And The Writer Is...with Ross Golan

Today’s guest wrote her first song when she was nine years old and quickly began honing her songwriting skills. After teaching herself guitar, this writer took to open mic nights and busking around West-Sussex, using the money to launch a YouTube channel. Over time, she began cultivating what is now one of the most dedicated fanbases in modern pop. Our guest eventually signed to Atlantic Records in 2018 and released her debut EP, ‘Dressed Too Nice For A Jacket’, later that year.In the years that have followed, our guest has firmly established herself as one of pop’s brightest new talents, racking up over a billion global streams and earning famous fans like Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers and Sam Smith, as well as launching her very own virtual book club, with guests including Annie Lord, Bolu Babalola and Elif Batuman. Running full steam ahead, this writer went on to sell out her second US headline tour and support Ed Sheeran on his mammoth UK/EU stadium tour, with five more dates confirmed for the North American run later this year. Continuing with a landmark year in 2023, this summer our guest released her acclaimed sophomore album The Good Witch, which earned her her first #1 on the UK Album Chart, marking her as the youngest British female solo act since 2014 to claim a #1, and the youngest artist to claim a #1 since Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour.And The Writer Is…Maisie Peters! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re excited to announce a special bonus interview with Alex Heiche, the CEO & Founder of our incredible supporters, Sound Royalties. Ross recently sat down with Alex to discuss the artist-friendly royalty funding services they provide. Read below to find out more about Sound Royalties and listen to this conversation on any platform you find your podcasts! Alex founded Sound Royalties in 2014 with the vision of providing funding to music creatives without ever taking ownership of the underlying copyrights. Its unique business model, tailored to creatives’ individual needs, lets creators keep 100% ownership of their copyrights while providing ongoing cash flow during the term of the advance. The company works with all types of royalty streams to maximize a creative’s options, going far beyond solely music streaming platform revenues. To serve its thousands of customers in 16 countries, it works with more than 130 PROs, publishers, labels, and distributors across three continents and maintains an international network of representatives who know their region’s music professionals. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is a bona fide hit-maker whose worked across all corners of the industry. Hailing from Memphis, Tennessee this songwriter got their start playing saxophone in church and with bands on Beale Street before being discovered by a talent manager. He soon signed a publishing deal and began his career as a successful songwriter and producer. With credits that span Kane Brown's "Heaven" to Charlie Puth's "One Call Away," this writer is one of the most formidable up-and-coming talents in Nashville and beyond. He is among the writers behind Billy Currington's "It Don't Hurt Like it Used To," Sugarland's smash hit "Stuck Like Glue" and Rob Thomas' single "Someday." In addition to his feature on Tim McGraw's "Way Down," he has collaborated with Keith Urban on both "Never Comin' Down" and "My Wave." Named to Variety's 2018 Hitmakers list, he has also worked with Jason Derulo, Meghan Trainor, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Lopez, Nelly and more. His roots in gospel, jazz, R&B and soul developed into an early career in hip-hop, but his gift for storytelling and love of organic instrumentation led to a natural transition into country music. Now, with a transcendent style perfectly suited to the times, he's ready to stand on his own as a country artist. His debut radio single "Good Love" and subsequent EP The Rest Of US are fitting introductions to the man behind the music. And The Writer Is…Shy Carter! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is a grammy award winning producer, songwriter and musician who has worked with an impressive and eclectic group of stars. He spent 11 years under the wing of legendary producer Dr.Dre and produced songs for Eminem, Carrie Underwood, NF, Fiona Apple, 50 Cent, Keith Urban, Twenty-One Pilots, Ed Sheeran, Gary Clark Jr., Regina Spektor, and the Jonas Brothers. A three-time Grammy nominee, Elizondo took home the “Best Rock or Gospel Album” Grammy award with Switchfoot in 2011 for the band’s Hello Hurricane. In 2016, Lin-Manuel Miranda asked him to produce three songs on the Hamilton Mixtape. He has extensive co-writing credits, including Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady” and 50 Cent’s “In Da Club,” and also penned songs for