VERSED: The ASCAP Podcast

ASCAP
  • 4.6 (10)
  • MUSIC INTERVIEWS

VERSED: THE ASCAP PODCAST illuminates the heart and soul of music - the songwriters and composers whose work makes us sing, dance and want to change the world. Regularly featuring the greatest music creators from a diversity of genres who share the stories behind writing their hits and best-loved work - and the gems of wisdom they gained in the process - as well as industry experts who discuss the important issues that affect the lives and livelihoods of all music creators, VERSED offers insight into the hearts and minds of music professionals like never before. If music is your life, and you want to experience what it's like inside ASCAP's music creator community, then VERSED is required - yet fascinating - listening.

  1. Jerskin Fendrix on Bugonia's Beguiling Music

    12/03/2025

    Jerskin Fendrix on Bugonia's Beguiling Music

    "Bugonia" is the ancient practice of leaving out the body of a dead cow, with the belief that bees would spontaneously generate from its carcass. That strange idea serves as an inspiration for the film Bugonia, the latest from visionary director Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things, The Favourite, The Lobster). And in an abstract way it also inspired its score by British composer Jerskin Fendrix – the first original composer that Lanthimos ever worked with, and his collaborator on Poor Things and Kinds of Kindness. Fendrix didn't read the script or see any footage before he began writing music for Bugonia. Instead, Lanthimos gave him just three words: "bees," "basement" and "spaceship." The bare bones of the film's metaphorical carcass, out of which Fendrix generated his score. What resulted is a grandiose, oftentimes unhinged score that tracks the film's complex emotional terrain. It was recorded by the 90-piece London Contemporary Orchestra, which Jerskin praised for their adventurousness. "They're up for playing around, they're up for experimenting, they're up for embarrassing themselves musically," he says. "So being able to play with an orchestra…which I was able to draw some more unusual, more provocative sounds out of, was an absolute joy." The same month that Bugonia was released in theaters, Fendrix released Once Upon a Time…In Shropshire, his first solo album in five years. It's a fascinating yin to Bugonia's yang, representing a very different side of this multi-faceted creator. Follow Jerskin Fendrix on Instagram. Bugonia is in theaters and on select streaming platforms. More info here. Listen to Jerskin Fendrix's discography on Spotify. Stream Once Upon a Time...In Shropshire on Bandcamp. Get tickets now for the 2026 ASCAP Experience.

    31 min
  2. Everybody Loves Lucius

    09/22/2025

    Everybody Loves Lucius

    Lucius, the Grammy-nominated indie-pop quartet led by Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe, have been crafting innovative, exciting and absolutely otherworldly music for nearly 20 years. Driven by Holly and Jess's intricately-blended vocals and backed by masterful musicians, drummer Dan Molad and guitarist Peter Lalish, Lucius's songs deliver provocative and soulful journeys into the human heart, all set in soundscapes that are by turns edgy and cinematic. On the heels of releasing their fourth studio album, a self-titled work that is their most personal and purposeful work to date, and which Rolling Stone calls "The best album of their career," Holly and Jess took a break from their 2025 Gold Rush Tour to talk to VERSED about their roots, the art of collaboration and harmonizing and how their long-enduring friendship and partnership has carried them through music-making, motherhood and more. We also share insights from singer-songwriter Alex Warren's appearance at the 2023 ASCAP Experience in LA that set him up for success with "Ordinary," Billboard's 2025 Song of the Summer. Catch Lucius on tour Listen to their new album Watch the video for "Final Days" Download the ASCAP Mobile App

