Matt Dragstrem has written No. 1 hits such as “I’ll Name The Dogs” (Blake Shelton), “One Margarita” (Luke Bryan), “What My World Spins Around (Jordan Davis), “You Look Like I Need A Drink” (Justin Moore), “Sippin’ On Fire” (Florida Georgia Line), and “Be A Light” (Thomas Rhett ft. Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott, Chris Tomlin and Keith Urban) as well as landed cuts by artists Maren Morris, David Guetta, Jake Owen, Jason Aldean, Dan + Shay, G- Eazy, Charlie Puth, Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, and more. He also has nearly a dozen songwriting and producer credits on Rhett’s Country Again: Side A and Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album.

“My story is similar to a lot of Nashville songwriters,” Dragstrem tells American Songwriter. “Fall of 2005 at the Bluebird Cafe, I saw country music Hall of Famer Jeffery Steele playing his latest Rascal Flatts No. 1 [song]. It was an inspiring show and definitely sparked my interest of pursuing songwriting as a career path.”

A self-proclaimed “late bloomer,” Dragstrem did not start co-writing songs until his sophomore year at Belmont—starting with TV and film. It wasn’t until he graduated that the songwriter began to pursue his country/pop music career.

In an ever-evolving pop/country landscape, Dragstrem says he never knows exactly what will resonate as a “hit.” Instead, he focuses on authenticity—delivering his truth in the hopes that others might find theirs within it. “For me,” he says, “if you are true to who you are and create what you feel is special there’s a good chance a lot of other people will feel the same too.”

While co-writing, Dragstrem learned how to fill in the gaps in the writers’ room. He has played the guitar most of his life, so he finds himself often functioning on the music side of the songwriting craft. But, through years of experience and success, Dragstrem enjoys each aspect of the creative process.

“I’m a bit of a jack of all trades, master of none,” he says. Depending on the collaboration, he says, “I try to insert myself in a way that might not be my co-writer’s individual strengths.”

The vetted songsmith warns against being “too precious.” He says, “The more I’m not needing a song to work out the more things work out.” This reverse psychology leads him to approach the process with an open mind, allowing inspiration to flow freely. He doesn’t “beat [himself] up” or “get too attached.”

Dragstrem’s songs have been recorded and released by A-List artists such as Tim McGraw, Maren Morris, Jon Pardi, Dan + Shay, Dierks Bentley, Lady A, Cole Swindell, and Brothers Osborne, along with G-Eazy and Charlie Puth—with whom he achieved a Top 40 hit. This track record speaks to Dragstrem’s trans-genre talent, making him a not-so-secret weapon in the evolving soundscape of Nashville.