John Legend reveals the secret to being a successful songwriter.
Speaking to Spotify at the Cannes Lions Film Festival on Tuesday, the hitmaker spoke about the secrets behind his two-decade-long career as a songwriter.
“The more you write, the better you get,” John explained to Page Six . “I think it's really good to go back to the well multiple times. And not everything you create is going to be great.”
The 45-year-old EGOT winner continued, “The further you go into that well, the greater the chance you'll find something special.”
John, who has collaborated with a wide range of artists including Kanye West and Alicia Keys, said that working with fellow artists “can lead to life-changing ideas.”
“Many of my biggest hits have been collaborations,” he said.
John later said the collaboration had led him “in a certain direction.”
“While I'm still responsible for a lot of the creative content that came out of those co-writing sessions, I feel like a lot of those songs wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been in the room with someone who sparked ideas and guided me in a certain direction,” he explained.
The “All of Me” hitmaker added that creators “should be humble enough” to realise they “don't know it all.”
“Enlist the help of people who are experts in their field and know what they have to offer, but also know your weaknesses,” he said. “Get others to support you, complement your skills, and together you can create something better than you could on your own.”