And The Writer Is...with Ross Golan

And The Writer Is
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Every week, we sit down with an acclaimed and venerable songwriter to intimately discuss what happens behind closed doors in the music industry. There are millions of singers, thousands of artists, and only 40 top songs per genre at a time... this podcast is about the people who make them. Produced by Joe London & Ross Golan in association with Big Deal Music & Mega House Music. And The Writer Is... ™ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Ep. 252 | How Murda Beatz Became a Generation's Favorite Producer

    3 hr ago

    Ep. 252 | How Murda Beatz Became a Generation's Favorite Producer

    Today's guest is the name behind a decade of names you already know by heart. Eight weeks at #1 with Drake. Over a billion streams off a single Travis Scott beat. A top-six Hot 100 record with Migos, Nicki Minaj, and Cardi B — all on one song. Nipsey Hussle. French Montana. A whole generation of trap and rap that doesn't sound the way it sounds without him. And here's the part that should annoy every producer alive: he made most of it in under 20 minutes, by himself. And The Writer Is... Murda Beatz! In this episode of And The Writer Is, we go deep on: - Why doubt is important - The principal who told him being a producer was "unrealistic" — and what he'd say to him now - Making "Nice For What" in 20 minutes — and why it was never actually mixed - Selling beats over Western Union for $50–$200 — until working with the Migos got him flagged for fraud - DMing his way from a Canadian bedroom to Chief Keef, the Migos, and Nipsey Hussle - The Migos teaching him to cook beats in 10 minutes: "you gotta be faster" Losing his dad at 21 — and how he handles grief while the machine keeps running and his new mixtape, 'Bando' And much more... Hit subscribe and turn on notifications. Every week, we go deep with the most interesting creatives in music. Follow us on socials: @andthewriteris A special thank you to our sponsors for making these conversations possible. Our lead sponsor, NMPA — the National Music Publishers' Association. Your support means the world to us. And @splice — the best sample library on the market. Period. Chapters: 0:00 Intro 1:45 The best producer tag that isn't yours 2:32 The songs: "Nice For What," "Butterfly Effect," "MotorSport" 3:03 The plaque wall — and the one with "some crazy number" 4:29 When the label wouldn't put a producer's name on the plaque 7:00 Born in Niagara Falls, a town of 3,000 on the Buffalo border 8:33 A dad who played guitar, a left-handed kid on the drums 11:36 Why so many great musicians come from Canada 13:08 Trading the drum kit for trap beats 14:29 Digging for Lex Luger drum kits in Skype groups 16:25 "Murda Beatz on the track" — building a fanbase on Facebook and YouTube 19:38 The principal who said being a producer was "unrealistic" 21:51 "The doubt is important" — Michael Jordan and manufacturing motivation 24:50 How you go from YouTube to a $20,000 check 26:33 Learning his value — refusing to be a "sound producer" 27:26 Selling beats on Western Union, and getting flagged for fraud 33:00 Being a white kid making rap on Chicago's South Side 35:02 How he met the Migos on the internet 40:36 Making "Pipe It Up" — and learning to cook beats in 10 minutes 42:32 World #1s in 15–20 minutes: "Butterfly Effect" and "Nice For What" 45:35 Curating a beat pack — and remembering every beat by name 51:24 The crazy fact about "Butterfly Effect": it was never mixed 52:13 "MotorSport" hits #6 — sitting on it for four months 53:24 Making Nipsey Hussle's beat his first day in LA 56:55 "Nice For What" — made in Canada, #1 for eight weeks 62:10 Adjusting as hip-hop changes: "I made rap because I wanted to make rap" 63:42 Producer vs. featured artist — why go solo 68:17 Simplicity: 8–10 stems and nothing wasted 69:27 Losing his dad at 21, and how he deals with grief 70:14 The alone time that built everything 71:15 What's next: the "Bando" project, ten years after his first mixtape 73:02 Rapid fire: signature beat, Mount Rushmore of producers 77:25 Murda Melodies — the plugin that landed on a Bad Bunny record 80:28 Advice for upcoming producers 80:31 A message to his mom — and what he'd tell his dad Credits: Hosted by Ross Golan Produced by Joe London & Jad Saad Edited by Jad Saad Post-Production VFX by Pratik Karki Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 22min
  2. And The Update Is...Universal's Big Week: AI, TikTok While Drake Dominates

