There is something to be said about the solo singer/songwriter. But let’s state the facts that often time on a hit song, you are going to see more than one name on the contributor line. Hell, in pop music you might see 5-10 songwriters involved.
The writing community is something is often overlooked in the music industry. While the person behind the microphone can make or break the words that are being sung, there are a slew of people who sit behind the scenes collaborating on what storyline could make the next hit or drawing from their own experiences to write a heartbreaking ballad.
When someone like Jelly Roll, who has lived so much life and has fought some of his toughest battles before stepping into the recording booth, sometimes it’s hard to think about singing someone else’s experiences.
In a recent interview with GQ Magazine, Jelly Roll opened up about how long it took him to come around to co-writing sessions and embrace the writing community.
Since Jelly Roll was just nominated for the New Artist of the Year at the Grammy Awards, The Recording Academy has been getting some flack for the fact that Jelly Roll is not “new.” The rapper-turned-country star has been creating music for years, but he is new on the mainstream scene. Self-admittedly, Jelly Roll notes that he might have been nominated for these awards sooner had he not put himself on a solo writing island.
“I lived on an island. I was such a singer-songwriter I didn’t have the proper respect for the writing community—I maybe had a sneered nose to ’em.”
It wasn’t because he was scared of sharing credits with other writers, but more so because he didn’t want to have someone put words in his mouth or try to tell his story differently. As someone who is such an open book when it comes to his past, he was concerned about showcasing his growth in the right light.
“I don’t want nobody in the room to ever dictate what I say, because they’re not accountable for it. I’m accountable for these words. I’ve gotta stand on them.”
While he has now opened his mind to collaborating with other writers on singles now, he is always going to make sure he is always in the room and his name is on the spine of those co-writing sessions.
Whitsitt Chapel is the love child of him opening his mind to collaboration, and it put Jelly Roll on the map for mainstream music fans. This album is a testament to his story and that more minds can create something beautiful.
“Halfway to Hell”
