And The Writer Is...with Ross Golan

Today’s guest can make you cry in your car, question your life choices, and somehow sing along to a song about stopping a wedding. She’s got the pen, she’s got the pipes, and she knows a thing or two about turning life’s messiest moments into songs you can’t get out of your head.

And The Writer Is… Ashe!

A special thank you to our sponsors for making these conversations possible.

Our lead sponsor, NMPA — the National Music Publishers’ Association. Your support means the world to us.

And @splice — the best sample library on the market. Period. Try Variations in the Splice Sounds plugin. It makes new versions of any Splice sample with a different structure, key and BPM, and the original creators get paid every time. https://splice.com

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introducing Ashe

01:28 From “Moral of the Story” to “Stop the Wedding”

04:05 Why Her Biggest Songs Don’t Follow the Formula

05:30 Bringing Your Best Ideas Into a Writing Session

09:08 The Wedding-Day Idea Behind “Stop the Wedding”

11:35 Ashe Plays Her Original Voice Notes

14:14 NMPA & Splice 16:03 Reuniting With Noah Conrad

17:42 Making a Major Label Work for Her

24:29 Why Ashe Almost Quit Music

27:15 The Therapy Exercise That Changed Everything

31:03 Growing Up and Finding Songwriting

37:46 Remembering Her Brother

43:16 Berklee, EDM and Finding Her Own Sound

49:47 The Marriage Behind “Moral of the Story”

54:29 Tempo Changes and Trusting Your Taste

57:30 What “Stop the Wedding” Really Means

1:00:28 Would She Change Her Past?

1:03:43 Meeting FINNEAS

1:04:59 The Year Before “Moral of the Story” Took Off

1:09:46 The Favors and Falling in Love With Music Again

1:12:55 The Reality of Being an Independent Artist

1:18:38 Fighting for the Music to Be Heard

1:24:48 The Math of Songwriting

1:31:48 Artist vs. Songwriter

1:35:08 Redefining Success

Join the ATWI Patreon for monthly Zoom hangs, demo feedback, special guests and access to 200+ archived audio episodes: https://www.patreon.com/andthewriteris

Subscribe for more conversations with the songwriters behind the songs.

Follow And The Writer Is… https://instagram.com/andthewriteris

Hosted by Ross Golan

Produced by Joe London and Jad Saad

Edited by Jad Saad

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is a singer, songwriter and musician whose singular sound has spanned punk stages, intimate recordings and songs that have traveled around the world. From “1234” to the unexpected second life of “My Moon My Man,” her music continues to find new audiences.

And The Writer Is… Feist!

In this episode:

- How losing her voice helped her find a new sound

- Why finding your people can change your creative life

- The collaborator who believed in her before she knew they were making a record

- How The Reminder brought different songs together into one world

- The unusual musical choices behind “My Moon My Man” and its unexpected return

- What “1234” taught her about success, belonging and staying true to herself

And The Writer Is… is presented by Amazon Music and SONA.

Listen on Amazon Music:https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/bfeec5ec-e02d-43eb-917c-5d4e182eadb4/and-the-writer-is-with-ross-golan

Join the ATWI Patreon for monthly Zoom hangs, demo feedback, special guests and access to 200+ archived audio episodes: https://www.patreon.com/andthewriteris

Subscribe for more conversations with the songwriters behind the songs

Follow And The Writer Is…https://instagram.com/andthewriteris

Chapters

00:00 Introducing Feist

01:05 The Stories Behind Her Guitars

04:49 Growing Up Around Art and Finding Her Voice

09:36 Amazon Music & SONA

09:48 The Punk Band That Changed Her Life

18:28 Losing Her Voice on Tour

20:25 Why Singers Have the Least Fun on Tour

21:40 How a Doctor’s Orders Changed Her Sound

23:45 Find Your People

25:35 Inside Broken Social Scene

27:53 Peaches, Chilly Gonzales and Their Creative Community

32:59 Finding the Freedom to Make Let It Die

38:29 The Friend Who Quietly Funded Her Breakthrough

42:12 Creative Control and Growing Beyond a Slow Start

44:05 Supporting Your Friends Instead of Competing

47:48 The Reminder, Folk Music and Sea Lion Woman

52:33 Making The Reminder and the 14-Day Sessions

55:23 My Moon My Man’s Heated Rivalry Resurgence

57:17 Why My Moon My Man Is Such a Strange Song

1:00:21 1234 and the Difficult Side of Success

1:02:21 Imposter Syndrome and Letting Yourself Shine

1:05:06 The Song She’s Most Proud Of

Hosted by Ross Golan

Produced by Joe London and Jad Saad

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is a three-time GRAMMY-winning singer, songwriter and producer behind some of country music’s biggest songs.

