Sean Garrett reveals what's "specifically special" about Beyoncé's songwriting process
In this exclusive, Sean “The Pen” Garrett talks about meeting Destiny’s Child for the first time, his songwriting chemistry with Beyoncé and more.
What were some other memorable sessions?
The first time meeting Destiny's Child was amazing. I went there to do one song and ended up doing about 11 songs on Destiny Fulfilled. The first record we did was “Is She The Reason.”
Speaking of Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé’s “Upgrade U” is a fan favorite. There’s footage of you and Beyoncé coming up with the lyrics. What was it like to create with her, from a songwriting perspective?
She and I have a really great chemistry with songwriting. I take it so personally when people don't really know what happened and they speak on it as if they know. Sometimes it just bothers me. Working with somebody like Beyoncé is totally different than working with other people. She's a great songwriter, so we collab and gel. I typically write all the songs by myself. But with Bey, sometimes she'll take what I gave her, and we'll collab. She'll have me change this or that depending on her brand. That's what's so really specifically special about her — she is very particular about her brand.
So, if it's something that's off-brand, she’ll be very sweet about saying it’s not for her. It's not like she was ever like, “Hell no.” She knows how to make you feel good and enjoy the process of working with her. She's the sweetest.
What were some other memorable sessions?
The first time meeting Destiny's Child was amazing. I went there to do one song and ended up doing about 11 songs on Destiny Fulfilled. The first record we did was “Is She The Reason.”
Speaking of Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé’s “Upgrade U” is a fan favorite. There’s footage of you and Beyoncé coming up with the lyrics. What was it like to create with her, from a songwriting perspective?
She and I have a really great chemistry with songwriting. I take it so personally when people don't really know what happened and they speak on it as if they know. Sometimes it just bothers me. Working with somebody like Beyoncé is totally different than working with other people. She's a great songwriter, so we collab and gel. I typically write all the songs by myself. But with Bey, sometimes she'll take what I gave her, and we'll collab. She'll have me change this or that depending on her brand. That's what's so really specifically special about her — she is very particular about her brand.
So, if it's something that's off-brand, she’ll be very sweet about saying it’s not for her. It's not like she was ever like, “Hell no.” She knows how to make you feel good and enjoy the process of working with her. She's the sweetest.
