Songwriter to big-name artists Justin Jesso now gets to sing own songs

Justin Jesso has always known that he wanted to become a music artist the moment he first held a plastic microphone as a kid. He was 5 when he first stepped onstage; 9 when he wrote his first song—inspired by a girl named Leah whom he met at a camp. And later on, he graduated from New York University’s prestigious Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music.

While he did manage to make his way in the industry soon after, he spent the early part of his career in the background, his name buried in the credits of other singer’s music. It wasn’t until a few years later that he finally got the chance to put his name out there.

“I kept writing songs for others because, I thought, like Bruno Mars, John Legend, Meghan Trainor and Julia Michaels, I needed to get taken seriously as a songwriter first, so that I could eventually sing my own songs,” the American musician told the Inquirer in a recent interview arranged by Sony Music Philippines.

“I put my artistic dreams on hold, hoping one day I could return to them,” the 24-year-old singer-songwriter added.

Before long, he found himself cowriting a song called “Stargazing” with the renowned DJ and record producer Kygo. Little did Justin know that this project would end up changing the course of his career and, ultimately, his life.

Featuring Justin’s big, pleading vocals, the mid-tempo dance track, released in 2017, became an international hit, with more than 429 million streams on Spotify and 128 million views on YouTube.“The label was trying to have Kygo release the song with a bigger name. But he decided to keep me on it, launching my career as an artist,” Justin recalled. The universe has its own rules, he surmised. And this idea is also reflected in his latest single, “If You’re Meant to Come Back”—a song about “moving on, letting go and never losing hope, as painful as the circumstances may seem at first.”

His patience and hard work have been starting to pay dividends. While he is now able to release his own music and perform them live around the world, Justin has further strengthened his songwriting portfolio by continuing to write for other artists, like the Backstreet Boys, AJ Mitchell and K-Pop boy band Exo.

Meanwhile, “Vente Pa’ Ca,” a Spanish hit cowrote for pop stars Ricky Martin and Maluma, earned Justin a Song of the Year nod from the Latin Grammys.

Can you tell me more about “If You’re Meant to Come Back”? I wrote this song with three friends of mine, Mac, Phil and Plested, in London, a while ago. We were all chatting. And Phil, who had just gotten back together with his girlfriend, had given this little speech at lunch: “No one knows where we will be in the future, but I know that I will be waiting for you … So I will let you go, to fill whatever hole you need to fill, and if you’re meant to come back to me, then you will.”

I turned to him and said, “Dude, we have to write that song!” Later on, I found out that his girlfriend was actually a friend of mine from college, a songwriter named Emily Warren, who wrote “New Rules” for Dua Lipa.

Personally, I wrote it with my ex-girlfriend in mind. We had just broken up and the sentiment resonated with me.

I believe overall, it’s a pretty hopeful message and I just felt like it was the right time for the world to hear this one. We’re all meant to come back together, and will, when this crazy time (COVID-19 pandemic) is over.

The lyrics touch on letting life take its course. Is this a mind-set you also have when it comes to your personal life and career?Although it’s incredibly difficult for me to do, yes! I’m someone who likes to control things. I want things to happen on my own timeline. But most of life doesn’t work out that way. Things will unfold the way they’re meant to, and the only thing you can do to help “control” it is make sure you’re prepared for it.

What inspired you to finally take that plunge, to put your work out and have your own voice and face on them? It felt right. I was always working on the music and had a vision, I was just waiting for the universe to give me the opportunity.

Is the creative process different when you’re writing a song for yourself and for other artists? And was there a song that you wish you had kept for yourself instead?Sometimes it is and sometimes it isn’t. If I’m writing for someone else specifically, I try to figure out what they want to say, but it always has to resonate in some way with me and my life.

Yes there’s a song I wish I had kept … It’s called “I Don’t Want You Back”—ironically. It’s beautifully performed by a fantastic artist, AJ Mitchell. That song was my child. I really didn’t want to sell it, but I had to in order to pay rent.

You have been nominated for a Latin Grammy. Your music has a big following in Europe. And you have written a song for the K-Pop band Exo. Being able to work for those markets—what does that mean for you as a songwriter?I love working in different markets, especially in Asia. The sound and structure of songs is a bit different. In a way, it’s more freeing and more classic. It allows me to work a different part of my brain and indulge in different ways, especially when it comes to soulful structure and sound, which is really what I love.

How’s quarantine life so far? How do you cope and what keeps you busy these days?I’m writing every day and doing online concerts, trying to get songs finished, talking to the label about releases, music videos, zoom chatting with friends, etc.

I get down on myself a lot though: Sometimes it’s about not doing enough for my career (or not being able to from here). Or not being able to move my personal life forward. I’m having the hardest time with that. It would have been great if I were quarantined with a significant other or moving forward with a relationship.

How would you describe your musical journey so far?I have been incredibly blessed. I’m so lucky I get to do what I love. This journey has taken me around the world, performing on stages for millions, and being in studios with songwriters and collaborators I respect immensely. INQ

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