You know you've successfully carved your niche when Jay-Z gives you a nickname. That’s the predicament that talented songwriter/producer Sean Garrett found himself in, when Hov nicknamed him The Pen.
“I know how seriously he (Jay-Z) takes lyrics, putting songs together and really conveying them to the world, so to have someone like him give me respect like that, let’s me know that I’m definitely doing what I’m supposed to be doing,” said Garrett. “Hov is the best that’s living in my opinion, so it feels incredible for someone of that status to respect what you do.”
Although humble with his talent of penning hit songs, the four-time Grammy Award-nominated songwriter/producer has earned his moniker. The Pen helped ink a majority of Destiny’s Child's last album, Destiny Fulfilled, and he’s responsible for smash singles like Chris Brown’s “Run It,” Ciara’s “Goodies,” and Usher’s “Yeah,” which is Garrett’s biggest composition to date.
Part of the reason Garrett has been so successful is he never tries to outright change an artist’s style and direction. Instead, he opts to enhance it. When Garrett linked up with Usher, he went with his gut feeling regarding the musical direction the R&B superstar should take for his next single. The final product of Usher’s voice and Garrett’s pen turned out to be “Yeah.”
“Yeah was created on me having a feeling of where Usher should have went,” shared Garrett. “A lot of songwriters/producers follow, but I’m more of a trendsetter. I had an idea of where Usher needed to be.”
Garrett used a similar approach with Beyonce, who recruited The Pen's services for her new album. Garrett confidently proclaims that all he did was help elevate B’s game to a whole other level, especially with the club-banging second single. “The girls are going to love it and the dudes are going to go crazy. It’s a CLUB BANGER!” said Garrett.
Although Garrett was rather secretive about the name of the track, he was quick to mention the cut is going to be his biggest record. “I can guarantee you it’s going to be bigger than anything I have ever done and we all know the biggest record I’ve done” Garrett said about Beyonce’s second single, which he wrote and co-produced with Swizz Beatz.
Garrett’s writing and working style is what made other artists like R&B crooner Joe, the sexy Pussycat Dolls, JoJo and even Britney Spears holler at The Pen recently. Garrett is also hoping to collaborate with the likes of Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake, who The Pen cites as a trendsetter himself. “I feel like Justin Timberlake is such a diverse artist and he has an incredible style of his own,” said Garrett. “I think since he has an urban side to him, if he was to collaborate with my pen, it could definitely be something exciting.”
With demanding deadlines, record labels admire the way Garrett can churn out several quality songs in a short period of time. Garrett, with the help of Beyonce, knocked out 10 songs in about eight days for her new album. “My records are generally spontaneous. I’m just really blessed to have that ability to go in on the spot and just do a multiple amount of records,” explained Garrett.
And if Garrett’s pen should run out of ink (not likely), he can equally impress artists and labels with his work behind the boards. “I think that’s the biggest misconception: that I’m only a songwriter. I produce too,” said Garrett, a craft that he’s equally serious about. “I feel like I’m the future of music. Teddy Riley had a time, Pharrell had a time, Dr. Dre had his time, but I’m that new next kid.”
No one is doubting Garrett's skills at this point in time, however, stemming from Ne-Yo’s successful transition from a songwriter to singer, a lingering question begs to be asked: Will Garrett record music himself? “It’s a very good possibility. I got some projects I’m working on,” a coy Garrett shared.
I think its safe to say The Pen isn’t going dry anytime soon.
