Artists have been calling on Dan Wilson to help them write songs since the late 90s, leading to a steady stream of chart-toppers for artists like Adele (“Someone Like You”) to Taylor Swift (“Treacherous”). But prior to helping others to craft their songs, he had his own success as the singer in the band Semisonic, whose 1998 hit “Closing Time“ was ubiquitous on the airwaves.

Dan and I had a talk about his early career, the success of Semisonic, how he became a successful songwriter and who put him in the room with stars he’s worked with.