Across more than two decades, she’s built a career on honest stories, unmistakable songs and doing things her own way.

And The Writer Is… Miranda Lambert!

Recorded live at Casa Rosa in Nashville, Miranda joins Ross to tell the stories behind “Kerosene,” “Gunpowder & Lead,” “The House That Built Me,” “Mama’s Broken Heart,” “Vice” and “Tin Man.”

She shares how she co-wrote “Choosin’ Texas” with Ella Langley, why she gave Steve Earle half the credit for “Kerosene,” and why some of the most important songs in her set weren’t written by her.

And The Writer Is… is presented by Amazon Music and SONA.

Listen on Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/bfeec5ec-e02d-43eb-917c-5d4e182eadb4/and-the-writer-is-with-ross-golan

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introducing Miranda Lambert

00:56 Writing Choosin’ Texas with Ella Langley

05:21 Finding New Song Ideas After So Many Albums

06:36 Chris Stapleton and a New Retro Sound

08:47 Songwriting Retreats and Creative Chemistry

16:35 Learning the Craft in Texas Honky-Tonks

21:37 Nashville Star and Her Mom’s Wake-Up Call

25:06 Casa Rosa: A Place for the Girls

27:30 Kerosene, Steve Earle, and Doing It Her Way

33:42 The Stories Behind Gunpowder & Lead

36:52 Revolution and The House That Built Me

42:24 Writing Over You with Blake Shelton

45:03 Mama’s Broken Heart and Outside Songs

49:49 Building Platinum

53:55 Somethin’ Bad with Carrie Underwood

57:54 The Weight of These Wings and Vice

1:02:55 Writing Tin Man

1:06:01 Wildcard, the Love Junkies, and Bluebird

1:08:47 Life Off the Road and Writing on Zoom

1:13:08 Palomino and a Changing Music Business

1:14:52 Letting Go of Expectations and Staying Yourself

Join the ATWI Patreon for monthly Zoom hangs, demo feedback, special guests and access to 200+ archived audio episodes: https://www.patreon.com/andthewriteris Subscribe for more conversations with the songwriters behind the songs.

Follow And The Writer Is… I

nstagram: https://instagram.com/andthewriteris

Hosted by Ross Golan

Produced by Joe London and Jad Saad

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's guest is the British singer-songwriter behind “Escapism.” and “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!”

After seven years in a record deal without releasing her debut album, she went independent, landed a UK No. 1 and won six BRIT Awards in one night.

This is the story of how she found her own way to succeed—and brought her people with her.

And The Writer Is... RAYE!

In this episode, we get into:

• Signing a record deal at 17, having hits, and still being unable to release her debut album.

• The album called “too risky,” the partner who backed it, and “Escapism.” changing everything.

• Bringing her family and band into the success, and demanding fairer treatment for songwriters.

• Her full writing process, early “Click Clack Symphony.” demos, and nine hours on the “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!” bridge. and much more.

Hit subscribe and turn on notifications. Every week, we go deep with the most interesting creatives in music.

Join us on Patreon: patreon.com/andthewriteris

Follow us on socials: @andthewriteris

A special thank you to our sponsors for making these conversations possible.

Our lead sponsor, NMPA — the National Music Publishers' Association. Your support means the world to us.

PRS for Music — supporting songwriters, composers and publishers. Find out more: https://www.prsformusic.com/join

And @splice — the best sample library on the market. Period. Have you tried variations yet?

CHAPTERS

0:00 Intro

1:10 Making music and touring with her family

7:38 What happened to her grandfather's songs

9:49 Ad: PRS for Music

11:09 Ad: Splice 12:16

Ross's stolen-song story and the line between influence and theft

17:33 Who deserves a songwriting credit?