    3 days ago

    And The Update Is...Universal's Big Week: AI, TikTok While Drake Dominates

    And The Update Is…a weekly beat on the industry . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    7 min
  3. Ep. 251: Myles Smith | Stargazing, Therapy, and The Secret Cost of Success

    26 May

    Ep. 251: Myles Smith | Stargazing, Therapy, and The Secret Cost of Success

    Today's guest is a rising star who's risen so fast he's not really rising anymore — he's just a star. From a bedroom in Luton playing $50 nylon-string covers and open mics playing for 4 people... Three years later: a billion streams, "Stargazing" on President Obama's summer playlist, two singles that took over pop radio before he'd ever made a debut album, and a debut album sourced from the notes he wrote in therapy that saved him. He's proof that sometimes all you really need is a guitar, a work ethic, and a Taco Bell-poisoned night in Malibu to write a song people argue about in twenty languages. And the writer is... Myles Smith! If you've ever wanted something so badly you didn't think to ask what it would cost when it arrived — this is the conversation. And The Writer Is... Myles Smith! In this episode of And The Writer Is, we go deep on: • Why he scrubbed every song he made before 2023 — and what "I didn't exist before 2023" actually means • His advice for up and coming artists... • The end-of-Covid breakdown at 18 that almost ended things — and the therapy notes that became My Mess, My Heart, My Life. • Meeting Peter Fenn on the last day of a six-week US trip — and writing "My Home" in the first hour • The Taco Bell food-poisoning night in Malibu that produced "Stargazing" • The hidden cost of success on his relationships • "Hey mom, I want to retire you" — and what she said back And much more... Hit subscribe and turn on notifications. Every week, we go deep with the most interesting creatives in music. Follow us on socials: @andthewriteris A special thank you to our sponsors for making these conversations possible. Our lead sponsor, NMPA — the National Music Publishers' Association. Your support means the world to us. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 2:21 My Mess, My Heart, My Life. 3:16 The pressure of being "right at the start of the journey" 4:35 "If you take away the hits, you could see where I really am" 4:54 "I wake up some days in a catastrophe" 6:01 The five albums he wore out 7:23 His mum, his absent dad, and a single-parent household 8:22 Singing in church with his grandma 11:41 First talent show: Fix You by Coldplay 13:01 The $50 nylon-string guitar that started it 14:02 Playing "Dream Girl" for his mum at 10 15:23 Growing up Black in Luton and the Labrinth Electronic album that broke his brain open 18:45 Open mics at 11 — his mum driving him to every one 20:18 Why open mics built him in a way the algorithm can't 21:43 "I was really lucky that I got to fail a thousand times" 22:30 The first real gig — 100 cap, 90 friends and family, indie band Bear with a Three 29:18 Covid, isolation, rock bottom 30:44 Therapy — and the notes that became the album 33:06 Trust issues, anxiety, the night at 18 he tried to "ctrl alt delete on life" 35:12 What he'd say to 18-year-old him 36:55 The videographer who pushed him to try TikTok 37:25 "I'm not trying that shit" — and the Sweater Weather cover that changed everything 40:24 How he paved his way onto an Amber Run tour with one recorded song 43:40 NMPA mid-roll 44:22 The day his career actually started: meeting Peter Fenn 46:08 "Music with other people is supposed to be fun" — Peter's first lesson 49:01 "My Home" — written in the first hour of meeting Peter 54:48 After Stargazing: "stuck in the future" 60:06 Brain scans, burnout, smiling through it all 62:30 "Hey mom, I want to retire you" — and what she said 63:31 The UK artists who don't love being famous — Ed Sheeran, James Bay, Niall Horan 66:12 Are you happy? 78:29 "I hated Niall Horan" — and why 80:11 Rapid fire 83:32 Meeting his wife with all this happening 85:00 The album as the closing of the first chapter 90:46 Pulling up the old voice memos 92:02 The Taco Bell night that became "Stargazing" 95:39 The biggest pinch-me moment of the last three years 98:06 Ross and Joe tape notes Watch on Spotify. Spotify Premium users get no commercial breaks on our show. CREDITS BLOCK Credits: Hosted by Ross Golan Produced by Joe London & Jad Saad Edited by Jad Saad Post-Production VFX by Pratik Karki Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 45min
  4. And The Update Is... AI Covers, Drake’s New Era & Why Michael Jackson Is STILL Charting in 2026

