I Wrote That: J. Que Smith on Songwriting and Knowing Your Why (Episode 70)

Make Music Your Business.

Patrick "J. Que" Smith has written a lot of hits with a lot of huge names: Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, Fantasia, Ciara, Avant, Ariana Grande, Britney Spears, Usher and Omarion. He has also taken on another passion: fitness, CrossFit style.

In Episode 70 of The Career Musician, J. Que puts Nomad through a workout in his home gym, then sits down to talk about the songwriting team that kept him booked for years, how he writes, and why every songwriter needs to know their why. Here is what stood out.

A writing camp that turned into a team

J. Que says it came together by fluke. Around the time he was receiving a BMI song of the year award for a record he wrote for Usher, his publisher put together a writing camp with writers from different companies who were bubbling. That weekend they wrote six songs and recorded five. By Tuesday, four were placed.

So they did it again. Word got around, and other labels called asking why they had not been included. In Atlanta, the team wrote a record for Mary J. Blige that became their first hit. Before long they were booked something like 45 weeks a year for three or four years.

They named themselves The Clutch, after the player you want the ball with two seconds left. And they learned to work as a unit. Instead of fighting over who wrote what, they split into two rooms: one cutting vocals on the artist, one already writing the next song. Labels got two songs for the time of one.

"A brand can always be bigger than a person."

J. Que Smith, 27:41

He learned it early from a producer he worked with in Nashville: build teams, and take a smaller share of something bigger. Any of them could have fought for a bigger cut of each song. Working as a unit got them all far more. That is Work begets work, and a lesson in building something that does not need you in every room to run.

Magicians and scientists

J. Que doesn't call himself a gifted writer. He calls himself a talented one who studies.

"There are two types of creators. There are magicians and there are scientists."

J. Que Smith, 11:34

The magician plays and writes by feel and may not know why it works. The scientist listens to a record because he wants to know why it worked, then finds the common threads across records. Nomad pushed back a little: it takes a talented ear to know what to listen for in the first place. Both are a gift. Both solve problems.

His broader belief: life is about concepts. Grasp a concept and you can apply it to anything, from songwriting to relationships. And the biggest one is paying attention to what people actually need.

Baby steps and the other 40 percent

The CrossFit lesson carries straight over to a music career. Faced with a brutal workout, J. Que breaks it into pieces. Don't think about 100 pull-ups. Do 10. Then 10 more. A baby learning to walk keeps falling and never quits, because it doesn't know quitting is an option.

When people think they are done, he says, they usually have about 40 percent left in the tank. And progress takes years, not the six months Instagram promises. Instagram, in his words, is like a movie based on a true story. It is not the true story.

"Growth happens outside of your comfort zone. That's just the reality."

J. Que Smith, 41:09

That is why he trains with people stronger than him, and why writing with Babyface nearly daily for a couple of years made him better than ten years alone would have. Surround yourself with people who will tell you the uncomfortable truth. You have to have enough ego to pitch your song, and enough humility to let it go when someone better checks you. That is Humility from the ETHOS code.

Know your why, and your price

Asked for advice to young songwriters, J. Que started with this: know your why. Figure out your price, the point you are not willing to go below, and you will keep your peace.

Then figure out what success means to you. For some it is money and a fast car. For him it is happiness. He has turned down work so he doesn't miss another birthday. When his first big hit came, everyone around him was excited, and he still had the same hole inside. He found he was happier with the people he loved than with any notoriety.

And be realistic. Most people who start out trying to do this won't last, and the hours are closer to 90 or 100 a week than 40. If your why is only money, he says, this isn't for you. Make Music Your Business, but know what the business is for.

Write what's real, let them catch up

His creative breakthrough came after his first real heartbreak. He stopped trying to write a radio record and poured out what he felt. The songs were too explicit to place, but his production company heard something different in them and told him that was where he needed to be.

"Write something that's special to you, and let everybody else catch up."

J. Que Smith, 1:00:39

He worries that a lot of music sounds the same when everyone chases whoever set the bar. The real lesson from the artists who break through is that they were being themselves. People can taste the difference between apple flavored and an actual apple.

The takeaway

Build a team bigger than yourself. Study why things work. Break big goals into baby steps and push past the point where you want to quit. Know your why before you chase anything. Then write something real. If you want a framework for those steps, start with the free plan of attack (POA) worksheet and the Get the Gig guide.

Get the gig. Keep the gig. Build the career.

Watch on YouTube or find every episode on the TCM Podcast page.