VERSED: The ASCAP Podcast

Singer-songwriter extraordinaire, actor, designer and superstar Lenny Kravitz has been crafting his unique fusion of rock, funk, reggae and soul for more than three decades, creating such massive hits as “It Ain’t Over ‘til It’s Over,” “Again,” “Let Love Rule,” “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” “Fly Away” and “American Woman.” He’s a Grammy winner and has won numerous awards, including American Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Radio Music Awards, Brit Awards and has old over 40 million albums worldwide - all done with his distinctive flair, passion and drive.

As an actor, Lenny has appeared in numerous films, including Precious and the Hunger Games series, among others. Recently he took his work in film to a whole new level by pouring his heart and soul into writing a powerful song, “Road to Freedom,”  for the inspiring Netflix film Rustin. 

Directed by George C. Wolfe, scored by Branford Marsalis, and starring Colman Domingo, Chris Rock, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Jeffrey Wright and Audra McDonald, Rustin tells the story of Bayard Rustin, the architect of 1963’s March on Washington, who, along with Martin Luther King Jr. inspired a movement and blazed a path forward toward a better world.

Lenny recently talked to VERSED to share how he wrote “Road to Freedom,” how Martin Luther King, Jr.’s march continues today and his plans for hitting the road himself this year in support of his new album due for release in March.

Listen to “Road to Freedom” and other Kravitz classics

Watch Lenny perform “Road to Freedom” on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Visit Lenny’s website

Over his 15-year career, writer-producer Henry “Cirkut” Walter has quietly emerged as one of the most trusted collaborators in music. He’s worked with a veritable Mt. Olympus of today’s biggest artists, from Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj and Rihanna to Maroon 5, Sam Smith and The Weeknd. You can hear Cirkut’s production skills on many of the most iconic pop songs and albums of the past decade, including Katy Perry’s “Roar” and “Dark Horse,” MiIey Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball,” and The Weeknd’s multi-platinum Starboy album, which earned him a Grammy in 2018. 

While Cirkut’s enjoyed plenty of success throughout his career, the past year has been one of his biggest yet. He co-wrote and produced “Seven,” the irresistible solo single from BTS’s Jungkook that set a record for the most opening-day streams for a male artist in Spotify’s history, and made Jungkook the first K-pop act to reach #1 on Spotify. His Sam Smith/Kim Petras co-write “Unholy” became a culture-shaking, Grammy-winning phenomenon. And when the Ariana Grande remix of The Weeknd’s “Die for You” dropped in 2023, it gave Cirkut a third #1 in less than year – nearly six years after the original version stormed the charts. 

Here Cirkut narrates his entire creative journey. He takes us from his humble beginnings in an uninsulated studio in Toronto, on to his early days in LA and into the writer room with some of the biggest musical stars in the world. You’ll hear the stories behind some of his biggest hits, and find out what he’s excited about for the future. 

Follow @cirkut on Instagram

Listen to the Cirkut Songbook on Apple Music

Hear the massive Written by Cirkut Playlist on Spotify

Singer, songwriter, superstar Lainey Wilson left Baskin, Louisiana and moved to Nashville in a camper trailer 12 years ago. She spent her early years building her career, song by song, show by show, before breaking through with her #1 hit “Things a Man Oughta Know” in 2021. 

Since then, Lainey’s been on a wildly successful ride. Her second #1 song, “Never Say Never” with Cole Swindell in 2022 was followed by the #1 hits “Heart Like a Truck” and her collaboration with HARDY, “Wait in the Truck.” 

Her critically-acclaimed 2023 album, Bell Bottom Country, overflowing with amped up, guitar-driven, rockstar energy, continues to gain new fans all over the globe and crank out more modern classics like “Watermelon Sunshine,” “Smell Like Smoke” and “Hold My Halo.” She has been headlining and selling out shows all across the map, while also gracing festival stages at Lollapalooza, Stagecoach and at arenas with the likes of Luke Combs and other leading country stars.

She just made history by nabbing nine 2023 CMA Award nominations, including Entertainer of the Year, Single of the Year, Album of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year. She is the only artist to top the nominations list in her first two appearances on the final ballot. This on the heels of winning big at the 2023 Academy of Country Music Awards, receiving, among others, top honors for Album of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year. She also received Billboard’s Women in Music “Rulebreaker” Award this year and is the most nominated woman at the People’s Choice Country Awards as well.

