Songwriter/Producer Farren founded Combustion in 2001 as creative home to aspiring songwriters and artists of all genres. A two time Grammy nominated producer, CMA Award winning producer and 11 time ASCAP awards winning songwriter, Farren started an independent publishing company with a bunch of young unproven writers and no catalog, and together with his team steadily built up a catalog of hit songs that included Grammy winning “Jesus Take the Wheel”, and signing the hit band Kings of Leon, and songwriter of the year Ashley Gorley. Farren is currently producing Corey Kent for Sony Music Nashville / Combustion, including the #1 smash "Wild As Her", as well as Combustion's Payton Smith. He continues to guide the creative direction and day-to-day operations of Combustion and is a board member of the ACMs, Lifting Lives and NARAS.
A Nashville (Franklin) native, Combustion VP Chris “Falcon” Van Belkom’s passion for music paired with an innovative line of thinking has made him an integral part of the company’s long-standing success. “I got into the business wanting to be in A&R, but what’s cool is my career has worked its way into anA&R position.” Starting with Combustion fresh out of college (and on the heels of the company’s launch) as a receptionist, Van Belkom learned early on that pitch meetings weren’t a given, and he’d have to look for other ways to land cuts. “I connected with my buddy Josh, who’s now the VP of Sony MusicPublishing. We noticed that, more and more, artists were writing their own songs. So while we weren’t having much luck in pitch meetings, we started setting our writers up on co-writes with the artists themselves.”
Combustion’s signing of hit writer Ashley Gorley gave Van Belkom his first success using the writer-artist co-write model which, at the time, was revolutionary. “Ashely andI kind of linked up and learned together. I watched him go from making soup at the office to being able to purchase the office.” The partnership led to a succession of radio hits and several ASCAP and NSAI Award wins.
Van Belkom is also credited with the discovery of country star Jameson Rodgers, who he found on YouTube. “I was looking for people that had covered Eric Church,‘These Boots,’ and found Jameson. I thought, ‘if a kid’s digging that far into an Eric Church album for a cover, that’s who I want.’” Opting again for a non-traditional approach (“We were tired of the traditional gatekeepers. We thought, ‘we can do better, and we’re gonna do it our way.’”), Van Belkom led the charge, buildingRodgers from a songwriter to a nationally recognized name in country music. “We basically did what we would have done if our high school band had $10,000 for promotion. It was a very grassroots, punk-rock approach.” He’s used a similar approach developing recent Broken Bow Records signee Kolby Cooper, and up-and-comer Corey Kent.
Throughout his almost 20 years in the Nashville creative community, Melton has worked alongside the town’s top songwriters and artists, securing multiple #1s. Beginning his career at Sea Gayle Music, Melton’s most recent role was as GM of Mojo Music & Media, where he led the creative team for over 6 years.
Ohio native Kelly Lyons is the Director of Operations for Nashville, TN-based music company, Combustion Music. An alum of Northeastern University’s Music Industry program, Lyons began her career as an intern with Combustion in 2017, growing and evolving with the company over the last eight years. As Director of Operations, Lyons oversees the inner workings of the multi-faceted music company’s day-to-day, ranging licensing, royalty collection, legal, business management, label services, creative teams, and much more. Detail-oriented and meticulous, Kelly works closely with senior leadership to develop and execute long-term operational strategies. Outside of company operations, Lyons has also been instrumental in Combustion’s annual fundraiser, Hope Town Music Festival, which has poured millions of dollars into the local Bahamian community. Kelly is a member of the Women’s Music Business Association, The Crew Nashville, and Next Chapter Society, and resides in Nashville with her husband and their two dogs.
Louisiana-born, Nashville-based A&R Blake Duncan is a student of the industry. Combustion Music’s Sr. Creative Director is only five years in to Music City, and has quickly fostered collaborative relationships with a diverse stable of creatives like Carter Faith, Corey Kent, Kolby Cooper, Brett Tyler, Nicholas Sainato, Austin Goodloe, Payton Smith, Ella Langley, Tucker Beathard, Joybeth Taylor and more. The Middle Tennessee State University grad and former Marine Corps Sergeant’s approach is song-first, rooted in patience and endurance.
Duncan started his career with stops at BBR Music Group and Riser House Entertainment before joining Dreamlined Entertainment as Director of Creative and A&R, working directly with Alan Jackson and his awarded team. Simultaneously, Blake worked as the Marketing Coordinator at YNOT Wednesdays Songwriter Spotlight, assisting Billboard Indie Player Zebb Luster with booking shows and growing the round into a Nashville weeknight staple. With that influence and experience, Blake then started his own showcases at Nashville’s Basement East that ran from 2021 through 2023 with more rounds to come.
In January of 2021, Duncan joined Combustion, mentored by the company’s Chris “Falcon” Van Belkom and making an immediate impact. Blake is one of MusicRow’s “Next Big Things,” and resides in Nashville with his wife, Joybeth, their first child due this fall, and their two dogs, Roux and Shae.
