And The Writer Is...with Ross Golan

He is a composer, lyricist, conductor, arranger, orchestrator, director, and performer – who has been hailed as “one of Broadway’s smartest and most sophisticated songwriters since Stephen Sondheim” (Philadelphia Inquirer). Best known for his dazzling scores to several of the most renowned musicals of his generation, including the generation-defining ‘The Last Five Years,’ his debut song cycle ‘Songs for a New World,’ and the seminal ‘Parade,’ for which he won the 1999 Tony Award for Best Score, he also received two Tony Awards for his score for ‘The Bridges of Madison County,’ a musical adapted with Marsha Norman from the bestselling novel. A film version of his epochal Off-Broadway musical ‘The Last Five Years’ was released in 2015, starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan and directed by Richard LaGravenese. His musical ‘13,’ written with Robert Horn and Dan Elish, is now in production with Netflix to be adapted for the small screen. For the past four years, he has been the artist-in-residence at New York’s SubCulture, where he offers a sold-out concert every month with stars of Broadway and the music world. He is the winner of the 2018 Louis Auchincloss Prize, the 2002 Kleban Award for Outstanding Lyrics and the 1996 Gilman & Gonzalez-Falla Foundation Award for Musical Theatre. The New York Times refers to him as “a leading member of a new generation of composers who embody high hopes for the American musical.” And his songs, including the cabaret standard “Stars and the Moon,” have been performed and recorded by Ariana Grande, Audra McDonald, Kristin Chenoweth, Billy Porter, Betty Buckley, Renée Fleming, Jon Hendricks, and many others. And The Writer Is…Jason Robert Brown!This episode is sponsored by ABKCO. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest this week is an Ivor Award-winning songwriter, producer, and musician, who has collaborated with a wide range of artists including One Direction, Thomas Rhett, Maren Morris, Chris Brown, Jason Derulo, Fifth Harmony, Maroon 5, Big & Rich, Leona Lewis, and Little Big Town. He co-wrote and co-produced a majority of One Direction’s last three albums including the hit singles, “Drag Me Down,” "Best Song Ever" and "Story of My Life.” With Thomas Rhett he has co-written and co-produced numerous songs including his No. 1 singles “Craving You (feat. Maren Morris),” from the Grammy-nominated album ‘Life Changes’ and “Look What God Gave Her,” from the CMA Album of the Year nominated album ‘Center Point Road,’ (which he also co-produced). Additionally, he co-wrote and produced Niall Horan’s recent single “Nice To Meet Ya,” the No. 1 Top 40 single “Slow Hands,” as well as “On The Loose” & “Finally Free,” Rudimental’s Ivor Award-winning, multi-platinum single “These Days (feat. Jess Glynne, Macklemore & Dan Caplen),” Harry Styles’ “Two Ghosts,” Amber Mark’s “Put U On (feat DRAM),” Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs’ “Don’t You Forget About Me,” and many more. And The Writer Is…Julian Bunetta!This episode is sponsored by BMI, ABKCO, and NSAI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last month Ross got back together with Charlie at Vox's Switched on Pop; this time to discuss everything from classic songwriting techniques, the happy accidents behind pop songs, and good listener habits. Dive into the conversation with this special BONUS episode, and boy does it have it all! Many thanks to our friends at Switched on Pop for always being down to nerd out with us. Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He is an ASCAP, BMI and Billboard Music Award-winning, multi-platinum songwriter, producer, and musician. As the principal singer and songwriter for the band Sugarcult, he toured the world for more than a decade with multiple platinum-selling success. From there, his writing and production duties with Neon Trees spawned the hits “Animal," "Everybody Talks," and "Sleeping With A Friend”. He produced the Walk The Moon album ‘Talking Is Hard’- which included the chart-topping song "Shut Up and Dance”. And he has also worked with Weezer, Elle King, The Strumbellas and Coin. Most recently, Pagnotta produced and co-wrote two singles (“Blame It On My Youth” and “Happy Days”) from blink-182’s #1 Billboard Rock and Alternative album, Nine. Tim also co-wrote the new Weezer single, “End of the Game,” which is currently #8 on the Alternative Radio Chart. In total, his songs have sold in excess of 12 million copies worldwide and