At Talent Is Timeless, each month we spotlight some of our incredible songwriters who placed in our monthly challenges or annual contests — inviting them to share a bit more about their lives, their creative journeys, and the stories behind their songs.

This month, we’re featuring 62-year-old songwriter Duane Harlick, who lives in Royal Oak, just north of Detroit, Michigan. Duane joined Talent Is Timeless in December 2024 and quickly made his mark by placing in the 2025 Blues category with his clever, tongue-in-cheek track “Hard to Sing the Blues.”

The song came about almost by accident. A few years back, Duane was offered a night at a local blues club.

“I’m not a blues act, but far be it from me to turn down a gig opportunity,” he recalls.

To prepare, he decided to write at least one blues song — but with a twist. Instead of leaning on clichés about heartbreak and hard luck, he flipped the genre upside down.

“What would a blues song sound like if literally everything was going GREAT for a change?” he asked himself.

The answer became “Hard to Sing the Blues,” which earned him first place in the Talent Is Timeless 2025 Annual Contest blues category.

“Honestly, I had to laugh a bit,” he admits. “I’m certainly not a blues artist… but I did have this ONE song that was actually a blues song, so I entered it.”

Duane’s relationship with songwriting began early. As a child, he rewrote the lyrics to commercials to entertain his friends. By age 12, he was in love with the guitar, and soon after he was writing love songs for his girlfriends. He even won a scholastic award at 13 for his song “More Than Love” and went on to pen his senior class song in high school.

“I am always writing songs, all day every day,” he says. “My head is constantly churning melodies and new ideas. It never stops.”

For him, obstacles in songwriting have been few. Creativity flows naturally, and he’s had plenty of affirmation over the years. The real turning point came at a Nashville writers’ round, where he witnessed Rivers Rutherford and other professionals perform.

“I was utterly transformed that night,” Duane says. “I realized my songwriting needed to be better. I took that lesson and have been working to improve ever since.”

Among his proudest moments are deeply personal ones: being asked by his sons to write the songs for their weddings — each one now featured on his latest album. He also remembers a songwriter’s clinic in Detroit, where a visiting professional critiqued songs from attendees. After Duane performed, the writer paused before saying:

“Seriously, I’ve got nothing. That was brilliant.”

For Duane, it was a mic-drop moment of validation. Though he’s still relatively new to Talent Is Timeless, he already values the sense of community and hopes to co-write and collaborate more. One surprising detail about his process: he doesn’t start with an instrument.

“I don’t write with or on a musical instrument,” he explains. “Everything just swims and spins up there until it takes shape. When it’s ready, I’ll get out my guitar and do a quick demo. My songs are 99% words and melodies. The musical arrangement comes last.”

His advice to other songwriters over 50 is simple and rooted in lifelong practice:

“Just write. Do it because it’s what you are, not because it’s what you do. As long as you keep putting it out there, nothing bad can happen. The minute you stop, nothing good can happen.”

Duane’s journey is a reminder that songs can spring from humour, discipline, and devotion in equal measure — and that even the blues can sound joyful in the right hands.

You can listen to Duane’s winning song here: Hard To Sing The Blues

And Connect with Duane on Talent Is Timeless here: https://www.talentistimeless.com/members/justduane/