Jack Siegel has always wanted to be a rockstar. Ever since he first picked up a guitar at the age of 7, the soft-spoken Phoenix native has been obsessed with music. He’s polished his six-string skills to the point of near-mastery and acquainted himself with a wide variety of genres—everything from gospel and soul to classic rock-and-roll.
And this year, he proved his prowess to the world with a series of production credits on 2024’s biggest record: Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, which took home Country Album of the Year and the coveted Album of the Year awards at the 2025 Grammys. Having contributed to three songs across the global popstar’s historic foray into country music, including a co-writing credit for “ALLIGATOR TEARS,” Siegel leapt from the shadows into the stratosphere.
“It’s been a blessing,” Siegel told Newsweek over Zoom from his home in Van Nuys, California. “Just to see the impact it had, and to be part of that cultural album—the first time a Black artist doing a country album at that level and winning a Country Grammy for it—it’s been pretty crazy to be a part of and see people around the world reacting to that stuff. I’m very grateful.”
Courtesy of Jack Siegel
Putting In Work
Since the pandemic threw a wrench in his college experience, Siegel has kept himself busy. In May 2021, he moved to Los Angeles, completing the remainder of his degree in media scoring and music production at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music online. It was in L.A. where he would thrust himself into the local music scene, networking his way into recording sessions and live shows while making ends meet as a barista.
“I came out [to L.A.] not knowing anybody, so it was definitely a leap of faith,” Siegel said. “I made an effort to reach out to people who I thought I could help out or people that were doing stuff that I wanted to be doing, just to try to learn from people and be in rooms.”
His penchant for helping others in the music community paid dividends, serendipitously earning himself a spot in the Cold Blooded Soul Band—the live band that would later tour with rapper Denzel Curry during his 2022 media run. All because he said yes to filling in for a gig at an L.A. taco shop, Siegel was able to check off one of his bucket list items: performing at NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert. “I did not think I’d be able to do that so soon,” Siegel said. “And [the desk] is smaller in person.”
Courtesy of Jack Siegel
An Unexpected Opportunity
But it was while he was sitting in L.A. traffic that Siegel got a call that changed everything.
During the height of the pandemic, Siegel had attended a series of Zoom sessions on music arrangement hosted by Khirye Tyler––a musical director and producer for artists like Usher, Jay-Z and, of course, Beyoncé. The two became friends on social media and developed a relationship where Siegel would send Tyler musical ideas.
Siegel was driving back home after a session got canceled while he was en route, when he received a call from Tyler. “I remember turning around and then he calls me in the car and he’s like, ‘Hey, you got any country ideas?'” Siegel recalled. “I was like, ‘Yes!’ And I didn’t really, but I was like, ‘I’m going to make stuff.'”
Siegel got to work immediately, sending over some ideas he already had as well as coming up with entirely new ones. “ALLIGATOR TEARS” was an idea that he developed “every day for that month,” recording from his home in Van Nuys—sometimes even using his closet as a soundproof recording booth.
Courtesy of Jack Siegel
The version heard on the album is essentially the final idea he sent over, along with “a little percussion thing” that was added afterward. “I wrote all the different chord sections and it’s all my guitars on there,” he said. “I basically built the track out and sent it in, and then The-Dream and Beyoncé wrote a song to it.”
Siegel’s contributions also made their way onto the tracks “JOLENE” and “SPAGHETTI,” with the former featuring his guitar chords in the bridge and outro of the track. And at this year’s Grammy Awards ceremony, he was there to see the project he helped create take the top honors of the night.
“It was very surreal,” Siegel told Newsweek. “I mean, that’s something that, as a little kid, I was always like, ‘I’m going to be at the Grammys one day.’ And I think I should have tried to slow down a little bit more and soak it all in.”
The Future is Bright
Now with two Grammy awards under his belt before his 26th birthday, Siegel is already back to the grind. He hopes to continue his stride in collaborating with other artists, but he also hinted that a solo project could happen in the future. “I sing a little too, so I have some ideas,” he said.
“I would love to find an artist that I could produce a whole project for and executive produce a project,” Siegel said. “But who knows what the future holds? I’m just excited to keep making more music.”
“Music was always an escape in a way, but I’ve just always been obsessed with it and how it can make you feel,” he added. “And I just want to do that for other people.”