Cameron Griffin has gone from working in construction to being a Grammy nominee for his work on Coco Jones’ 2022 EP, . That’s pretty astounding, and he’s enjoyed the ride, but he remains tempered. “Being recognized is amazing,” he says.
“But I don’t like how the music business is. To be successful, you’ve gotta be like , but I have other dreams. I play guitar, but I’m not a ‘guitar player.
’ I’m Cameron, who plays guitar.” The fact that Griffin doesn’t wholly identify as a guitar player – despite having worked with Usher, Chris Brown and others – seems hard to fathom. “All of this – writing songs, guitar and producing – came suddenly,” he says.
“I never thought about any of it until about four years ago.” Four years ago, Griffin was a Los Angeles kid playing linebacker at UCLA and strumming his guitar in a dorm room. He’d been at it for years, but guitar was just a hobby, not his life’s work.
Or so he thought. “It was Covid,” he says. “My stuff with Summer Walker [ ] came out in 2020 — and then all these opportunities came along.
I evaluated the life I wanted and the trajectory. Once I jumped, I spent a lot of time and energy on it. But Covid was the push; I went for it after that.
” Griffin is even-keeled for someone who’s had sudden success. He attributes this to keeping things “smooth and intentional,” adding, “I never want to be boastful; I don’t like being the center of attention. Even my guitar playing is.