streamed over 1 billion times. In addition to producing and writing, he is also developing artists and writer / producers - and is also about to launch his publishing venture. And The Writer Is…Tim Pagnotta!This episode is sponsored by BMI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He is a multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated songwriter, producer, and musician best known for his work with Shawn Mendes and co-writing the Grammy-winning No. 1 song, "Don't Let Me Down" by The Chainsmokers featuring Daya. Additionally, he co-wrote the Shawn Mendes single, "There's Nothing Holding Me Back" which hit #1 at TOP 40, the newest Shawn Mendes single, “If I Can't Have You”, the Grammy-nominated for song of the year “In My Blood”, and the current The Head and The Heart single, “Missed Connection” which hit #1 at alternative radio. Recently, Harris had the singles “Walk Me Home”, which hit #1 at Hot AC radio, and “Hurts 2B Human” by P!nk, “Ballin Flossin” by Chance the Rapper featuring Shawn Mendes and Kesha’s “Best Day” featured in the film, Angry Birds 2. He has also worked with Dermot Kennedy, Alec Benjamin, Julia Michaels, K. Flay, Michael Buble, Jon Bellion, Noah Kahan, Jessie J, Bebe Rexha and X Ambassadors. And The Writer Is…Scott Harris! This episode is sponsored by BMI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our next guest achieved superstar status for his Tony Award-winning performance as Evan Hansen in ‘Dear Evan Hansen’, originating the lead role. He is a Grammy and Emmy Award-winning vocalist, songwriter, and actor, who is also recognized for his role as Benji Applebaum in ‘Pitch Perfect’ and ‘Pitch Perfect 2’. This year he shared another side of himself as a songwriter and solo artist with the release of his first full-length album, ‘Sing To Me Instead’, which delivers confessional lyricism by way of soulful intimacy as part of one cohesive narrative. The 12-track album chronicles the highs and lows of a transformative relationship. Showcasing his personal story, he penned several songs solo and co-wrote the remainder of material alongside the likes of Ben Abraham, Eg White, Nate Cyphert, Michael Pollack, Jenn Decilveo and more. In addition to his recent album, he is the executive producer and leading star of the new Ryan Murphy series, ‘The Politician’, currently on Netflix. He is the youngest artist to be one award away from EGOT status, And The Writer Is…Ben Platt! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum artist and songwriter is the definition of a modern-day rock star. With the recent release of his EP ‘Oh My Messy Mind’ which featured the infectious duet “Peer Pressure” featuring Julia Michaels, and the heart-wrenching ballad “Bad,” he continues to highlight his songwriting and musical prowess. This past year he finished his sold-out US heading tour and this summer he opened for Ed Sheeran on his overseas European arena tour. In 2018, after the release of his sophomore album ‘Electric Light,’ he won the world over again with its singles “Wild Love,” “Pink Lemonade” and “Us.” Following the release of his debut album ‘Chaos And The Calm,’ featuring the singles, “Hold Back The River” and “Let It Go” he was nominated for Best Rock Album, Best Rock Song, and Best New Artist at the 2016 Grammy Awards. In the UK, the record became the “Biggest New Artist Album Release” that year and has sold nearly 5 million albums and generated 3.5 billion streams worldwide. Receiving the BRIT’s Critics Choice award in 2015, this songwriter has also gone on to win Best Male Solo Artist at the BRITS, International Newcomer at the ECHO Awards, Best New Act & Best Solo Artist at the Q Awards, and Most Performed Work for “Hold Back The River” at the Ivor Novello Awards. On the other side of the globe, he has also received a nod for “Best International Artist” at the ARIA Awards in Australia. And The Writer Is…James Bay!This episode is sponsored by Bandzoogle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Busbee fought for songwriters. He was one of the key advocates during the passage of the Music Modernization Act and was one of the first elected to the MLC. He wrote pop hits. He wrote country hits. But most importantly, he was our friend. The entire Nashville and LA songwriting community has lost a champion. We are sending all of our love to Jess and his three daughters.busbeeFull name: Michael Busbee 1976 - 2019With Love, Ross, Joe and the ATWI Family. "Originally hailing from the Bay Area and now based in