And The Writer Is...with Ross Golan

Today's guest is a multi-platinum DJ, producer, and songwriter who turned personal devastation into one of electronic music's most emotionally resonant careers.

From opioid addiction in high school to wilderness therapy at rock bottom, he rebuilt his entire life in Denver—sober, alone, and teaching himself music theory from scratch.

Now 13 years clean, he's become a voice for mental health in a scene built on excess, collaborating with Jon Bellion, Halsey, Teddy Swims, and countless others to create music that connects survivors.
His latest album, Odyssey, is a cinematic journey through heartbreak, recovery, and the sessions that saved his life.
And The Writer Is... Illenium!

In this episode of And The Writer Is…, Nick Miller (Illenium) opens up about:
* Moving every two years as a kid and never having roots
* Falling into opiates at 15 and hitting bottom by 2011
* Moving to Denver alone and getting sober at 21
* The Good Things Fall Apart session (and demo)
* How music saved his life entirely
and much more...

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Every week we go deep with the most interesting creatives in music.

Follow us on socials at @andthewriteris

A special thank you to our sponsors…
Our lead Sponsor, NMPA— the National Music Publishing Association. Your support means the world to us.
And @splice — the best sample library on the market. Period.

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:00 Childhood and Moving Every Two Years
5:00 Getting Into Music Through Tiesto's Album
6:30 The Electronic Artist That Inspires Industry Musicians
9:00 Getting Sober—His Rough Patch in 2011
10:00 Escapism and Addiction
12:30 The Wilderness Program That Saved His Life
16:30 Getting Lost in Music and How He Learned to Create
17:30 Illenium's Roots
18:00 Learning From Other Producers and YouTube
20:00 Thinking of Sound as a Picture
21:00 World Building and Finding His Brand… and His Purpose
23:00 Ross Opens Up on How Music Saved Him
24:00 The Personality Trait All Successful Creatives Have
26:00 How He Popped Off
31:00 Working With Unknown Artists and How He Picks Them
33:00 How to Find Your Sound
34:30 NMPA and Splice Midroll
41:00 Touring—The Downs After a Show
44:00 Good Things Fall Apart
47:00 Collaboration in DJ Culture
49:00 Why He Doesn't Chase Big Songs
54:24 COVID
1:13:00 Gaming on Tour
1:17:00 Good Things Fall Apart Demo

Hosted by Ross Golan
Produced by Joe London and Jad Saad
Creative Direction by Jad Saad
Post-Production VFX by Pratik Karki
Guest Watercolor Art by Michael White
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's guest is a Grammy-winning songwriter, producer, and performer, best known as one-third of The Smeezingtons and a foundational creative force behind Bruno Mars’ career. He has co-written and helped shape some of the most influential pop songs of the last two decades, including Just the Way You Are, Billionaire, Locked Out of Heaven, When I Was Your Man, 24K Magic, Nothin’ on You, and many more...

And The Writer Is... Bruno Mars!

In this episode of And The Writer Is…, Philip Lawrence tells his story in full—for the first time
- How a $5 bus pass led to Bruno Mars
- The hidden cost of early success
- Real stories behind pop’s biggest records
- The pivot that made everything 'click'
- A breakdown at the peak—and the call that brought him back
and much more...

A special thank you to our sponsors…
Our lead Sponsor, NMPA— the National Music Publishing Association. Your support means the world to us.

And @splice — the best sample library on the market. Period.

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
4:00 “I Just Might” and Bruno Mars
10:31 Childhood and Not Feeling Good Enough
14:00 Early Career
20:00 Leaving School and Auditioning for Disney
26:00 The Disney Break Room: The Beginning of His Journey
27:00 His First Session
30:00 Meeting Steven Seagal
34:00 Moving to LA
37:09 Losing Everything He Had So Far
39:00 Finding His Manager
43:00 Finding His Way Through the Industry
44:42 His Ego Death
45:50 The Pivot That Really Started His Career
46:50 Be Friends With All the Assistants
47:20 NMPA and Splice
48:45 How to Write for Radio
49:30 Developing His Songwriting Ethos
50:29 Spending His Last $5 to Meet Bruno Mars (Before He Was Bruno Mars)
1:05:09 How Bruno Stayed on His Early Hook Placements
1:07:28 The Story of Nothin’ on You
1:09:20 Billionaire
1:11:50 Just the Way You Are
1:19:15 Talking to the Moon
1:20:49 Ross’s CeeLo Story
1:23:00 “F*** You” Was Not Supposed to Happen
1:28:00 How Locked Out of Heaven Happened
1:33:22 When I Was Your Man / Flowers (Miley Cyrus)
1:36:50 Five Songs He Wishes He Wrote
1:38:34 24K Magic
1:40:36 His Breakdown at the Peak of Success
1:48:45 The Comeback Phone Call With Bruno
1:50:18 APT
1:52:39 Advice for Songwriters + Rapid-Fire Questions

