Grammy Q and A: Canadian Bernie Herms on competing with his wife

Nashville-based producer and songwriter Bernie Herms is shown in an undated handout photo. (Courtesy Dominick Guillemot)

TORONTO -- Growing up the son of a Pentecostal minister taught songwriter Bernie Herms a few lessons on the road to the Grammy Awards.

Most importantly, teamwork with your fellow musicians can elevate the spirit of song.

"In church, the preacher starts singing and you better be in the right key within the next four beats or you might be fired," Herms says half-jokingly.

"I loved that really spontaneous part of my upbringing, which taught me to sort of sink or swim musically."

Over the years, Herms paired with top-notch talent like Andrea Bocelli, Kelly Clarkson, Josh Groban, the Tenors and Barbra Streisand to produce soaring orchestral ballads.

The producer, who was born in London, Ont., spent his childhood moving across Canada.

About a decade of his life was rooted in Edmonton before he moved to Chilliwack, B.C., but it's Nashville where his dreams took shape.

Herms is nominated in two categories at the Grammys on Feb. 12 -- best contemporary Christian music album and best contemporary Christian music performance/song -- for producing Lady Antebellum singer Hillary Scott's album "Love Remains" and her song "Thy Will."

He's been up for Grammys before, but it's the first time he'll compete against his wife Natalie Grant, who is nominated in the same categories for her own work.

Herms spoke to The Canadian Press about the spousal rivalry and how country star Brad Paisley helped his career.

CP: You began your professional music career at Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C., but later moved to Nashville's Belmont University in the early 1990s. What was your most important lesson from academia?

Herms: Music is about relationships. When I was young and idealistic I thought everything was about my (musical) gift ... but I came to find the best music has come out of trusted relationships.

CP: One of the relationships you forged at school was with Paisley, who was your classmate. What were those days like?

Herms: He was the guitar picker from Virginia and I was this long-haired classical piano player from Canada. We hit it off, became fast friends and started writing (with others). None of us in the group were pros. We were in the studio every day and on the weekends. Brad got his career started -- he signed a publishing deal directly after he graduated -- and all the sudden we were his band.

CP: You took those experiences and turned them into a songwriting career. What made you choose that path over being a performer?

Herms: In the early college days I dabbled in piano artistry and made a couple of records. I saw the side of constant promotion -- the lifestyle -- and as I learned myself better I realized my best game was having people I work with discover their best performances. I like the limelight as much as the next guy ... but at the end of the day I know myself and what I do best.

CP: When you're co-writing with a singer you've never met before how do you create trust?

Herms: I intentionally create an environment where my artists feel safe and start taking risks. Each musical community has a culture of its own. I do lots of writing in L.A. and sometimes you're on a "blind date," that's what I call them.

CP: You sit down with an artist you've never met and just start talking?

Herms: You feel this innate pressure to let everyone know all this cool stuff you've done and that you're legit, but I find ... those emotions stand in the way of creativity. The quicker I can ... connect with the person, learn something about their family and their story ... (the more) comes out in the art.

CP: Was getting hitched to a fellow musician almost a given?

Herms: I said, 'I would never marry one of these singer types,' but (she) came along and blew all my theories out of the water. I always told Natalie I don't ever want her to hire me because I'm her husband. But we've spent years now finishing each other's sentences -- musically too. I have a greater trust with her than any other human being on the planet.

CP: You're nominated for songs in the same Grammy category this year. Do you guys feel competitive with each other?

Herms: I'm cheering for my wife and she's cheering for me -- and we're just kind of leaving it at that. Truthfully, a Grammy is great ... but I care about my wife's dreams and plans much more than my own. So if she wins and I don't, I'll be the one shrieking the loudest.