19:52 Why songwriters deserve fees and master points

25:29 The power to say no and protect your splits

28:50 Advice for young writers: choosing your battles and avoiding comparison

33:18 Writing her first song at seven

36:48 The BRIT School and finding her voice

42:21 Subscribe to And The Writer Is

42:50 Jazz freedom and her first music-industry reality check

47:13 The dance hits that came with conditions

48:17 Signing her record deal at 17

54:26 Seven years, hit records and still no debut album

56:33 Going independent and the Escapism. breakthrough

1:02:56 Ice Cream Man. and finding strength through music

1:08:15 The BRIT Awards night she still has not watched back

1:10:38 Making THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE. on her own terms

1:12:38 Playing the early Click Clack Symphony. demos

1:14:53 Why she writes with Auto-Tune

1:17:15 Title first: heels, lyrics and theatrical melodies

1:18:48 Nine hours on the WHERE IS MY HUSBAND! bridge

1:21:19 Getting bigger without trying to please everyone

1:23:30 Who is Suzanne? Picking a song for every mood

1:26:18 Her grandfather's poems in Fields

1:27:04 Opening for Bruno Mars

1:28:48 Closing: building a better music industry

CREDITS

Hosted by Ross Golan

Produced by Joe London & Jad Saad

Edited by Jad Saad

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's guest is the Swedish producer and songwriter behind "Problem," "Into You," "Love Me Like You Do," "No Tears Left To Cry," "Santa Tell Me," and "Unholy,".

He finally sits down with Ross for an And The Writer Is interview ten years in the making.

He taught himself to make music from a demo CD that came in a cereal box.

A radio singing contest got him discovered, and he signed a publishing deal at 17.

It then took him ten years to land his first real hit. He tells Ross how a year of playing FIFA with Shellback led to Wolf Cousins, and what Max Martin's famous "math" actually is.

If you've ever wondered how the biggest pop songs of the last decade actually get finished, this one's for you

And The Writer Is... Ilya Salmanzadeh!

JOIN THE ATWI PATREON

Monthly Zoom hangs, demo feedback, special guests and 200+ archived audio episodes (Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Shania Twain, Babyface and more):

Patreon.com/andthewriteris

THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR SPLICE

Try Variations in the Splice Sounds plugin. It makes new versions of any Splice sample with a different structure, key and BPM, and the original creators get paid every time.

Splice.com

CHAPTERS

0:00 Cold open: what Max Martin's "math" really means

1:32 Welcome Ilya Salmanzadeh

3:12 What MXM is: "like Real Madrid signed me"

4:46 Jantelagen: why Swedes won't brag

9:57 Born in Iran, raised in Denmark

16:22 A cereal-box CD and teaching himself music

19:54 The hits: Problem, Into You, Unholy and more

21:32 Early influences: Tracy Chapman, Michael Jackson, hip-hop

24:50 Why the world's biggest pop writers live in Stockholm

27:14 Wanting to be an R&B artist

32:36 The radio singing contest that got him discovered

37:26 Ten years from publishing deal to first hit

39:09 Telemarketing and Apple tech support

43:08 The immigrant drive to prove he belongs

46:21 His first cut: the Bratz album

48:20 A year of FIFA with Shellback and the birth of Wolf Cousins

52:37 The MXM pop family tree

54:21 Competition vs. family inside MXM

58:40 Max Martin: "Why aren't you in LA?"

1:00:41 What Max Martin taught him about songwriting

1:03:13 "Problem": Savan Kotecha's original voice memo

1:08:59 The morning "Problem" hit #1 on iTunes

1:10:57 His father and the number he keeps seeing

1:14:31 Weeks on one pre-chorus: making "Into You"

1:21:55 "Love Me Like You Do" started as a Sunday hang

1:27:08 Producer vs. writer credits: "Bad Blood" and "Bang Bang"

1:31:42 His creative wavelength with Ariana Grande

1:32:23 "No Tears Left To Cry" breaking the pop rules

1:34:00 "God is a woman" was almost for Beyoncé and JAY-Z

1:35:48 Ariana Grande as a producer1:37:27 "Unholy": the hotel staff, Max and his daughter

1:44:20 When a release doesn't hit

1:47:11 14-hour days: how he finishes so much music

1:48:57 Chris Martin, Coldplay and the "mind movie"

1:52:17 Why he keeps working with new artists (Tate McRae, LISA)

1:54:53 "eternal sunshine" vs. "petal": the two-room process

1:56:54 "Santa Tell Me" and chasing a Christmas classic

1:59:24 Has Ilya finally proven his worth to himself?