Hosted by Ross Golan
Produced by Joe London and Jad Saad
Post-Production VFX by Pratik Karki
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's guest has quietly shaped the sound of a generation.

He has written and produced some of the biggest songs of the last 15 years—from One Direction's "Story of My Life" to Niall Horan's "Slow Hands," Sabrina Carpenter's "Taste", Teddy Swims' "Lose Control," and Olivia Dean's "So Easy to Fall in Love."

A true songwriter's songwriter, John Ryan doesn't just chase hits—he shapes careers, defines sounds, and knows exactly when inspiration is knocking.

In this episode, John breaks down what it really takes to stay relevant across multiple eras, why authenticity always wins, and how he went from a Berklee kid living in his manager's parents' house to becoming one of the most trusted voices in pop music.

We talk about:

- The hardest years of his career
- The real batting rate of the best songwriters
- Meeting Sabrina Carpenter and Teddy Swims
- Working with One Direction and losing Liam
- Gems upon GEMS for up and coming musicians, songwriters, and producers

and a special live performance of some of his biggest hits.

A special thank you to our sponsors…
Our lead Sponsor, NMPA— the National Music Publishing Association. Your support means the world to us.

And @splice — the best sample library on the market. Period.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro: John Ryan
02:30 How John Got Into the Music Industry
06:30 Songs from Eighth Grade & Writing Early
10:30 Writing Like a Kid Again (The Picasso Effect)
13:00 Berklee, Pro Tools & Learning the Craft
17:00 How Many Songs Actually Make It Out?
19:30 Maroon 5’s “Cold”
21:30 Niall Horan: From One Direction to Solo Artist
24:15 The Lowest Point of His Career
26:00 The Realization That Saved Him
28:00 Meeting Teddy Swims & Sabrina Carpenter
31:00 Social Media, Virality & “I Don’t Have That on My Phone”
33:30 Writing “Heaven” with Niall Horan
34:00 Sabrina Carpenter’s “Feather”
36:00 Stop Chasing Numbers. Start Betting on People
38:00 Co-Writing with Amy Allen
41:56 How John Ryan Produces Songs
44:50 Country Music & Expanding Taste
47:20 Liam Payne
51:03 Olivia Dean – “So Easy to Fall in Love”
56:45 John Ryan’s Take on Collaboration
58:50 Writing “Tears” with Sabrina Carpenter
59:40 Managing Life, Energy & Relationships
1:02:01 “Steal My Girl” & “Night Changes” Should’ve Been Bigger
1:04:52 Choosing Great People Over “Sure Things”
1:07:00 John Plays & Sings His Hits
1:20:00 Why 10,000 Hours Isn’t Enough
1:21:06 GEM: Ruthlessly A/B Your Music to Get Better

Hosted by Ross Golan
Produced by Joe London and Jad Saad
Edited by Jad Saad
Post-Production VFX by Pratik Karki
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest isn’t just a living legend.
He’s one of the architects of modern music.

As a songwriter and producer, he’s discovered artists, shaped careers, and defined entire eras.

This one is required listening.
A once-in-a-generation legendary hybrid of songwriting and production,
And The Writer Is... David Foster!

In this episode, David breaks down what actually makes music last, the cost of greatness, and what it really takes to survive and stay relevant in the music business over decades, not moments.

Not to mention his best advice for people in the business right now...

We talk songwriting vs. production, discovering artists like Céline Dion and Michael Bublé, working with legends like Whitney Houston and Paul McCartney, the mistakes artists make chasing hits, and why longevity matters more than hype.

Oh, and the only artist who could pull him out of retirement...

A special thank you to our sponsors…
Our lead Sponsor, NMPA— the National Music Publishing Association.
Your support means the world to us.
And @splice — the best sample library on the market. Period.

