Words from the Pros: Jeremy Spillman on the Approach to Songwriting

Words from the Pros: Jeremy Spillman on the Approach to Songwriting

‘Words from the pros’ is a monthly series featuring advice for up and coming songwriters straight from some of country’s finest. 

Jeremy Spillman is best known for being one of Eric Church’s closest co-writers, although his writing credits extend far beyond his work with Church. With Church, Spillman has penned hits including “Before She Does,” “Sinners Like Me,” “Country Music Jesus,” and “A Man Who Was Gonna Die Young,” to name a few; other co-writes include Charlie Worsham’s “How I Learned To Pray,” Brantley Gilbert’s “Halfway To Heaven,” and Little Big Town’s “Live Forever.” Read more about Spillman’s writing style here.

“My advice would be to focus 85% of your energy on educating yourself about the craft and becoming a better songwriter and 15% on getting a deal or a cut,” Spillman says. “If you take care of the first one the second will take care of itself. When you do sign a publishing deal it’s about consistency and volume. Those demands are hard to meet if you don’t have a solid “education” to lean on. The goal is to be able to make music for a living for the rest of our lives.”