Honing your craft.
It’s an important part of any career or passion, putting in the work to make sure that you’re constantly getting better and putting out the best work that you possibly can. Surrounding yourself with the best people, learning from those who came before you and those who are smarter than you, being honest in your evaluation of yourself…it takes work to become great at what you do.
And it’s no different for songwriters.
When it comes to songwriters in Nashville, there’s no doubt that Eric Church is among the best. But if you ask him, it’s because he spent the time honing his craft during his early days in country music.
During a recent interview on the How Leaders Lead with David Novak podcast, Eric discussed moving to Nashville and finding “his tribe” that helped him hone his craft of songwriting:
“I walked in this bar. They were like, ‘Hey, that guy’s been doing it for 30 years, he’s wrote for Waylon, he wrote this song for George Jones.’
I just walked up, new kid, introduced myself. And he took a liking to me, and he started introducing me to all the old dogs in town. The guys that were really committed to their craft.
It wasn’t just about writing a song and releasing a song. It was about crafting a song. And even if it never made any commercial success at all, knowing your craft and being the best at your craft and working at that craft allows you a chance to have so much more success.
And he introduced me to all these old writers that had been doing it forever. That was my workshop. That was my woodshed. Everyday I would go write with these guys, and I got better, and I got better, and I got better.
And I learned that it’s not just about sitting down and writing an idea. It’s about crafting that. It’s about understanding the craft of songwriting, and understanding the business that I was in, with the best in the world.
It was invaluable to me to be able to have that time and go in rooms with these guys, and learn, and watch, and be involved in it.
As I look back on my life and my career, that’s maybe the greatest thing that ever happened to me.”
It’s undeniable that songwriting is an art, with some of the greatest songs in country music history coming from some of the greatest artists who have have spent decades honing their craft.
But Church is also worried that in this new age of social media, it’s becoming a lost art:
“A lot of new guys now, they skip that process.
They go on TikTok, they write a song, it’s out. They never go through the craft part. Is this the best that I could write this idea? Is this the best song that it could be?
And in those rooms they challenged every idea, they challenged every turn of the phrase, and it taught me how to look at things a different way than I would have if I had taken a different path.”
It’s something we’ve talked a lot about ourselves here, with the rise of “TikTok artists.” And it’s not just with songwriting. It’s artists who get major record deals without having ever played a show, just because of their success on social media. They have a million followers, but no idea whether people will actually show up to see them perform.
Another incredibly talented artist, Charlie Worsham, also spoke out recently on the state of “TikTok country” too:
so glad i spent the first 30 years of my life diligently practicing & honing my skills as a singer, writer, picker, & performer.. now that apparently the 1 thing you have to be great (lucky?!) at to get your music heard is clever captions over photo carousels on social media 🤷🏻♂️
— Charlie Worsham (@charlieworsham) May 30, 2024
Of course there are plenty of artists who use TikTok the right way. I first discovered Zach Top on TikTok, but he was using it as a tool to get his music out there while also honing his craft and making some killer country music. Hannah Dasher is another one, she’s built a massive following on TikTok while surrounding herself with some killer songwriters and putting out some incredibly well-written songs.
TikTok isn’t necessarily the problem, but it’s allowed artists to try to shortcut the entire process of building a career in country music.
And while Eric says that TikTok and other platforms can help artists speak directly to fans, it also strips away the opportunity for fans to learn more about artists through their music:
“Technology is not a bad thing. It allows more people access to music, which is a good thing. It removes some of the gatekeepers.
But the downside is, I see a lot of young artists today. And I’ve voiced this, and I believe this. They’ll write a song on a Tuesday, and they’ll put it on TikTok on a Wednesday. And they’ll write a song on a Friday, and they’ll put it on TikTok on a Saturday.
The song could be great. But I don’t know you anymore than I did before unless I know how to get to know you, which is to put in an album and go that way.
I think for me, from a music standpoint, it’s a complicated business. It’s a rough business. But it still goes down to, if you’re a young artist, and you know who you are, and you know the kind of music you want to make, there’s a lot of people out there and a lot of assets that will help you make that if you know the music you want to make.”
And when somebody does it the right way, and puts in the work to hone their craft, the result can still be pure magic.
Check out Eric’s entire interview (which should be required listening for anybody trying to make it in country music) here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVN1Vf8PT6I