    31 min

  3. 08/25/2025

    Jazz Star Jahari Stampley's Time Has Come

    Award-winning jazz pianist, composer and bandleader Jahari Stampley was born in Chicago and started playing piano at age 14. Within two years of exploring his instrument, he started winning competitions. By the age of 18, he was recognized and followed by such world-renowned musicians as Yebba Smith, Jill Scott, Robert Glasper, Jacob Collier and others. In 2023, Jahari won first place in the Herbie Hancock Institute International Competition, was named Chicagoan of the Year in Jazz, became the first non-classical musician to receive the Chicago Youth Symphony Alumni Award, and was awarded the 2023 LuminArts Fellowship for his debut album Still Listening. That album, by the way, rose to #1 on Apple iTunes in the first weeks of its release.  In May of this year, Jahari released the single "To Be Alive" from his second album, What a Time, set to be released in the US in September.  Also this year, Jahari was presented with an ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award and was selected to perform at DC JazzFest as part of the Foundation's partnership with the festival. As he geared up to take the DC JazzFest Transit Stage in August with his Jahari Stampley Family Band, featuring his mother, the Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist D-Erania Stampley, and some special guests, he shared what brought him to this moment in his career, what he has learned on his journey so far, and what he hopes to achieve with his music. Also in this episode are excerpts from ASCAP's Etan Rosenbloom's interview with songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist and Laufey collaborator Spencer Stewart about how jazz has impacted the way he makes music.   Visit Jahari Stampley online Listen to "To Be Alive (Solo Piano)" from Jahari's forthcoming album, What a Time Check out Laufey's new album, A Matter of Time Download the ASCAP Mobile App

    31 min

  4. 07/17/2025

    Daniel Levitin on Music as Medicine

    Daniel Levitin is an award-winning neuroscientist, musician, ASCAP songwriter and the New York Times best-selling author of several books, including This is Your Brain on Music, The World in Six Songs, The Organized Mind and Successful Aging. His latest book, entitled I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine, explores the healing powers of music and shows how and why it is one of the most potent therapies today. He brings together the results of numerous studies on music and the brain and demonstrates how music can contribute to the treatment of ailments such as neurodegenerative diseases, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's to cognitive injury, depression and pain.   But Dan brings so much more to his work than an incredible scientific background. As a songwriter and musician who has worked closely with music icons such as Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, Rodney Crowell and many more, he speaks eloquently about these topics from a music creator's perspective. In this fascinating conversation, he also touches on human vs AI created music, how some of the most legendary songwriters tapped into their unconscious mind to create indelible lyrics and his work in getting music therapy as a covered treatment.   Learn more about Daniel's work and read the book Watch Daniel perform "Just a Memory" with Renée Fleming, Victor Wooten and Hardy Hemphill Download the ASCAP Mobile App

    26 min

  5. 12/17/2024

    Behind the Songs with Justin Tranter

    For the past decade, megahit songwriter Justin Tranter has penned hit after beloved hit for massive acts like Chappell Roan, Selena Gomez, Imagine Dragons, Fall Out Boy,  Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Maroon 5, Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa, Janelle Monáe – the list goes on and on. Justin's keen ear for catchy hooks, resonant lyrics and an endless supply of infectious melodies has secured their near constant presence on the top of the charts for the past 10 years – and their ambitions only grow stronger with every smash, most recently Chappell Roan's undeniable anthem "Good Luck, Babe!" nominated for "Song of the Year" at the 2025 Grammy Awards.  To celebrate their joining the ASCAP family, Justin recently joined us at NightBird Recording Studio for a behind the song look at some of the most beloved hits from this dynamic songwriting talent, outspoken activist and community advocate. We also picked their brain about their songwriting process, the issues facing songwriters today and why they joined ASCAP.  Music. Truth. Community. Get your tickets to the 2025 ASCAP Experience

    46 min

  6. 12/09/2024

    Aoife O'Donovan Moves Folk Forward

    Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Aoife O'Donovan got her start as lead singer with the celebrated roots music group Crooked Still. She also founded the Grammy-winning folk trio, I'm With Her, alongside Sara Watkins and Sarah Jarosz, and has released three critically-acclaimed solo albums, including  2022's Age of Apathy, which garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album. She has performed, recorded and collaborated with an extraordinary number of musical artists, from the Boston Pops Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra to folk, jazz and bluegrass luminaries such as Chris Thile, Edgar Myer, the Kronos Quartet and Yo Yo Ma, among many others. O'Donovan's latest album, All My Friends, is an ambitious, expansive and orchestral venture, with songs inspired by the life and mission of Carrie Chapman Catt, a leader of the suffragist movement who fought for and won the passage of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. At its heart, the album is a collection of folk songs that tell a powerful story. But Aoife's collaborative spirit brought in an array of incredible musicians that give the music an epic scope. Guests include The Knights, an orchestral collective conducted by O'Donovan's husband Eric Jacobsen; the Westerlies, a brass quartet; and the San Francisco Girls Chorus, made up of young women from the ages of 12 to 18.  Other guests include folk music all-stars such as Noam Pikelny, Anaïs Mitchell and Sierra Hull. The result is an extraordinary work that is provocative and passionate. And in a very heated election year, it addressed big themes in the most personal way, as the greatest folk music always does. As a result, Aofie's vision garnered her Grammy nominations for Best Folk Album and Best American Roots Song for the title track. In this episode Aoife shares what inspired the creation of the album and the joy of making music with her ever-widening circle of friends. She also treats us to two special performances: the traditional German carol, "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" and "All My Friends." Visit Aoife on the web Watch Aoife perform "All My Friends" with the National Symphony Orchestra Listen to All My Friends Get your ticket for the 2025 ASCAP Experience

