Unfamous with Justin Tranter

Unfamous with Justin Tranter

By Justin Tranter + Morgan StuartMusicMusic Interviews
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Unfamous with Justin Tranter episodes

  • King Princess | Girl Violence, Nicole Kidman and a Demon Named Cherry

    King Princess makes bold, chaotic, deeply self-aware pop. But more importantly? She knows how to build art through collaboration, trust, and a healthy amount of beautifully unhinged creativity.

    In this episode of Unfamous, Justin Tranter sits down with longtime collaborator and pop provocateur King Princess to talk about songwriting, acting, queer storytelling, and what it actually takes to survive the music industry while staying true to yourself.

    From writing together when she was still a teenager to watching her step into acting alongside icons like Nicole Kidman and Christine Baranski in Nine Perfect Strangers, the conversation moves through creative evolution, artistic freedom, and the lessons that come from building a career on your own terms. They unpack everything from navigating labels and contracts to the power of trusting your collaborators, plus the creative chaos behind her new album and the mythological world of “Girl Violence.”

    It’s hilarious. It’s brutally honest. And it’s a real look at how artists grow when they stop pretending they have to do everything alone. If you love pop culture, music, and the messy, magical truth behind how things get made, this one’s for you.

    Follow, subscribe, like and comment wherever you watch and listen.


    Credits:

    Unfamous is hosted by Justin Tranter

    Created by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart

    Produced by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart

    Written & Researched by Morgan T. Stuart


    Director: Morgan T. Stuart

    Co-Director + Cinematographer: Olivia McCrary

    Audio Engineer: Mike Sabri

    Camera Assistant: Sharrae Rucker

    Special thanks to Mark Beavan and Jimmy Knehans

    Shout out to Chloe Pappas and Leslie on Patreon.

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    46 min
  • Melanie Martinez + CJ Baran | Building Worlds Through Intuition, Trust, and Experimentation

    Melanie Martinez and CJ Baran make dark, beautiful, deeply specific art. But more importantly? They know how to build a universe together. In this episode of Unfamous, Justin Tranter sits down with the longtime collaborators behind Cry Baby, Portals, and Melanie’s upcoming double-album world to talk about storytelling, trust, experimentation, intuition, and what it takes to make something both wildly ambitious and emotionally precise.

    It’s imaginative. It’s meticulous. It’s weird in all the right ways. And it’s a real look at how two artists build a fully realized world without sanding off what makes it special.

    If you love pop culture, music, and the messy, magical truth behind how things get made, this one’s for you.


    Follow, subscribe, like and comment wherever you watch and listen.


    Credits:

    Unfamous is hosted by Justin Tranter

    Created by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart

    Produced by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart

    Written & Researched by Morgan T. Stuart


    Director: Morgan T. Stuart

    Co-Director + Cinematographer: Olivia McCrary

    Audio Engineer: Mike Sabri

    Camera Assistant: Kolbi Samantha


    Special thanks to Mark Beavan, Jimmy Knehans, Bobbie Gale, Nina Savio and Kyle Stuart

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1 hr 19 min
  • Trixie + Fena | If The Wig Stays On, The Zipper Closes + No One Cries, It's No Accident. It's Fena.

    Trixie Mattel and Fena Barbitall know drag is never just the person in front of the camera. It takes trust, instinct, taste, stamina, and someone behind the scenes who knows how to keep the whole illusion alive.

    In this episode of Unfamous, Justin Tranter sits down with the longtime collaborators to talk about drag as a craft, creative assistance, building looks under pressure, touring, ego, instinct, boundaries, and what it takes to support an artist while helping shape the final vision.

    It’s funny. It’s candid. It’s deeply specific. And it’s a real look at the kind of behind-the-scenes collaboration that makes performance feel effortless, even when it absolutely isn’t.

    If you love pop culture, drag, and the messy, magical truth behind how things get made, this one’s for you.


    Follow, subscribe, like and comment wherever you watch and listen.


    Credits:

    Unfamous is hosted by Justin Tranter

    Created by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart

    Produced by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart

    Written & Researched by Morgan T. Stuart


    Director: Morgan T. Stuart

    Co-Director + Cinematographer: Olivia McCrary

    Audio Engineer: Mike Sabri

    Camera Assistants: Kyle Stuart & Justin Stuart


    Special thanks to Mark Beavan, Jimmy Knehans, and Brandon Lim.

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1 hr 13 min
  • Amy Allen + Gabz Landman | The Songwriter–Manager Partnership That Built a Hitmaking Career

    Amy Allen is one of the biggest songwriters in pop. Gabz Landman is one of the sharpest managers in music. But more importantly? They know how to build a career together.

    In this episode of Unfamous, Justin Tranter sits down with the longtime collaborators to talk about instinct, trust, advocacy, career-building, and what it really takes to make a songwriter-manager relationship work over the long haul.

    It’s warm, honest, and full of insight about the kind of collaboration that doesn’t always get centered, but shapes everything.

    If you love music, creative partnerships, and the messy truth behind how careers actually get built, this one’s for you.


