audience members shuffling their feet, which was not an easy task considering the room full of buttoned-up, corporate execs. Finishing the show, of course, was the affable Daughtry, who cracked a joke about how his song, “Home,” was used to make Idol contestants feel good about being kicked off the show and performed a handful of songs including his 2016 song Torches about spreading love rather than hate.

To learn more about BMI (and their cool programs like Speed Dating Songwriters Workshops and Songwriting Camps) check out: http://www.bmi.com/