And The Writer Is, hosted by Ross Golan, is a podcast about the songwriters, producers and artists behind the songs you love.

Instagram: instagram.com/andthewriteris

Hosted by Ross Golan

Produced by Joe London and Jad Saad

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is a multi-platinum rapper and songwriter who took Compton to the charts and gave the world “My Hitta,” “Who Do You Love?” and “Big Bank.”

From his debut album My Krazy Life to collaborations with Drake, Nipsey Hussle, and Nicki Minaj, he’s built a catalog that’s done serious damage to club speakers. Now, with The Gentlemen’s Club, he’s getting personal and reminding everyone there’s a storyteller behind the hits.

And The Writer Is…

YG!

In this episode we go deep on:

- The inspiration behind his new album

- The Def Jam singles deal with five album options: "I could have sued everybody"

- What he'd tell an 18-year-old holding a label offer

- Why having a catalog doesn't mean you own it

- What a YG session looks like: tequila, "next beat," and a BPM in his head

- How "FDT" got made with Nipsey, and why Def Jam wouldn't release it

- The night Nicki said "don't put this out without me"

- "Who Do You Love?": three months, hook writers, and Drake telling him to do it himself

And much more...

Hit subscribe and turn on notifications.

Every week, we go deep with the most interesting creatives in music.

Follow us on socials: @andthewriteris

A special thank you to our sponsors for making these conversations possible.

Our lead sponsor, our Patreon!

Patreon.com/andthewriteris

And @splice — the best sample library on the market. Period.

Chapters

0:00 Intro

0:32 Hiring a "Hitman"

8:07 "Were you ever suicidal?" and the homies who said "same"

9:10 Chin up, chest out: what the streets never let you say

10:28 "2004," the song he cut from the album

24:31 Turning himself in while his song blew up, and the label that called his mom

27:31 Signing young: "I could have sued everybody"

28:24 Ross: athletes get rookie orientation, artists get "good luck"

34:57 What he'd tell an 18-year-old holding a label offer

39:40 The masters trap: you have a catalog, but you don't own it

41:30 What a session with YG actually looks like

47:39 Why he made Gentleman's Club: "they were playing with my name"

50:10 How "Hollywood" with Shoreline Mafia got made

53:51 How "FDT" happened with Nipsey, and why Def Jam passed

59:40 Meeting Nipsey: two different gangs, one mission

1:05:56 How do you stay brave when the people around you get killed?

1:10:59 The night "My Hitta" got made

1:13:03 "Big Bank": Nicki says don't put it out without me

1:18:15 What he knows at 36 that he didn't at 20: the streets don't love you back

1:27:20 "Who Do You Love?": three months and Drake's "you do the hook"

1:30:02 What makes a Mustard beat different

Credits Hosted by Ross Golan

Produced by Joe London and Jad Saad

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is a singer, songwriter, producer and dancer who has spent her career trusting her own instincts—and building a world around them.

From “2 On” to “Nasty” and “No Broke Boys,” Tinashe has kept releasing music through major-label deals, independent projects and viral breakthroughs.

She’s collaborated with artists including Calvin Harris, Charli xcx and Kaytranada, and joins us to talk about the journey behind it all.

And The Writer Is... Tinashe!

Hit subscribe and turn on notifications.

Every week, we go deep with the most interesting creatives in music.

Follow us on socials: @andthewriteris

A special thank you to our sponsors for making these conversations possible.Splice, the best sample library on the market, period.

and our lead sponsor, our Patreon page!

We're still giving away free Universal Audio Recording Gear in our next zoom hang.

Join us on Patreon: patreon.com/andthewriteris

CHAPTERS

0:00 Intro

0:46 Tinashe and Ross reconnect—back to The Stunners

3:48 “Deep in the Night”—the song she wrote at five

5:08 Tinashe’s French fry rankings

6:12 Child acting, Whoopi Goldberg, and moving to LA

9:11 Life in a girl group without creative control

11:22 Buying a microphone and building a bedroom studio

14:10 Getting signed—and expecting it to be easy

18:40 Join the ATWI Patreon

19:32 Splice: Sounds and Variations

20:39 Early Travis Scott sessions and being taken seriously in the studio

23:29 Recording 200 songs—and trusting the big producer’s opinion26:33 Trusting your gut and knowing when to leave a session

30:43 “2 On” takes off. What happens after the first hit?

