Today’s guest began on YouTube — a teenager posting bedroom covers to a handful of viewers.
Now, his songs have been streamed billions of times across the globe.
He’s headlined sold-out arenas on multiple continents, become a global fashion force, and built one of the most devoted fanbases of his generation.
He’s collaborated with legends like Max Martin, while never losing the raw honesty that made his music essential in the first place.
He’s not just a rising star — he’s already one of pop’s defining voices.
And with his new album, he proves that even at the biggest scale, vulnerability is still his superpower.
And the writer is… Conan Gray!
Follow us on socials! @andthewriteris
Thank you to NMPA for sponsoring this season, and fighting for songwriters as well as this podcast.
00:00 – This Is Conan Gray (teaser)
01:00 – Singing Disney With Ross 🎶
02:00 – From Bedroom Dreams to Billions
02:59 – Growing Up Lonely, Writing to Survive
04:45 – The Music Video That Rewired His Brain
06:30 – When Adele Proved Bedroom Songs Were Possible
07:30 – Uploading at Age 9 (Before He Knew the Internet)
14:15 – “Nothing Sounded Like Me”
15:45 – Panic Attacks → Falling in Love With Touring
21:15 – Dropping Out & Betting Everything on Music
23:20 – The Moment His Sister Realized He Was Famous
24:30 – Turning Heartbreak Into Healing on Stage
26:00 – The Nightmare of Empty Venues
28:30 – Dan Nigro: The Producer Who Changed Everything
30:15 – Why Conan Refuses to Believe He’s ‘Made It’
33:22 – Ad Break – Support Songwriters (NMPA)
34:00 – ‘Maniac’: The Shower Song That Hit a Billion 🚿
35:45 – Heather: The Song Everyone Slept On… Until They Didn’t
40:32 – Found Heaven: His Public Bootcamp
43:23 – Max Martin’s Biggest Lesson (That Changed His Writing)
47:00 – Rediscovering Himself on Wishbone
50:05 – The Falsetto High Note That Almost Broke Him
52:07 – Cornell: The Song Too Honest to Ignore
53:00 – Why Radical Honesty Is His Only Rule
55:00 – Why His Art Isn’t Just Music
56:00 – The Three Songs That Define His New Era
01:03:15 – What He’d Tell 12-Year-Old Conan
01:07:00 – Ross: “You Wrote a Song I Wish Was Mine”
Hosted by Ross Golan
Executive Produced by Joe London and Jad Saad
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