Millions of aspiring artists work meticulously to craft their skills in order to etch their names on the proverbial of walls of success. While many have watched their bubbles of hope burst in front of their eyes, some have found alternative routes to keep their dreams alive. One man worked diligently to master his craft and remain an integral part in the R&B game. Grammy-Award winning songwriter Eric Bellinger has thrived incredibly by notching a bevy of nominations for writing for the likes of Usher, Chris Brown, Justin Bieber and more. As artists continue to hammer away at the roadblocks standing ahead of their dreams, Bellinger has seamlessly found a lane for himself by penning infectious hooks. Now, he’s considered one of the best in his field. For those clamoring for a chance to break in as a songwriter, Bellinger has provided his tips best for you to succeed in this ultra-competitive industry.

Be Private with Your Music

Be mysterious. Keep your joints to yourself until it's time to release it or it's time to shop it. Don't be putting it all on the social media. I understand that that's the trend right now when you're in the studio to throw the phone up and do the selfie video for the fans. But, I still think that there's some protocol that you want to keep to not give your material away. If somebody hears your record, and they put it out, what are you going to do? It's over for that. 

Cater The Record to the Artist You're Writing For

If you're writing for whoever it is, they gotta have a connection to the song. When I wrote these songs for Usher, these melodies, they were Usher melodies. The concepts and the things that were being said were things that he wanted to say. I'm thinking in his brain to when he listens to it, he already loves it. So half the battle is done because I'm talking about his life.

For example, for his Looking For Myself album, I wrote a song called "What Happened To You" and it completely laid out Usher's bio. You know what I mean? Seven Grammy's. I literally was catering the song to him so that he already had a connection to it. That's one thing that I do. When you're playing a song for somebody, they don't wanna sound like nobody else. Or if anybody can do it, it's not enticing to wanna cut that record. 

Melody, Melody, Melody!

That's my biggest, biggest thing. I got melody tatted all on my arm. That joint says, “Cherish The Melody.” Melody is what people are going to be humming in their heads at the end of the day. Whether they're in the gym, or when they're in the car, they're going to be remembering that melody. So if you got a sticky melody, you're winning. You're winning with the melody. 

Kill Em' With The Hooks

You have to have as less words as possible with potency. I think somebody like [DJ] Mustard figured that out. He's not using many sounds, but the sounds that he's using all play a part. For example, for my hook on "I Don't Want Her", I said, "If they ain't looking, I don't want her" a lot of times to the point that it was stuck in your head. So if you have a hook story of a hook, that's what the verses are for.

For the verses, you tell your story. The hook is your payoff. It's one line like "We found love in a hopeless place" over and over again. But that line has to be a strong line. Like the "4 Digits" record with Mustard and Fabolous. She don't won't ever get them 4 digits is a strong line. Who wouldn't wanna say that? That's the same thing with Drake. “Started from the bottom, now we're here.” Everybody wanted to say that. Like with I'm in love with the Coco, people are in the club and they're just singing it, but they don't realize what it is. They're just doing it. Then they go home and they write this long drawn out hook. Actually listen to the song, do your homework, do some studying, listen to what's working, and then apply that to what you're doing in the studio. 

Be Original

Make sure the concept is original. Try to write a song that nobody has heard before. Don't write, “I miss you.” That song has been done before. I'm big on originality. Like, "If they ain't looking, I don't want her." Nobody writes that song. Everybody writes, "Hold up. That's my girl." I'm like, "Yo. Got out there and do your thing." If you're checking out my girl, you're complementing me, because that's all me over there. The password on the phone like, "She won't ever get them four digits?" That's something everybody says, but nobody wrote a song about it. So just be more clever with the concept selection.

Make sure that the song is easily relatable to what everybody goes through. Everybody has been through that. They feel connected. That's what I feel Drake does. Every song that Drake puts out, everybody feels like that's what they're going through in their life. No matter what it is, they be like, "I feel you Drake!" I think it's just recognizing the things that are working and tapping into those things in the studio. It's ok to have somebody that you really look up to. I think for me, that's why a lot of my records are samples. It's because I'm a fan of so many different people. If I could throw it in a song, I'm gonna do that.