BUILDING
Songs

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.

Hailing from Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, Keithan Melton moved to Nashville over two decades ago. Over the years, he’s built a reputation for championing hit songwriters, cultivating the pens behind multiple No. 1 hits like Trace Adkins’ “You’re Gonna Miss This,” Randy Houser’s “We Went,” and Michael Ray’s “Kiss You In The Morning,” to name a few.  

Starting his career at Sea Gayle Music rising to Creative Director over his three-year tenure, then moving to Magic Mustang in 2011, Melton has worked with writers like Steve Bogard, Justin Wilson, Dave Turnbull, Lee Thomas Miller, Chris Stapleton, and more. While at Magic Mustang, he also contributed to the songwriting careers of recording artists like Craig Campbell, Runaway June, and Dustin Lynch. Most recently, Keithan worked at Mojo Music & Media where he led the creative team for over six years and was promoted to General Manager in 2021.

Since taking on the role of General Manager at Combustion Music in 2022, Keithan has played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s creative direction and business strategy. Since joining the team, Combustion has continued to expand its footprint, securing high-profile placements, nurturing a new wave of hitmakers, and driving innovative approaches to music publishing. Melton resides in Nashville with his wife and their three sons.

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.

Haily Harris grew up in Marietta, GA and started college in 2021 at Belmont University studying Music Business. After completing internships in publicity and artist management, she landed a publishing internship at Jody Williams Songs. It was here that Haily discovered her true passion — the creation of the song and the people who make it come to life.

Haily was hired to start as Creative Manager of Wrensong Entertainment following her graduation in December 2024. In her first year in this role, she landed a cut on ACM-nominated Emily Ann Roberts with "Come Home To You," written by Wrensong writer Makayla Lynn. Haily took on the role of Creative Consultant for Jody Williams Songs beginning in October 2025. During that same period, she served as the Award Show Coordinator for the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP), a role she balanced alongside both professional commitments.

Her ability to move fluidly between organizations while delivering results across all fronts speaks to both her work ethic and the trust the Nashville publishing community has placed in her at such an early stage of her career. Haily joined the Combustion Music team in spring 2026.