    Follow, subscribe, like and comment wherever you watch and listen.


    Credits:

    Unfamous is hosted by Justin Tranter

    Created by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart

    Produced by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart

    Written & Researched by Morgan T. Stuart


    Director: Morgan T. Stuart

    Co-Director + Cinematographer: Olivia McCrary

    Audio Engineer: Mike Sabri

    Camera Assistant: Sherrae Rucker


    Special thanks to Jimmy Knehans and Mark Beavan

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1 hr 17 min
  • INK Told Beyoncé She’d Write Her Next Album. Here’s What Happened.

    INK has written with some of the biggest artists in music, from Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar to Justin Bieber and Lil Nas X. But her process starts with one rule: don’t force it.

    INK joins Justin Tranter to break down how Beyoncé’s “16 Carriages” began during the one session she accidentally showed up early for, what Kendrick Lamar taught her about slowing down and letting go of good ideas, and how she found the missing melody for Lil Nas X’s “STAR WALKIN’” after the song had been worked on for months.
    She also shares why she writes every song as if it’s for herself, how freestyling helps her find melodies, and the collaboration lesson she wishes more creatives understood: stop trying to do everyone else’s job and leave room for people to bring their own superpower.
    CHAPTERS
    0:00 Why collaboration matters
    1:16 INK on writing for Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar + Justin Bieber
    2:29 Why INK writes every song like it’s for herself
    4:56 Success, failure + how her process keeps evolving
    6:30 What Kendrick Lamar taught INK about songwriting
    9:41 The “INK style”: how she freestyles melodies
    13:20 INK’s legendary lateness
    15:54 The accidental beginning of Beyoncé’s “16 Carriages”
    16:52 Telling Beyoncé, “I’m going to write your next album”
    21:04 The melody she’s most proud of
    22:37 Finding the missing melody for Lil Nas X’s “STAR WALKIN’”
    24:16 Why great collaboration should surprise you
    27:22 Becoming an artist after years of writing for others
    30:42 Building her live show + preparing for Stagecoach
    33:40 Gag or Drag
    37:51 INK’s best advice for collaborators
    Credits:
    Unfamous is hosted by Justin Tranter
    Created by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart
    Produced by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart
    Written & Researched by Morgan T. Stuart
    Director: Morgan T. Stuart
    Cinematographer: Olivia McCrary
    Audio Engineer: Mike Sabri
    Camera Assistants: Justin Stuart + Kyle Stuart
    Special thanks to Jimmy Knehans, Mark Beaven, Adellyn Polomski, Luke Burland and Bailey Katler

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    51 min
  • Caleb Hearon + Caitie Delaney | How to Be Funny, Employed, and Only Mildly Traumatized About It

    Caleb Hearon and Caitie Delaney are hilarious. But more importantly? They know how to collaborate.

    In this episode of Unfamous, Justin Tranter sits down with two of comedy’s sharpest minds to talk about writing rooms, pitching to sell, ego deaths, executive notes, financial insecurity, and the very specific horror of saying “sure” to Caleb Hearon.

    It’s chaotic, smart, honest and it’s a real take on how collaboration actually works.

    If you love pop culture, comedy, and the messy truth behind how things get made, this one’s for you.


    Follow, subscribe, like and comment wherever you watch and listen.


    Credits:

    Unfamous is hosted by Justin Tranter

    Created by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart

    Produced by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart

    Written & Researched by Morgan T. Stuart


    Director: Morgan T. Stuart

    Co-Director + Cinematographer: Olivia McCrary

    Audio Engineer: Mike Sabri

    Camera Assistant: Kolbi Samantha


    Special thanks to Jimmy Knehans, Mark Beaven and Michelle Kariuki

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1 hr 39 min
  • Introducing: Unfamous with Justin Tranter

    Most of what you love in pop culture didn't happen the way you think it did.


    Unfamous pairs a celebrity with the collaborator who helped build their biggest moments and lets you hear how it actually went down.


    It’s funny, honest, occasionally chaotic, and full of real insight about collaboration, ego, ambition, and making something that lasts. You know the moments. You don't know the stories.


    Tune in to Unfamous, launching March 4th.


    Follow, subscribe, like and comment wherever you watch and listen.


    Instagram: @unfamousthepodcast

    Tiktok: @unfamousthepodcast


    Join our Patreon for exclusive access to private AMA's with Justin, song breakdowns, "Unfamous Advice" from Justin and more: https://patreon.com/Unfamousthepodcast

    _________


    Credits: Unfamous is hosted by Justin Tranter

    Created by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart

    Produced by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart

    Director: Morgan T. Stuart

    Co-Director + Cinematographer: Olivia McCrary

    Audio Engineer: Mike Sabri

    Camera Assistants: Kolbi Samantha + Sherrae Rucker

    Special thanks to Jimmy Knehans and Mark Beaven.

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    3 min

About Unfamous with Justin Tranter

From the publisher's feed

Most of what you love in pop culture didn’t happen the way you think it did. Unfamous goes deep with the people who were actually there.