We asked ASCAP members to send us great, original songs about changes, transitions and the passage of time. Here are 12 of our favorites from the hundreds they sent in, and included in ASCAP Experience Digital #7. Listen to each of them below! 

1. “Hold Me Close”
Songwriter and Performer: Jessica Jolia // IG: @jessicajolia // TW: @jessicajolia

"This song is about change, being ready for something different, and welcoming beautiful new beginnings." -Jessica Jolia

2. “No More Sluggin'”
Songwriters: Destiny La Princess Coleman, Mike Jackson // Performer: Destiny La Princess // IG: @DestinyLaPrincess // TW: @DestinyLaPrncss

"This is about not sitting on my butt waiting for things to happen, but to instead get moving. Opportunities will come but it has to find you working." -Destiny La Princess

3. “Change”
Songwriters: Tedd Swormstedt, Jeffrey East // Performer: Ahkan Karimi // Website: teddsongs.com

"This song speaks to the current environment we are living in and gives everyone the feeling of empowerment that they as one individual can be the catalyst to begin to change the world for the better!" - Tedd Swormstedt

+Listen to "Change" on Tedd's Reverbnation page

4. “Love Is Gonna Change You"
Songwriters: Kathryn R. Gordon, Timothy L. Koerber // Performer: Sofia Swan // IG: @kathygordonmusic

"This song is uplifting and encouraging for people who have had the love of their life, and are about to chance love, the second time around." -Kathryn R. Gordon

5. “Changing My Tune”
Songwriters: Adryan Russ, Joel Evans // Performer: Dante Marchi // Website: adryanruss.com

"It's a 'since I met you, my life has changed – thank you' kind of song! It welcomes the audience into your world." -Adryan Russ

6. “On the Low”
Songwriters: Deuntay J. Fields, Joseph Branch // Performer: Josey Joe // IG: @joseyjoe__

"Song is about when I deployed overseas and my girlfriend didn't want to change her way of life for me. She didn't want to change her school. She didn't want to move to Germany. She thought a change in her environment would not be good for her mental health." -Joseph Branch

7. “Let Go”
Songwriter: Jelani Robert Clay // Performer: JClay // IG: @jclay1st // TW: @jclay1st

"This song has helped tens of thousands overcome depression, anxiety, the death of a loved one, etc. 'Let Go' is all about healing." - JClay

8. “Golden Tones”
Songwriter: Wesley Miller // Performer: Wes Chiller // IG: @weschiller // TW: @weschiller

"This song was written during the pandemic when I was deployed on a firefighting strike team in Santa Cruz. We were fighting fire for three weeks straight and during that time, I was going through a rough patch with my significant other due to the separation. This song is about the fragility of life, the importance of presence in the current moment, and the ever-fleeting nature of time itself. The lyrics speculate on what could be done if time was not a factor, in hopes to motivate people to seize their moment in the NOW." - Wesley Miller

9. “Try”
Songwriters: Geremiah Giampa, Joe Ryan, Tom Mellon, Mike Rusch, Brian Finucane // Performers: Brother Starling // IG: @brother_starling // TW: @brothrstarling

"Sometimes you need to leave what you know behind to discover what you don't. This song is about new beginnings." -Geremiah Giampa

10. “Lo Que Va a Pasar”
Songwriter: Griselle Rosa // Performer: Josie Rosa // IG: @Josierosamusic // TW: @Josierosa 

11. “I Am a Man”
Songwriters: Khristiana “Tia P.” Parchman, Darryl T. Easley and Devin Christopher Portis // Performer: B.Slade // IG: @iamtiap // TW: @iamtiap

"Every generation has its own musical soundtrack. However, unlike their predecessors, the Black Lives Matter movement, millennials and Gen Zs are without one. Despite the progress that has been made over the years, for Blacks, and especially Black men, it feels like “Groundhog Day.” They’re still being mistreated, abused and killed by law enforcement. Thrilling, unapologetic and liberated, 'I Am a Man' is the antidote, an anthemic self-affirming clarion call for Black men who have been victimized, marginalized, weakened and made to feel less than... 'A Man.' However, what makes this song stand out is the fact that a 'Woman' wrote the lyrics." -Tia P.

12. “I Will”
Songwriter and Performer: Jeff Nisen // IG: @jeffnisen // TW: @jeffnisen

"This song is actually about change in the respect of not trying to change too quickly. It's about letting life run its course naturally and being ok with slowing down and accepting change. So much has changed in the world over the last year, sometimes one just needs settle down and take it slow." -Jeff Nisen 

Read the new issue of ASCAP Experience Digital.