36:03 Writing “2 On” in a garage with friends

37:37 Does having a hit teach you how to make one?

39:20 Leaving her label and rebuilding trust in her own ideas

43:29 What releasing music independently actually takes

46:10 Filming her own videos and building her visual world

48:14 How dancing shapes the way she writes songs

50:08 Working with a label again—and finding Ricky Reed

52:11 Getting the call from Calvin Harris

53:52 Why genre doesn’t define her music

55:19 “Nasty” takes off after she stops needing another hit

57:04 Why she won’t write for a TikTok trend

58:43 Charli xcx and finding freedom after early hits

1:00:41 The unexpected remix journey of “No Broke Boys”

1:03:31 Taking the Grammy off her lock screen after seven years

1:05:14 Making POPSTAR—and giving herself time to play

1:05:55 Which POPSTAR song fits every mood?

1:08:19 Claiming the pop star she’s always been

1:13:32 “Just don’t stop”—keep putting your music out

1:14:42 Her advice to young women in music: intuition

Credits

Hosted by Ross Golan

Produced by Joe London and Jad Saad

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is one of the most unmistakable voices in modern pop — an artist, songwriter and producer who has built a career by making music that sounds like nobody else. Her catalog has passed two billion global streams. She’s played top billing at festivals including Coachella, Lollapalooza and Outside Lands, opened for Olivia Rodrigo, Lorde and Paramore, and collaborated with artists including Nile Rodgers, Beck, Dominic Fike and Sylvan Esso.

And The Writer Is... Remi Wolf!

In this episode, we get into

- The USC training that rebuilt her voice

- Waiting tables and taking Craigslist gigs while building a career

- The 30-minute session behind “Photo ID,”

- Industry lessons for every artist to take notes on...

and much more.

Hit subscribe and turn on notifications. Every week, we go deep with the most interesting creatives in music.

Join us on Patreon: patreon.com/andthewriteris

Follow us on socials: @andthewriteris

A special thank you to our sponsors for making these conversations possible.

Our lead sponsor, NMPA — the National Music Publishers' Association. Your support means the world to us.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Intro

0:40 “You can’t teach tone” — how Remi found hers

2:13 USC: “We’re going to beat you down until you feel like you’re nothing”

6:15 Fourteen, busking the Bay Area, and writing songs in Chloe’s kitchen

13:40 “Carousel” — the first song she ever wrote

15:41 A substitute teacher, an apartment, and her first recording

18:05 Ski racer by day, songwriter by night

19:05 Meeting Jared Solomon at 15 — then finding each other again

21:07 Applebee’s on tour — and the road to sobriety

24:04 Rehab, writing Juno sober, and why clarity changed the songs

29:02 “It’s not ready” — why she refused to release music in college

30:22 Six songs in one week — the reunion that started everything

34:24 Restaurant shifts and Craigslist gigs: how she paid to keep making music

39:26 The Sofar show that led to her first manager

42:39 “I had no expectations” — making music before the industry got involved

45:28 35,000 decisions a day — what creative control actually costs

49:22 “You have to start protecting yourself”

51:34 What is the goal? Redefining success

56:51 Her first album rollout sober

59:21 Social media, warped expectations, and screaming into the void

63:22 “Photo ID,” TikTok, and the accident that helped it explode

66:40 “Photo ID” took 30 minutes — and she thought it was horrible

70:15 Her first professional topline session: “I was overcome with social anxiety”

72:11 Why I’m Allergic to Dogs worked during lockdown

74:56 Why Juno is called Juno

78:50 Hayley Williams and singing with another “belt queen”

82:25 Five years of nonstop touring — and finally hitting pause

87:15 “I Won’t Cry” — her favorite song she’s ever written

89:15 “I was sick of the uptempo shit” — writing 130 songs for Mud

90:49 Her first pitch session was for BTS

92:34 Which Mud song fits every mood

94:10 “I’m the happiest I’ve been in my life”

Credits

Hosted by Ross Golan

Produced by Joe London & Jad Saad

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.