Full of heart, soul, grit and gratitude, Lainey shares what has inspired and challenged her, advice for fellow music creators and how she feels about this hard-won moment in her career.

Also, Jordan Smith Reynolds, the winner of our Green Theme Song Contest, powered by Studio Green @ ASCAP, joins to chat and share a special in-studio performance of his winning work.

Check out Lainey’s website.

Watch the video for Lainey’s multiple CMA-nominated song “Heart Like a Truck”

Learn more about Studio Green @ ASCAP

Counting nearly 3 billion music streams to his name, Steve Aoki is a true visionary. A two-time Grammy-nominated music producer, artist, fashion designer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, NFT futurist and Dim Mak Records founder, he has been described by Billboard as “one of the most in-demand entertainers in the world.” He holds the Guinness World Record for the “Most Traveled Musician in a Single Calendar Year” and has performed at nearly every top music festival around the world, including Coachella, Ultra Music festival, Lollapalooza, Fuji Rock Festival, Tomorrowland, Electric Daisy Carnival, among others.

As a globally successful solo artist, Steve has transcended multiple genres of music and collaborated with an impressive array of artists, from BTS, Maluma, Snoop Dogg and Linkin Park to blink-182, Machine Gun Kelly, 2 Chainz and Daddy Yankee.

In addition to his musical achievements, Steve dedicates himself wholeheartedly to every project, including the Grammy-nominated Netflix documentary I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, his memoir Blue: The Color of Noise and his influential record label Dim Mak, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2021, and is best known as a launching pad for the careers of prominent acts like Bloc Party, The Chainsmokers, Bloody Beetroots, The Kills, Zedd and Diplo. 

Steve talks to ASCAP Associate Director Pop/Rock Membership Brian Reyes about how his Japanese heritage has impacted his craft and career. As May is also Mental Health Awareness Month, he shares some of his most effective wellness practices and how he takes care of his mind, body and spirit to be his creative best.

Check out all things Steve Aoki

Register for the ASCAP Experience - June 21 in LA

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. And as the weather warms up and music festival season starts, so many artists will hit the road to do what they do best - share their music, live-in-person, with the world, and bring joy to millions of people. But the challenges of being a touring artist can take a terrible toll on creators’ mental and physical health. In a 2022 paper in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, Dr. Chayim Newman and Zack Borer - revealed some sobering statistics from a 239-question survey of more than eleven hundred touring professionals. They discovered that people working in the music industry have rates of depression, anxiety and suicide risk five to 10 times higher than the normal population. That’s an astonishing statistic, but probably not surprising to many of our members who spend much of the year on the road facing many challenges.

Newman and Borer recently launched Amber Health, a company that offers a broad suite of mental health services to help treat the root causes of this mental health crisis and to provide solutions for the music industry. To date, with science-based research under their belt, they’ve worked with such organizations as the Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals, the Country Music Association, Live Nation as well as top artists in the industry.

In an illuminating conversation, Newman and Borer share insights into the unique challenges artists face as working music professionals and some of the ways we can take care of ourselves and each other.

Check out the ASCAP Wellness Program

Learn more about Amber Health

Read how the industry is confronting music’s mental health crisis

Register for the ASCAP Experience - June 21, 2023 in LA

As part of our Earth Day celebration in partnership with Studio Green @ ASCAP, we talk to James Valentine, founding member, songwriter and lead guitarist for one of the biggest bands on the planet - three-time Grammy Award winners Maroon 5. James’s work with the band has led to more than 135 million albums sold and created a steady stream of hit singles, including “She Will Be Loved,” “This Love,” “Payphone,” “Moves Like Jagger,” “Maps,” “Sugar” and more. James also serves as an advisory board member for REVERB, the non-profit environmental advocacy organization made up of music creators and music lovers who are working to create a better future for people and the planet through actions on the road, at concerts and beyond.

James discusses how he and Maroon 5 have worked with REVERB on tour since 2005 and how REVERB artist expeditions to the rainforests of Guatemala and Peru has helped him raise awareness about the harmful effects of deforestation on people and the environment.