LA, this Grammy-nominated songwriter, producer and publisher has deservedly become an untouchable force in the songwriting community. Best known for carving parallel careers in mainstream Pop and commercial Country, busbee has written with and produced for a wide range of artists, including Gwen Stefani, P!nk, Kelly Clarkson, Jon Bellion, Timbaland, Rachel Platten, Christina Aguilera, 5 Seconds of Summer, Lady Antebellum, Shakira, and more. Recent smash hits in the Country market include "The Fighter“ by Keith Urban (feat. Carrie Underwood), "My Church" & "80s Mercedes" by Maren Morris, and BMI of the Year "H.O.L.Y." by Florida Georgia Line. Additionally, many of busbee’s hits in both the Pop And Country markets have been 50/50 collaborations. A true musician's musician and family man....And The Writer Is…busbee!" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our next guest is an Australian born and raised, No. 1 charting, Grammy-nominated songwriter. Her passion for music sparked at a young age after winning a songwriting grant, which inspired her to follow the career path of her idol, Sia. After learning Sia – along with her other favorite songwriters Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift – were signed to Sony/ATV Publishing, she submitted a demo to their Sydney office which impressed Head of A&R, Maree Hamblion and she was later signed. Since then this songwriter has used her unique talent to co-write US and Australian radio charting songs such as LDRU’s “Keeping Score (feat. Paige IV),” Cosmo’s Midnight’s “History,” David Guetta’s “Don’t Leave Me Alone (feat. Anne-Marie),” and two of Zedd’s No.1 hits, "Stay (with Alessia Cara)” and the 2019 Song of the Year Grammy-nominated song “The Middle” with Grey and Maren Morris. She has also crafted songs for major artists such as Camila Cabello, Galantis, Dua Lipa, Demi Lovato, Jonas Brothers, Ruel, Mabel and contributed four songs to Khalid’s No. 1 Billboard Top 200 debut album 'Free Spirit'. In 2018, she received the APRA Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year award and then won APRA’s Songwriter of the Year award the very next year. Additionally, she is nominated for Song of the Year at the 2019 CMA Awards for co-writing Maren Morris’ No. 1 single, “Girl.” And The Writer is… the unstoppable, Sarah Aarons!This episode is sponsored by BMI and Bandzoogle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week our guest is a songwriter and the lead singer of the band, X Ambassadors. X Ambassadors’ debut platinum-selling album ‘VHS’ saw the band transition from Ithaca alt-rockers and Brooklyn indie scene outsiders, to Billboard stalwarts. The album was an intimate insight into our guest and his brothers’ youth, studded with audio snippets from home movies, and early recording sessions and sound checks. With it, came the genre-defining, multi-platinum hits “Unsteady” and “Renegades,” a three-year global touring odyssey and a string of high-profile festival performances. His songwriting became increasingly personal resulting in the shattering, shimmering 2018 singles “JOYFUL” and “Don’t Stay” followed by a North American headline tour. With X Ambassadors our guest has co-written and featured on songs such as “Home” from the Bright Soundtrack with Machine Gun Kelly and Bebe Rexha, “Transmission” with Zedd and Logic, and the 3x multi-platinum song, “Sucker for Pain” from the Suicide Squad Soundtrack with Imagine Dragons, Lil Wayne, Logic, Ty Dolla $ign & Wiz Khalifa. He has also co-written songs for other artists and projects including, “American Oxygen” by Rihanna, “Bad Husband” by Eminem, “Jerome,” “Cuz I Love You,” and “Heaven Help Me” by Lizzo. Additionally, he co-wrote 8 songs on the 2019 album, ‘For The Throne (Music Inspired by the HBO Series Game of Thrones)’ which featured artists such as Maren Morris, X Ambassadors, SZA, The Weeknd and Travis Scott. Always looking to give back to the community that raised them, X Ambassadors returned to Ithaca for the second annual Cayuga Sound Festival this past September creating and curating two days of musical performances and raising money for local charities. In 2019 X Ambassadors released “BOOM,” a quick-fire anthem for emphatic recovery and personal revolutions from their new album, ‘ORION’. This episode features two parts; an intimate discussion with Ross and the other a live audience interview held at the Deutsch agency in Los Angeles. And The Writer Is… Sam Nelson Harris! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.