Chapters:

00:00 Mount Rushmore of Producers
02:00 Canadians
03:42 David Foster’s Parents
05:23 Discovering Perfect Pitch
07:03 Musical Roots and Learning Jazz
07:40 Jazz Voicings Explained
10:24 “Leave Songwriters Alone” – Publishing Talk
11:20 Writing His First Songs
12:21 Advice He’d Give His Younger Self
17:00 David Foster’s Trick for Reading People
17:58 Surviving a Plane Crash
20:22 The Start of His Early Career
22:00 Is “Africa” by Toto a Perfect Song?
27:20 The Greatest Songwriters Ever
30:25 Kanye West’s “Through the Wire” Sample Story
32:27 Songwriting vs Sampling (Blurred Lines Case)
34:21 His Documentary, Workflow, and Band Relationships
38:53 How David Foster Writes Songs
42:42 How Seven People Write One Song
43:39 Presented by NMPA & Splice
48:19 The Critical Mistake in “Uptown Funk”
49:49 “Unforgettable” with Nat King Cole
51:08 Paul McCartney
55:17 Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”
57:10 Top Five Singers He’s Worked With
59:06 Discovering Céline Dion
59:56 How David Foster Sees His Life
1:05:13 What Makes a Song Great?
1:09:40 The “Nashville No”
1:11:51 The Arc: A Holistic Approach to Songwriting
1:12:42 Discovering Michael Bublé
1:15:29 Star vs Superstar
1:16:39 Andrea Bocelli & Josh Groban
1:19:04 The Cost of Greatness
1:19:46 How to Make It in the Music Business
1:24:11 Family Life (Katharine McPhee & Kids)
1:25:50 “I Told Céline the Titanic Song Would Ruin Her Career”
1:31:01 Songs He Wishes He Wrote
1:31:39 Artists He Passed On

Hosted by Ross Golan
Produced by Joe London and Jad Saad
Post production by Pratik Karki
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

And The Writer Is... Diplo!
This episode isn’t about hits. It’s about how culture actually gets made.
Taste, burnout, and building culture without permission.
From growing up in Florida crate-digging scenes no one cared about, to turning underground instincts into global movements, Diplo breaks down the uncomfortable truth behind longevity in music: following your taste when everyone else wants safety.

We get into:
The real physical and mental toll of nonstop touring in a world that never shuts off
The power of branding and how he did it (and why you have to, to)
Breaking scenes before they’re acceptable
Burning out, disappearing, and rebuilding without chasing relevance
Why instinct beats public approval every single time
And the reality of turning risk into influence and underground energy into global impact This episode is for anyone building anything.
Thank you for listening
A special thank you to our sponsors…
Our lead Sponsor, NMPA— the National Music Publishing Association.
Your support means the world to us.
And @splice — the best sample library on the market. Period.

Chapters
00:00 – Diplo Is Here
01:02 – Episode Intro
01:45 – AI, Sora, and the Future
03:18 – How Diplo Uses AI in Music
06:15 – Using Prompts to Produce
07:44 – How Diplo Got Into Music
10:32 – How Ross and Diplo Met
14:05 – Life as a World-Touring DJ
16:04 – Dr. Luke Signed Me to Steal My Drums
16:36 – Diplo’s Origin Story
17:13 – Riff Raff, Culture, and Being Hated
18:43 – Making “Where Are Ü Now”
20:04 – Creating Jack Ü with Skrillex
21:37 – Orlando DJ Gigs to Philadelphia
24:33 – First Session with Vybz Kartel
27:23 – Branding, the Internet, and Selling Mixtapes
35:01 – The Story of “Paper Planes” (M.I.A.)
36:44 – How to Find Success in Music
37:57 – NMPA + Splice (Sponsors)
39:25 – “Climax” and Finding His Strengths
43:54 – Why He Started Mad Decent
46:41 – Learning Music and the Birth of Major Lazer
49:30 – The Story of “Lean On”
53:04 – Diplo’s Cheat Code for Creating Fearlessly
54:06 – Country Music
55:28 – “Heartless” and Morgan Wallen
56:19 – Collaborator Rapid Fire
1:00:28 – Diplo’s Branding Advice
1:03:32 – Charli XCX
1:05:00 – How He Doesn’t Lose Himself on Tour
1:06:59 – Nothing Is Perfect. Everything Gets Better.
1:07:19 – Diplo’s Run Club
1:08:00 – Diplo’s Final Advice
Hosted by Ross Golan
Produced by Joe London and Jad Saad
Post Production by Pratik Karki
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.