We also talk to independent music entrepreneur, author and Relix magazine publisher Peter Shapiro and how he has made sustainability a core part of his career, from creating and owning music venues like Brooklyn Bowl to producing over 10,000 shows, including concerts such as 2015’s Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead and 2010’s Earth Day 40th Anniversary climate rally and concert featuring The Roots on the National Mall.

Find out the latest on Maroon 5

Welcome to Studio Green @ ASCAP

Check out REVERB, leaders of the green music movement

Watch excerpts from Instruments of Change

2023 Songwriter of the Year Grammy nominee Amy Allen is one of the most in-demand songwriters in pop music. Her credits include songs written for Selena Gomez, Halsey, King Princess, Charli XCX, Harry Styles, Lizzo, Alexander23 and many more. 

She has landed a coveted spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 List and was featured as one of Variety’s “Hitmakers of the Month.” In 2021, Amy was honored at the Ivor Novello Awards, along with Tyler Johnson, Kid Harpoon and Harry Styles, for their GRAMMY-nominated song “Adore You.”

On this episode Amy talks about her roots in Maine, what it means to be among the first five Songwriter of the Year nominees in the inaugural Grammy category, the creative lessons learned writing with some of today’s top artists and her desire to share more of her own music as a solo artist with the world, which she plans to do in the new year.

Listen to a playlist of Amy’s songs here.

Visit Amy here.

Follow Amy here.

This episode is about all that jazz. Esperanza Spalding is a five-time Grammy Award-winning bassist, singer, songwriter and composer. Recently, she has expanded her gifts to include work with fellow creators, teachers and practitioners in various fields to explore the therapeutic potential of music. Her last two albums, 2018’s 12 Little Spells and 2021’s Songwrights Apothecary Lab, reflect this new direction in her evolution as an artist. 

She wrote an opera with Wayne Shorter, which premiered in fall 2021, and is presently working with Harvard University to co-create and learn with students there. We talked to her as she prepared to grace the legendary Newport Jazz Festival Fort Stage. Also, we talk to Michael R. Dudley, a trumpet player,  educator and recipient of the ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award. Michael was selected to perform at this year’s Newport Jazz Festival as part of the Newport Festival Foundation’s enduring partnership with the ASCAP Foundation to promote emerging jazz talent.

Visit Esperanza’s website

Check out Michael R. Dudley’s website

Learn more about The ASCAP Foundation

RSVP for the ASCAP Experience

In celebration of AAPI Heritage Month, we share highlights of two conversations from recent ASCAP Experience sessions featuring a diverse group of voices from ASCAP’s AAPI community. You'll hear a provocative discussion with playwright, librettist and lyricist David Henry Hwang and composer and conceptual artist Huang Ruo about art, identity and the power of music to help us fight racism and understand each other better. Then international superstar Amber Liu of K-pop royalty f(x), and Justin Park, a rising singer-songwriter recently endorsed by BTS’s Jungkook, talk about how their identities have shaped their lives and music careers, and the joys and challenges of growing up in the AAPI community.

Watch "Chinese as Apple Pie" from David Henry Hwang and Huang Ruo’s opera THE RIFT

Watch "The Perfect Woman" from David Henry Hwang and Huang Ruo’s opera  M. BUTTERFLY

Watch “Easier” by Amber Liu (featuring Jackson Wang)

Watch “Shady” by Justin Park

Check out the ASCAP Experience

You can also check out past VERSED episodes here

In celebration of Earth Day, we talk to Guster frontman and guitarist Adam Gardner, whose nonprofit environmental organization, Reverb, partners with fellow music makers like Billie Eilish, P!nk, Maroon 5, Dead & Company, Bonnie Raitt, Sleater-Kinney, Jack Johnson and more, as well as festivals and venues, to green their concert events while engaging fans to help tackle today’s most pressing environmental issues and create real, measurable change for people and the planet. Adam shares some of the actions music creators and music lovers alike can take to reduce their footprint. He also highlights the positive impact that Reverb’s recent campaign, Music Climate Revolution, has made within the last year, and how more sectors of the music industry are supporting their mission.

Learn more about Reverb

Join the Music Climate Revolution

See Guster live 

Check out The ASCAP Experience

You can also check out past episodes here