Jason Reeves' songs are more famous than he is, and that suits the 26-year-old Iowa City native just fine. Making radio-friendly pop hits is his thing.
Reeves co-wrote "Bubbly" with Colbie Caillat in 2007. The song peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. He co-wrote "The Middle" for Demi Lovato's smash 2008 debut album Don't Forget.
This year, Reeves is writing music for himself. His new single, "Helium Hearts," is a gently upbeat folk-pop love song packed with catchy acoustic guitar hooks. He performs at the Frequency on Oct. 10.
I caught up with Reeves by phone last week to talk about his hit-making talent.
Have you always had a knack for songwriting?
I didn't start doing it until I was 17. It wasn't like I could just do it all of a sudden. It took practice, and I learned how to write better over time. A lot of people can't write songs and other people can. I don't really know why that is. I don't even know if I'm a good songwriter. I hope I am.
What's it like to write songs for other performers?
It's like looking out through the eyes of another person. In most cases I know the person I'm writing the song for, and I usually try to shape it to their style. I wrote a song for Demi Lovato. I've never met her. I listened to a couple of her songs to get some ideas about the tone of her music.
If you had to choose, would you rather write and perform your own songs or make a career out of writing songs for other artists?
There's something about writing for yourself; I couldn't let go of it. I can say whatever I want without having to answer to anyone. But I hope I can do both. Most people don't like to hear themselves sing. I don't hate it, but sometimes it's better to have a beautiful voice perform a song you wrote. You can just write the song and let go of it.