artists including Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Eve, Snoop Dogg, Macy Gray, Nelly Furtado, and Mandy Moore, amongst others. He’s also worked at Warner Bros. Records where he used his passion for artist development to work with bands such as The Regrettes. On top of all of this, he is also an accomplished musician, having contributed bass to Ry Cooder’s Chavez Ravine and B.B. King’s Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. B.B. King, among other albums. His recent productions include Lauren Daigle, Brothers Osborne, Rag'n'Bone Man, Turnstile, and Disney’s ENCANTO. Today’s guest wears so many hats in the music industry, and inspires artists to explore all of their passions. And The Writer Is…#MikeElizondo! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest signed her first publishing deal at the astonishing age of 19 and has since become one of the most successful and sought-after songwriters in the music industry. She has hits with Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris, Sheryl Crow, Miranda Lambert, Lady Gaga, Yola, Dierks Bentley, Rag'n'Bone Man, Lady A, Kelly Clarkson, Little Big Town, and Labrinth, to name a few. She has successfully released her solo work and joined forces with Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris, and Amanda Shires as The Highwomen, releasing their critically acclaimed self-titled album in 2019. After scoring the record deal she released her exceptional sophomore album Pins and Needles via Fantasy Records. With all of this hard work and talent, it is no surprise that our guest has also been recognized by the ACM, CMA, CMT, and NSAI Awards for her prodigious and versatile contributions to songwriting. She received a Grammy award for Best Song Written for Visual Media for Lady Gaga’s, “I’ll Never Love Again,” from A Star Is Born, and later a Grammy for Country Song of the Year for "Crowded Table" by The Highwomen. Her work inspires artists of every genre and generation. And The Writer Is…Natalie Hemby! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest has worked with some of the world's most famous artists and left a lasting legacy on hip-hop. Raised in a musical household in Socorro, New Mexico, this writer fell in love with Jazz at a young age. Later on, he studied Jazz piano and arranging at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where his love of music quickly turned into his life's calling. After graduating, he worked his way around the Boston music scene, playing gigs as a keyboardist before he moved to New York City. There he started to play in more jam bands, and soon found himself infatuated by songwriting.A few years later, he moved to Los Angeles where he started to write demos for Diane Warren and Bruno Mars, slowly gaining recognition in the songwriting and producing scene. In 2008, he was introduced to Kanye West and the duo soon became close collaborators— he’s since worked on four of West’s albums: 808s & Heartbreak, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Watch the Throne, and Donda. This writer's work with West shot his career to new heights, making him a highly sought-after songwriter, instrumentalist, and producer. Apart from his work with West, our guest is also known for producing, cowriting, and playing keyboards for the Some Nights album by Fun., which skyrocketed the group into stardom in 2012.On top of all this success, today’s guest has won Grammy Awards for the songs “Run This Town” by Jay-Z, “All of the Lights” by Kanye West, “We Are Young” by Fun., and “Uptown Funk” by Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson, and received the 2016 Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical for co-producing Mark Ronson’s album Uptown Special and producing Nate Ruess’s album Grand Romantic. His work shaped the sound of hip-hop and influenced a whole generation of new producers.And The Writer Is… Jeff Bhasker! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Originally from Monroe, Georgia, today’s writer has accumulated 21 No. 1 hits and is a staple on Country music radio. Yet, his Southern-bred authenticity is what makes him a real star. He’s never made a project bearing solely his name — telling his story — until releasing his debut solo album on January 27, 2023. A decade ago as the lead singer of the multi-platinum-selling country music duo, Florida Georgia Line, he received every country award you can think of – CMAs, ACMs, AMAs, and Billboard Awards. The cherry on top of all of this success is that he was only 24 years old when his band took off. As a songwriter who has had more than 100 songs recorded by artists including FGL, Jason Aldean, Chris Tomlin, Zac Brown, and Kane Brown, our guest thought he could be happy as a songwriter for other artists. And he was, but the more he wrote, the more he realized many of the songs were telling his own story, through his music. We’re so happy this songwriter decided to take this courageous leap into a solo career. And The Writer Is… Tyler Hubbard! