In the world of contemporary R&B Elijah Blake is a name you must know. A native of the Dominican Republic, he has established himself as a premier songwriter--penning Trey Songz’ “Jupiter Love”, Rihanna’s “No Love Allowed,” Justin Bieber’s “I Would,” and Usher’s “Climax” to name just a few.

As a solo artist, the talented singer/writer has amassed a discography of 10 projects including his latest LP elijah. Spanning 12 tracks, the album is a testament to his passion for music and devotion to musicianship.

BET.com spoke with Blake about his latest LP and how he became an in-demand songwriter. 

Since childhood, Blake has had a love for words and innately understood their power. Being in tune with that power and pairing it with musicianship inspired his songwriting.

“People might be surprised that my first language is actually French and I grew up speaking Creole. In school, my strongest classes were English and literature. Language is my natural superpower and just always being enrolled in honors classes,” Blake said. 

“All of my family has accents and my mother wanted to make sure that I wasn't seen as less intelligent. I think that kind of bled into my songwriting, storytelling, and my appreciation for words.”

Along with falling in love with music because of his time in the church, Blake was also influenced by the work of legendary musician and songwriter, Stevie Wonder.

“Stevie Wonder is an amazing storyteller. Storytelling is like my love language, and just hearing a Black man write a song about a “Ribbon in the Sky” with so much colorful imagery really inspired me. As a kid, I actually did a book report on him when I was in the fourth grade.”

By the time he was a teenager, Blake was well on his way to crafting hits for some of the biggest artists in the industry. He said that when doors were opened, he was prepared to walk through them.

“I'm the type of person who doesn't sit around and wait for people to do things for me. Coming into the industry so young, I didn't have the cache of The Dream, Ne-Yo, and or Johntá Austin. I was like 'I'm not gonna wait for people to find me. I'm just gonna write my own songs.'”

His first placement was with Trey Songz’ “Jupiter Love” and he said the success of that song was “life-changing.”

“For my first placement, to have that song become the fan favorite of the project was amazing. Very few songwriters are fortunate to have the first song that they wrote to be a really big song or a single. Trey’s fans love Jupiter. Everything happened so fast that I didn't understand how publishing worked,” he said. 

“I didn't understand how BMI or ASCAP would collect money every time it was played. “Jupiter Love” got a lot of radio play on midnight storm shows. That afforded me a different type of lifestyle. I was a starving artist prior to that, but then I was able to get checks in the mail. I remember Trey and Troy Taylor helping me register the song over the phone. I went from a starving artist who was splitting a cheeseburger with two of my best friends to getting $12,000 checks in the mail.”

His latest album elijah is his self-described “magnum opus.” The album features a slew of sensual, seductive cuts where Blake effectively expresses his vulnerability with dexterous songwriting. Standouts include the first single “Company”, “Rainberry Woods”, “Sugarwater & Lime”, and more.

“So this is technically my fourth actual full-length project and I've done EPs, mixtapes, and other projects.  But for me, this feels like my first project, just in terms of understanding who I am and what I want to contribute with this project. I feel like I’m starting back at one, and I understand my purpose, my calling for what I want my legacy to be.” 

Blake shared how working with acclaimed, Grammy-award producers Jerry "Wonder" Duplessis and Warryn Campbell gave the project a whole other vibe.

“I wanted that timeless element, and I feel like Jerry Wonder had that because of the level of bass player he is and the way he hears drums. He's lived through so many different shifts in music and has been able to adapt. That to me is an incredible ability that I just can't understand how it's not being used as much as it should be in music today,” he said.

“With Warren Campbell, I remember hearing Mario’s “Just a Friend” one day and I said ‘I'm going to work with that guy one day’,” Blake explained. “I consider myself a student of the craft so maybe I have a little higher respect for Wonder and Campbell than most new artists coming into the game.”

When asked what he hopes listeners will take away from his project, Blake wants his new fans to take the journey with him.

“I want my new fans to also understand that, even though they might just be discovering me and finding me now, where some might say is the later part of my career [it] is also the beginning and this is the most exciting time to discover my music,” he said. “That makes this a great meeting point for them to meet me as an artist and as a man."