Consider This from NPR - A New Grammy Category Puts Songwriters Like Tobias Jesso Jr. In The Spotlight

Episode Date: January 2, 2023

Although not widely known, 37-year-old Tobias Jesso Jr.'s name pops up on the credits of some of today's biggest musical hits. He's written for Adele, Harry Styles and FKA twigs among many others. Jesso Jr.'s body of work as a songwriter has earned him a Grammy nomination in the brand-new category Songwriter of the Year. And although he got his start in the music industry as a solo artist, he says he feels more at home behind the scenes. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [e-mail] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This message comes from Indiana University. Indiana University is committed to moving the world forward, working to tackle some of society's biggest challenges. Nine campuses, one purpose. Creating tomorrow, today. More at iu.edu. Okay, music fans, what do these songs have in common? Orphel Pex, Come on Baby Cry. Adele's To Be Loved. And from Harry Styles, Boyfriends. These are just a few of the songs that earned Tobias Gesso Jr. a Grammy nomination in the brand new category Songwriter of the Year.

Besides those superstars, he has also worked with Diplo, King Princess, FKA Twigs, and many more. It's unbelievable to me that here I am, you know, working with these artists. I feel like I'm in the documentaries I used to watch, and it's just like surreal. I can't believe it. Consider this. A new Grammy category is giving songwriters like Tobias Jesso Jr. their time in the spotlight. But if you ask him, he's more than happy behind the scenes. You know, a lot of people, they want to be in front of an audience. And for me, it was sort of more of a love of being with the people who want that. Coming up, my conversation with Tobias Jesso Jr. From NPR, I'm Ari Shapiro.

It's Monday, January 2nd. app today or visit wise.com. T's and C's apply. It's Consider This from NPR. The songwriter Tobias Gesso Jr. rarely does interviews. He prefers it that way. It's like overwhelming to the utmost degree. I can't even explain to you. Like, it's just so terrifying. Of course, it's natural to be nervous. But as we talked, it became clear why Gesso is uncomfortable talking about himself. He's a musician who has found his place helping other artists. I think that's just probably where I'm more comfortable. I think it's sort of like falling in love with the process of it, but I actually didn't really like get very good at playing any instrument, which was sort of my mistake for a long time. You know, I didn't pick up piano till I was 27.

Although he sees himself as a bit of a late bloomer, Gesso has made up for lost time. In the past year alone, he released songs with eight different artists. And along with his nomination for Songwriter of the Year, his name is on two albums that are up for Grammys. So I wanted to know how he's honed his craft over his career. Is there a typical how things work? Is there a sort of, I don't know, formula that you tend to follow whether you're working with Adele or Harry Styles or FKA Twigs? Well, I think as a songwriter, it's sort of your job to be like obsessed with the artist's process and be able to kind of go with whatever they want to do. You know, like obviously I had the best experience in the world because the first sort of major artist I ever worked with was Adele. And she kind of gave me the masterclass of, you know, what her process was.

And I sort of used that as a blueprint in all the work I did afterwards. And was that first song when we were young? That was, yeah. That was the first co-write I ever had. So this was years ago, but just to get a sense of how something like this works, do you walk in with a melody? Does she say, I want to write a song about youth? Like, how does that evolve? Well, you know, it's really funny because I had no idea how it worked because I'd never done it before.

So she came in and at the time, you know, she was smoking and I was like, great, I smoke too. And we went outside and we just kind of ended up talking for a long time until eventually she kind of, you know, looked at her watch and was like, should we go and write a song now? And I was like sure like you know and so that really works for me getting to know the artist before we launch into melodies i kind of want to get a sense of who is this person and maybe what do they want to say and my biggest sort of buzz off being a songwriter is just being of service to whoever i'm with you know and feeling like I left that day going, I really like feel like we got somewhere even if it wasn't a song. I feel like part of being a songwriter is being a chameleon, right? So how do you operate differently when you're working with somebody who might have a totally different style from someone like Adele? Yeah, I mean, like, a very polar sort of experience to that

would be more like Twigs. Sure. Tis will fall like rain I must have cried out Cause you were away You get in the studio with Twigs, and it's just like, I mean, the most abstract creativity you can imagine, you know? And she's just, like like rattling off ideas or playing songs

or these melodies are coming. Here's one you wrote together called Thank You Song. Love in motion, my eyes open. You know, her process is very much like she takes time to put things together and sort of collage her ideas into, you know, the beautiful songs that she does make. Let's talk about the chapter of your life when you did step out from behind the curtain.

You released your own solo album. You say, oh, my God. What is this, like, a trauma that we're unearthing? This is How Could You, Babe from your 2015 album called Goon that was really well received. What's the oh my god? The anxiety. I can't even tell you. My chest is burning. Everything about putting yourself out there for me is just so anxiety inducing.

Even though it was a success by any measure. Oh my god. Especially though it was a success by any measure. Oh my god. Especially because it was a success. I mean, I think, I wouldn't say I got pushed into it. I willingly went into it and did everything I did, and I'm so grateful I did because it created the body of work that sort of

launched my career. I just think like, when I think about it, it just feels like that was me on the wrong path. And then as soon as Adele came along in the beginning, I was like, oh, great. Now this feels like the right path. Despite the heart palpitations that it might cause, is there one song from that album that you just really love that you're happy the world can go back and hear? I mean, I think Without You was sort of the song I thought is the most real. And then it wasn't one of the singles. And then over time,

I've seen that Without You has kind of become the favorite. And so I was really in that zone when when I wrote that song. It's nice that the song that you really did care about the most ultimately found its way kind of to the surface. And I think you find that that's true for most artists. You know, like whatever feels the most authentic to them is going to register the most authentic to other people. It doesn't necessarily mean it's going to register the most authentic to other people. It doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be the biggest hit, but I tend to search for the songs that mean the most to the artist so that their fans have those songs that mean the most to them.

That idea of being there to serve the artist seems so essential to the way that you see your role. And I was trying to figure out sort of what the secret sauce is. What makes you what Adele calls her secret weapon? And I wonder if that's it. Yeah, I think the way I've kind of described it is sort of like a porter who is like helping somebody up a mountain. Sometimes you'll have somebody who is like, can you carry all my bags and, you know, drag me up the way that you always go?

Or there's people who are like, I want to do this myself, you know, like I'm paving the way. Just make sure we don't get lost, you know? And once you get to the top, if you're really true to being a songwriter, who is there for the artist and not for yourself? It's truly like now it's time for me to disappear. This is your time. I truly celebrate most when the artist is happy. That's Tobias Gesso Jr. nominated for a Grammy in the new songwriting category. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Ari Shapiro. This message comes from Indiana University. Indiana University drives discovery, innovation, and creative endeavors to solve some of society's greatest challenges.

Groundbreaking investments in neuroscience, climate change, Alzheimer's research, and cybersecurity mean IU sets new standards to move the world forward, unlocking cures and solutions that lead to a better future for all. More at iu.edu slash forward.