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With over 66 million album equivalents, and 55 million digital songs sold, not to mention over 110 billion combined streams, today guest is the singer of a GRAMMY® Award-winning, multi-Platinum rock band. The group developed a grassroots following with a series of independent EPs before making their major-label debut on KIDinaKORNER/Interscope with 2012’s Continued Silence EP and full-length debut NIGHT VISIONS, which entered the Billboard 200 at No. 2, while lead track “Radioactive” topped Billboard’s Hot Rock Songs, won a GRAMMY® for Best Rock Performance, and achieved RIAA Diamond status. After achieving their first #1 with “Radioactive,” the band immediately repeated this feat with “Demons,” marking the first back-to-back #1’s for the band, with both songs in the Top 5 simultaneously. 2015’s platinum selling Smoke + Mirrors debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.The 3x platinum selling album EVOLVE followed in 2017, earning a GRAMMY® nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album and unleashing three No. 1 Alternative radio hits: “Believer,” GRAMMY®-nominated “Thunder,” and “Whatever It Takes.” All three songs were also top 5 hits at Alternative radio. “Believer” was the quickest song to reach #1 for them. The band’s fourth album and platinum selling, ORIGINS, debuted atop Billboard’s Top Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums charts, while its lead single “Natural” spent nine weeks at No. 1 at Alternative Radio. It was recently announced that their smash single “Thunder” received Diamond certification by the RIAA. With the certification of “Thunder,” Imagine Dragons have notably become the first group in music history to achieve four Diamond singles. For their fifth studio album, the band teamed up with esteemed producer Rick Rubin. 2021’s Mercury — Act 1 debuted in the Billboard 200 top 10. In 2022, they expanded the world of Mercury with a double album, Mercury – Acts 1 & 2, including the single “Bones,” which has gathered over 380 million streams to date and the accompanying music video.And The Writer Is… Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is an English songwriter and record producer. He has won a number of awards, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, 3 Grammy Awards, and 2 Ivor Novello Awards. He is best known for his work with Sam Smith (“Unholy” "Stay with Me", "Writing's on the Wall", "Lay Me Down", "Too Good at Goodbyes", "Dancing with a Stranger"), Disclosure ("Latch", "You & Me", "White Noise", "Magnets"), Clean Bandit ("Rather Be")‚ Stormzy ("Crown") and Taylor Swift ("Christmas Tree Farm"). Our guest also has songwriting and producer credits with artists including Alicia Keys, Khalid, Normani, Kano, Dave, FKA Twigs, Ellie Goulding, Mary J. Blige, James Bay and more. And The Writer Is… Jimmy Napes! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is Co-Chair and COO of Warner Chappell Music (WCM), the global publishing arm of Warner Music Group. She is at the forefront of a new generation of music executives at the intersections of creative and commercial, entertainment and technology. Known for being a champion of songwriters and their songs, her dynamic, innovative approach drives the development and promotion of music creators at all stages of their careers. Along with Warner Chappell’s Co-Chair and CEO, Guy Moot, our guest oversees the company’s global business, which includes a full spectrum of high-touch support services focused on creating transformational opportunities for its legendary roster of songwriters and rich catalog of songs. Since starting at WCM, she and Guy have built a culture of service and creative identity anchored in the company’s shared values of curiosity, collaboration, and commitment.Prior to joining WCM in June 2018, she was one of three partners at the acclaimed independent music publisher SONGS. During her time at SONGS, the company built a roster of over 300 songwriters, signing Lorde, The Weeknd, Diplo, and many others. She has also held positions at Universal Music Publishing, DreamWorks Music Publishing, and Elektra Records. As one of the leading voices in the music industry, our guest has been named one of Billboard's “Women in Music: The Most Powerful Executives in the Industry” for the past seven years running as well as included in the publication’s esteemed “Power 100” list in both 2019, 2020 and 2022. She was also recognized on Variety’s Variety500, along with the publication’s LA Women’s Impact Report. She holds a BA degree in Communications from the University of Southern California. And The Executive Is… Carianne Marshall! Watercolor by: Michael Richey White Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.