    22 May

    And The Update Is... AI Covers, Drake’s New Era & Why Michael Jackson Is STILL Charting in 2026

    And The Update Is…a weekly beat on the industry . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    6 min
  5. Ep. 250: Niall Horan | Outlasting Pop's Biggest Band, "Dinner Party" & More

    19 May

    Ep. 250: Niall Horan | Outlasting Pop's Biggest Band, "Dinner Party" & More

    Today's guest came up in the biggest band in the world at seventeen, watched it pause at twenty-two, and built a solo career almost no one in his position has ever managed to sustain. From success, to tragedy, and back... This Irishman makes his triumphant return to the stage and our hearts with 'Dinner Party'. And The Writer Is... Niall Horan! He talks about Liam not as a tribute beat, but as a presence — what fires you up to walk on stage when somebody you love would still want to be there. After the band, after the loss, after four albums — who do you become? In this episode of And The Writer Is, we go deep on: - Coming off the 2024 tour that sold over a million arena tickets "without a big smash hit of the show" - The twelve-week Southeast Asia backpacking trip that came right before "This Town" - The story of songs like 'Heaven', 'Slow Hands', 'This Town', and Liam's song... - Pushing One Direction's sound from "What Makes You Beautiful" toward "Story Of My Life" - Going solo at twenty-three and being terrified the music was about to end - Julian Bunetta's intervention on "End Of An Era": "this song is about Liam, we just don't know it yet" - "Dinner Party," the new album, and the next world tour Hit subscribe and turn on notifications. Every week, we go deep with the most interesting creatives in music. Follow us on socials: @andthewriteris A special thank you to our sponsors for making these conversations possible. Our lead sponsor, NMPA — the National Music Publishers' Association. Your support means the world to us. 0:00 Intro 1:12 Straight back to the studio after the 2024 arena tour 2:13 Over a million tickets sold in 2024 — "and I just wasn't expecting it" 3:23 Meeting on the One Direction tour years ago — abandoned buildings, makeshift studios, 200 fans outside within the hour 5:46 The post-show ritual: shower, shorts, Netflix, no drinking 9:20 Concerts as events now — the fans build it before he arrives 10:08 "I grew up on Slow Hands" — Sombr and the new guard 14:34 Why the Irish footprint is so big — and why Irish men can't say it out loud 17:16 First concert was the Eagles at four — and his mom's Hotel California vinyl 18:44 How Niall's listening drove One Direction's sound toward "Story Of My Life" 24:58 Savan Kotecha asks: sticking to your guns when every era says chase the trend 27:43 "I don't think I'd be able to sell something else that doesn't come from me" 34:34 Going solo at twenty-three — and being terrified it was all going to end 35:32 How watching the other boys release first actually fired him up 40:05 "You can't chase Slow Hands" — the law Niall heard John Ryan name on this podcast 45:15 Why he went backpacking through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines after the band 46:39 Why Slow Hands taking twenty weeks to #1 was actually the goal 56:11 "The minute you think you're a household name, it's game over" 57:03 What The Voice actually did to his crowd 66:55 "Heartbreak Weather" — wanting to be the song that stands out, even at the cost of being safe 75:09 Writing Heaven at 1am in Joshua Tree — and John Ryan about to walk away 80:53 Liam Payne, and the song that wrote itself in five minutes once Julian said the thing nobody was saying 89:02 The lowest moment of his career — and it's not what you'd guess 93:36 The waterfall effect — the people you surround yourself with Credits: Hosted by Ross Golan Produced by Joe London & Jad Saad Edited by Jad Saad Post-Production VFX by Pratik Karki Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 31min
  6. And The Update Is...Pop Stars, Lawsuits & Billion-Dollar Moves

