|Feature Story | 
ABOUT 2 BLOW
Sean Garrett
Comes Out Of The Booth and Into The Spotlight
By Cozi Orlen
Songwriting mastermind Sean Garrett has a golden pen. He has written and co-written songs for stars in multiple genres, many of them major hits. Garrett is responsible for tracks from R&B queens like Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, Beyoncé and Destiny's Child, Ciara (including her #1 hit "Goodies"), Kelis, and Monica. He's written for Pop singers like Britney Spears, Fergie (the platinum chart-breaker "London Bridge"), JoJo, Gwen Stefani, and The Pussycat Dolls. He has written ballads for R&B heartthrobs like Usher (including "Yeah!", the biggest hit of Usher's career so far), Chris Brown (including the platinum-selling "Run It!"), Enrique Iglesias, and Mario. He has also penned rap songs for Jay-Z, Diddy, and DMX. Garrett is part of a production duo with hitmaker Swizz Beatz, and often works with Polow da Don. He's written for more than twelve chart-topping records. This impressive writing history has garnered Garrett the nickname "The Pen", bestowed by Jay-Z himself.
The Pen has received recognition by major music entities for his ability to crank out hits. In 2006, Garrett co-wrote the top three tracks on Billboard's Hot 100 chart (Nelly's "Grillz", Chris Brown's "Run It!", and Beyoncé's "Check On It"), which all stayed in those spots for two weeks in a row. In the wake of this accomplishment, Garrett was named #1 Pop Songwriter Of The Year and #2 R&B Songwriter Of The Year by Billboard. BMI awarded him the title of co-Songwriter Of The Year.
Garrett's golden pen is indisputable and like several impressive songwriter/producers who came before him (Babyface, R. Kelly, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, etc.), Garrett also claims he's got a golden throat. His proof is his debut R&B record, Turbo 919, set for release on Interscope Records in connection with Garrett's label, Bet I Penned It Music. Guests on the record include Lil Wayne, Pharrell, Akon, Kelly Rowland, Ludacris, Rick Ross, and Plies. There were also numerous guests in the booth, such as Stargate, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Bloodshy & Avant, Pharrell, and production team Clubba Langg.
The album's first single, "Grippin'", did not perform quite as well as expected, despite a cameo by Ludacris and a steamy video by Hype Williams. This resulted in Turbo 919's release date being pushed back from the original, June of 2008. The second single was "Come On In (remix)" with rappers Plies and Akon, and the third was "6 In The Morning" with Rick Ross. As yet, neither have charted.
In his youth, Garrett's family moved often, like the family of fellow producer/solo artist Ryan Leslie. This may have had an influence on the versatility Garrett shows as a producer, and certainly exposed him to new influences. At age 17, after performing in many talent shows throughout his childhood and teenage years, Garrett scored a recording contract with Ariola/BMG in Europe. This led to a contract with Warner Bros., but the deal fell through.
After swearing off the music industry to become a mortgage banker, Garrett quickly learned that creative personalities get restless in such situations. He started writing songs again, and friends suggested he try penning tracks for other artists. He took their advice and created a songwriting demo. In 2003, The Pen signed a songwriting contract with three-time Grammy winner L.A. Reid's Hitco Music Publishing. Reid is the record exec responsible for launching the careers of acts like TLC, OutKast, Usher, Avril Lavigne, and Pink. Garrett soon wrote Usher's huge single "Yeah!", and the hits just kept on coming.
With the upcoming release of his solo debut, Sean Garrett's big make-or-break moment as an artist has arrived. Will The Pen once again be relegated to the background, or is he about to become the industry's next Babyface or Kanye West?
