Written by Kristen Teesdale
What’s up, Kel. Thanks for talking with us about your experiences as a writer in the music industry. To fully understand your success today, let’s revisit the early days. What spurred your interest in writing? What was the first thing you wrote – did you start with stories and poems or go immediately to songs?
KS- I would say my third grade Library teacher got me started. Her name was Mrs. Zimmerman (PS 183, Brownsville, Brooklyn) and she was the first teacher I had that got me into creative writing. It was at that point that I started messing around with writing love letters to girls and even writing things in the bathroom stalls that I knew would entertain anyone who saw them after. Kinda unorthodox I know, but you asked… LOL!
How does your creative process differ when you pen songs for other artists versus times you are writing your own?
KS- One of my pet peeves is to hear a song written by Artist A for Artist B but you can hear Artist A all over it. That’s nasty to me. It stinks. I like to put myself in the artists’ shoes and take in where they were, where they are and where they’d like to go with the new project. Then we get into lyrics and flows and subject matter and what cookie cutter foolishness their label wants sprinkled in th… oops did I say that? Oh, my bad… But, yeah, that’s the process for other artists. The process for me is less structured and more of a feeling. I’ve chosen to be an indie artist for this long so that I don’t have to adhere to certain guidelines and foolery, and I don’t. As corny as it sounds, this should be art that we create that we serve to our market. They, in turn, pay us for our creative expression. But it’s turned into an assembly line and a pressing plant of the same ole same ole that’s forced into a marketplace of people that are screaming for something different. I went on a tangent there, I know… I’m sorry, LOL!
How do you change your writing ‘voice’ to coincide with each different artist? Does it come naturally in the collaboration?
KS-I think it’s a mixture of me naturally “mimicking” them along with studying them technically. I can casually listen to Andre 3000, Amir Sulaiman, T.I. or even Sean Kingston, but if I lean in and listen technically, now I’m paying attention to which arpeggios in the music they weave in and out of. I hear whether or not their tendency is to ride the up beat or the down beat of the drum sequence, etc… So I would say it’s a mixture of what comes naturally in me as I listen casually, in addition to what comes to mind when I listen as a student.
What do you take with you after you work with each new artist? What does each teach you as you move into the next project?
KS- Honestly, it’s more of who they are as a person that enhances the situation and allows me take something with me from working with them. I’ve heard stories from artists about what they did (good or bad) with their first advance on their first record deal. I’ve heard how this artist’s phone keeps ringing because their baby mama (or baby fawva) keeps calling with the foolishness. Or even how this artist is about to leave our session to cut the ribbon for the new orphanage that they just opened. When you’re not doing music just for a quick check, to be in VIP at the club or to finally get all the chicks that used to dis you in school, you actually pay attention to the little things in life and they serve as the true creative vehicle for what comes out of the beat machine or what comes out of the pen, ya know? Did I just take a jab? I’m sorry. Ok, I’ll stop LOL!
What is the secret to writing American Music Award winning songs? Do you keep the purchasing audience in mind?
KS- I’m not even gonna lie, I got lucky when it came to those awards, LOL! But seriously, that was a blessing and a lot of it had to do with timing. Switch for Will Smith was the track for which I got a nice amount of hardware. But at the time, Will had a movie coming out called “Hitch” which rhymes with Switch. Also, there was a dance that went with the song, and it was in the midst of a market place where 7 outta 10 songs on the radio had dances to go with them. Furthermore, it was a new sound from Will. So I think all of that added to the formula, along with keeping the consumer in mind with lines like “Hear that how the Veteran glide the record?/ But don’t download go out and buy the record.” (First Verse; Bars 3 & 4)
You are extremely active in the community and run your own literacy program, “Pens of Power.” Why do you feel it is so important for artists to volunteer and generate civic awareness?
KS- It’s where we’re from. Even growing up, the hustlers would buy us candy in the corner store, pay for our basketball uniforms or even slide us a dollar here and there if we didn’t tell our parents where we got it. I even remember the older dudes (who were lo-life’s) coming back from boosting clothes and tossing us an I.T. here or there (I.T.= article of clothing, LOL!!). When you come from the bottom, and make it to the top, you give back to the bottom. No questions asked. So even if you don’t volunteer, do town hall meetings or hold bus boycotts, you still should give back, even if you’re not filthy rich. God blessed me with an ability to use words in so many ways. So coming from Brownsville & East New York Brooklyn, which has a downward spiraling youth literacy rate, it’s only right that I scrape up the little pennies I have, attach it to the gift God gave me and give back! As a real man, it’s just what you do.
You’ve garnered major press in recent years, including coverage in Billboard, Entertainment Weekly, and Vibe. How did increasing publicity affect your other endeavors, namely your educational business pursuits at Morgan State University?
KS- At one point in time, it made things more solid and more official. Having certain publications and magazines attached to your name meant that you were at a certain level of your career and at a certain level of success. Now, it’s hit or miss. You can easily pay the right person or buy the right person a shot of Patron to get in any magazine or on any blog. You can be an artist in a major publication with millions of subscribers, yet certain blogs with just a fraction of those supporters won’t even look your way. I would say that it does help, but what you do on the ground level to get your peers talking and buzzing has the best effect.
What did your background in athletics lend to your career as a writer? How did the dedication and discipline translate to your work?
KS- HA! It’s funny you asked that. My sports background actually made me a little naive at first. In sports, 9 outta 10 times, if you’re good and you work hard, then you get playing time. There are politics in sports but not to the magnitude that you can virtually get Zero Shine. However, in entertainment, you can work hard, have a web buzz, have relationships, be talented, have a good image, etc… and be a lot more likely to see no shine than if you were playing sports. I’m sure there is some athlete somewhere reading this who disagrees. But like I said, it’s less likely to happen in sports, I’m not saying it doesn’t happen at all. With that being said, I came into music with the “As long as I’m good and I work hard, then I’ll get on the field,” mentality and that’s not the case. However, sports did instill in me a work ethic and an ability to create game plans and strategies that 98% of these dudes can’t match. But just like in sports, it’s only the first quarter right now. As the game progresses, you’ll see what I mean.
You’ve already worked with some heavy-hitters in the industry. What artists are on your wish list for collaborating?
KS- Lauryn Hill, Damien Marley, Marsha Ambrosius, Ahmir Thompson, and maybe Pooti Tang LOL!
How do you feel new songwriters and artists can benefit from what iStandardproducers.com and the producer community have to offer?
KS- It’s a dope platform to interact on a face value/creative level. People can hop on, browse, network, form alliances with what/who they like and then possibly make magic together. With that being the overall backdrop to a community like this, I think that’s dope!
Where can we find you online?
KS- For now, you can follow me on twitter @KelSpencer, I’m on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/KelSpencerFamily and I have an account right here on iStandard too!
I just want to thank you, Kristen as well as J. Hatch and the rest of the iStandard family for allowing me to share the little bit of knowledge I have and hopefully your community can benefit from it. Thanks again…
Tags: american music award, billboard, entertainment weekly, istandard, iStandard Blog, istandard producer showcase, istandardproducers, istandardproducers.com, kel spencer, kristen teesdale, medik, morgan state university, track, vibe
