Alessia Cara and Jermaine Dupri Reveal Their Songwriting Secrets on 'TRL'

Two legendary artists and songwriters popped up at the TRL studio this morning and taught a masterclass in writing music.


Alessia Cara told TRL host Sway Calloway about her songwriting process, explaining that she prefers strumming chords on guitar as she writes. For Alessia, it's all about balancing her personalized experiences and perspectives with a want to give her fans something to relate with. Nevertheless as she mentions, there's not several human emotions that aren't relatable.


Legendary producer, writer and hip-hop artist Jermaine Dupri gave Sway the rundown on two of his greatest producing credits with Mariah Carey and Kriss Kross. With both of those musical acts, Jermaine worked hand-in-hand with them to tailor their music to their strengths and image. I'm taking notes for my future songwriting career.


Jermaine's credits aren't limited to producer, writer and artist, though -- he is a modern day philosopher. Once asked about his tattoo of Janet Jackson, his former partner, Jermaine had the ideal answer I've heard about tattoos of exes. Watch below and cancel that tattoo removal procedure! TRL airs on weekdays at 8:00am ET.