    25 min

  7. 10/24/2024

    The ASCAP Lab Gets Down to Business with AI

    The ASCAP Lab is ASCAP's innovation initiative, where the organization experiments to create the ASCAP of the next 100 years. Its mission is to explore advanced technologies, new business approaches and creative collaborations with the intent to foster and expand new ways to serve and support ASCAP members - all part of our commitment to being "creator first, future forward." One way it is achieving this goal is with the ASCAP Lab Challenge. Launched in 2020, this annual innovation accelerator program, operated in partnership with the NYC Media Lab led by the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, provides selected startups and university teams with mentorship and small grants to develop and expand upon their emerging technologies during a 12-week program. The ASCAP Lab works closely with each selected team to optimize their strategies and product offerings for the music creator community. The 2024 program, dubbed the AI and the Business of Music Challenge, brought together ASCAP's senior strategy, operations, and legal experts; key ASCAP writer, composer, and publisher members; and five of the most promising music tech entrepreneurs and early-stage startups in an effort to shape how AI tools can benefit music creators. In this episode you'll meet the 5 teams - CRESQA, Music Tomorrow, RoEx, SoundSafe.ai and Wavelets AI, and ASCAP composer member Gregg Lehrman (trailers for Avatar, Inglourious Basterds) who is also a startup founder (Output) and participated in the Challenge as a mentor to learn more about their experience and their unique contributions. Access the full show notes for this episode. Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 01:55 – Gregg Lehrman (ASCAP composer and Output founder) 11:43 – CRESQA's Maria Brachmańska and Karol Musur 23:30 – Music Tomorrow's Julie Knibbe and Pierre Niboyet  33:49 – RoEx's Dave Ronan and Aggela Mourgela 44:25 – SoundSafe.ai's Don Dada and Johnny Stevenson 54:05 – Wavelets AI's Dave Thurlow 1:01:30 - Outro Explore the ASCAP Lab and other on-demand content about ASCAP and AI Learn more about the NYC Media Lab

    1h 3m

  8. 10/14/2024

    Ingrid Michaelson's Musical Embrace

    Following her debut as a composer for Broadway's The Notebook, singer, songwriter and producer Ingrid Michaelson released For the Dreamers, a masterful collection of orchestral pop songs and treasured classics that feels like a golden-hued, heartwarming musical hug for our anxious times. She talked to VERSED about the joy of making the album, following your artistic muse, facing your creative fears and building a trusted team. Then, pianist, composer and bandleader Joe Block, hailed by Jazz at Lincoln Center as one of "jazz's most promising young composers" and a recent winner of an ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award, talks to us about working with Wynton Marsalis and other jazz giants and what it takes to reach your full musical potential. Listen to For the Dreamers See Ingrid perform "Backyard" on the Today show Watch Ingrid perform R.E.M.'s "Nightswimming" at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café Visit Ingrid's website Visit Joe Block's website Make sure you are ready to vote at Headcount.org/ascap

    54 min
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4.6
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About

VERSED: THE ASCAP PODCAST illuminates the heart and soul of music - the songwriters and composers whose work makes us sing, dance and want to change the world. Regularly featuring the greatest music creators from a diversity of genres who share the stories behind writing their hits and best-loved work - and the gems of wisdom they gained in the process - as well as industry experts who discuss the important issues that affect the lives and livelihoods of all music creators, VERSED offers insight into the hearts and minds of music professionals like never before. If music is your life, and you want to experience what it's like inside ASCAP's music creator community, then VERSED is required - yet fascinating - listening.

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