    15 May

    And The Update Is...Pop Stars, Lawsuits & Billion-Dollar Moves

    And The Update Is…a weekly beat on the industry . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    5 min
  7. Rewind: Jack Antonoff | How to Pick the Artists Who'll Define Your Career

    12 May

    Rewind: Jack Antonoff | How to Pick the Artists Who'll Define Your Career

    Today's guest is a Grammy Producer of the Year who's tied with Babyface for the only three-in-a-row run in the award's history — and whose real story isn't the trophies, the radio, or the run of hits. It's the decision he makes once every few years that almost no other producer at his level makes: which artist he'll spend the next decade building. From frontman of touring indie band Steel Train to one of the most decorated producers of his generation, he built his career against almost every modern industry instinct. This is one of the more honest conversations about what it actually takes to bet a decade of your career on one person. When you're quietly refusing the industry's playbook from inside the room — who do you become? And The Writer Is... Jack Antonoff! In this episode of And The Writer Is, we go deep on: • The importance of finding your people • Why "Album is God" — and what a single actually is • The Sabrina Carpenter origin: a random run-in two weeks after a Bleachers show • "Workaholics aren't disciplined. They're sad." — why he refuses all-nighters • The "Getaway Car" bridge moment Taylor's documentary caught in real time • 5 voices that feel like 100 — the "Please Please Please" vocal stack walkthrough • The artists he's passed on who became stars — and why he doesn't regret it • Why he writes his best on instruments he doesn't understand And much more... Hit subscribe and turn on notifications. Every week, we go deep with the most interesting creatives in music. Follow us on socials: @andthewriteris A special thank you to our sponsors for making these conversations possible. Our lead sponsor, NMPA — the National Music Publishers Association. Your support means the world to us. And @splice — the best sample library on the market. Period. CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 1:10 Ross gave Jack his first co-writing session 2:42 The myth and folklore of the LA writing scene 8:02 "There's no proof more sessions makes you better" 10:08 What gives energy vs. what takes it 13:12 Body-of-work first, not single first 16:48 "Album is God. Singles are a long hallway to nothing." 17:58 The hit-song tour that sold 12 tickets 19:17 Sabrina, Chappell, Charli — the only lesson from artist development 22:35 Working with artists who already have the vision 23:33 Amy asks: how do you make something timeless? 25:40 Album tracks are like movie scenes — "Scarface doesn't fit in The Holiday" 26:55 How the sonic palette emerges (Mastermind, Tulsa Jesus Freak) 31:43 Bleachers — letting the band teeter 33:22 "I write my best on what I understand the least" 37:47 "Workaholics aren't disciplined. They're sad." 40:18 The "Getaway Car" bridge moment Taylor's documentary caught 41:28 Keeping it small even when the artist is the biggest in the world 44:24 Writing for yourself is how you reach more people 48:48 "Geniuses finish things" 52:01 Why he protects his circle from outside voices 54:37 What Producer of the Year three years in a row actually means 56:36 The producers Jack steals from (Jeff Lynne, Sam Dew) 61:17 5 voices that feel like 100 — "Please Please Please" stack walkthrough 64:10 Dyslexic, Adderall, the VS 840 zip-disk teen years 68:13 Authenticity is the only currency that lasts 68:57 When their song "March" became a MeToo women's marches anthem Credits: Hosted by Ross Golan Produced by Joe London & Jad Saad Edited by Jad Saad Post-Production VFX by Pratik Karki Watercolor by Michael White Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 13min
  8. And The Update Is…May the 4th Be With the Charts: Hits, Headlines & Industry Chaos

    8 May

    And The Update Is…May the 4th Be With the Charts: Hits, Headlines & Industry Chaos

    And The Update Is…a weekly beat on the industry . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    4 min
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About

Every week, we sit down with an acclaimed and venerable songwriter to intimately discuss what happens behind closed doors in the music industry. There are millions of singers, thousands of artists, and only 40 top songs per genre at a time... this podcast is about the people who make them. Produced by Joe London & Ross Golan in association with Big Deal Music & Mega House Music. And The Writer Is... ™ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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