Stay ConnectedEvery 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.
Copyright: © And The Writer Is
Today's guest is a prolific producer behind Sicko Mode, Broccoli, Bad at Love, Kiss Me More, Laugh Now Cry Later, First Class, and APT. — but whose real story isn't the catalog. It's how most of those songs happened by accident.
A classically trained concert pianist who spent his teens grinding through Liszt and Prokofiev knuckle-busters, Rogét quietly became one of the most important producers in modern pop and hip-hop — and almost none of it happened the way he planned.
This is one of the more honest conversations about what mastery is actually for — what happens when a decade of preparation collides with a 9pm pull-up, a stock preset, and a flute sound turned on by accident. When the world keeps rewarding your simplest moves, who do you become?
And The Writer Is... Rogét Chahayed!
In this episode of And The Writer Is, we go deep on:
Years of grinding Liszt and Prokofiev — and a first big check from four major triads on a flute
The three-week run in 2016 that produced Broccoli, Skywalker, Bad at Love, and the seed of Sicko Mode
The Mr. Miyagi era under Doctor Dre's right-hand man — and a pajama meeting at Dre's hidden studio
Sicko Mode — made on a stock preset in a closet-sized vocal booth — and the moment he heard it open Astroworld
Kiss Me More — a 2-5-1 with a walk-down — and what jazz school actually trained him to do
Co-executive producing Jack Harlow's album from 4pm to 4am for a year — and how First Class came together
APT. — the song he forgot about until Bruno Mars mentioned it at a friend's barbecue
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
2:12 "How does a classical pianist come up with the chords for Broccoli? By turning the keyboard on."
4:24 The 9pm Yachty pull-up and the original Korg stock piano
6:35 Hearing his flute everywhere — Macklemore, Drake's Portland
7:50 The early break that taught him how the music business actually works
13:39 "I believe in the good of the business — we can be the generation that watches each other's backs"
15:59 Lebanese father, Argentine mother, and a meet-cute at a gas station
17:00 Why his dad named him Rogét
19:35 Discovering jazz at 15 and the chord that opened the world up
24:14 College, hip-hop, and reading liner notes for Scott Storch and Ryan Leslie
33:30 Telling Eastern parents he was leaving Juilliard-track for hip-hop
37:03 Getting kicked out, teaching 25 piano students a week to survive
41:45 The Mr. Miyagi era — Mel-Man, strip-club errands, and getting hazed
46:17 The pajama meeting at Doctor Dre's hidden studio
50:08 His Lebanese dad hearing Broccoli on the radio
52:17 NMPA
54:36 Bad at Love — the beat he made and forgot
57:50 What is a songwriter? Rogét's answer
1:01:28 Skywalker, Hit-Boy, and the arpeggios that became the splish
1:04:00 Sicko Mode: a stock preset, a closet-sized vocal booth, and Travis pulling up
1:07:08 "Drake comes in and says 'Astro' and I lost it"
1:14:23 Laugh Now, Cry Later: a Big Sean intro session to a Drake single in a month
1:18:15 Kiss Me More: "the perfect riff" — a 2-5-1 with a walk-down, sped up
1:23:15 "Genius comes out of editing" — Miles vs. Dizzy and what jazz actually trains
1:24:54 First Class and a year co-EPing Jack Harlow's album from 4pm to 4am
1:30:39 APT. — the song he forgot until Bruno mentioned it at a barbecue
1:36:04 What he'd tell a 16-year-old version of himself in the Valley right now
Hosted by Ross Golan
Produced by Joe London and Jad Saad
Edit by Jad Saad
Post Production VFX by Pratik Karki
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Every week, And the Writer Is brings you the most important news moving through the music industry — straight, sharp, and no fluff. This week Ross Golan opens the weekly And The Writer Is… news update (week of April 20, 2026) by highlighting major chart wins:
He teases an upcoming Stagecoach interview and notes a strong country music moment.
New music + industry highlights:
Business + industry news:
Other updates:
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today's guest is the Grammy Producer of the Year who built the two biggest pop breakthroughs of the last five years back to back — and whose real story isn't about the hits. It's about the three years he spent making nothing and the rule he wants every producer in the game to understand.
From indie rock frontman in As Tall As Lions to pop's most trusted collaborator, Dan built his career against almost every industry instinct. He carries three things at once that most producers never figure out how to hold: the commercial ear of someone who's had back-to-back Grammy runs with Olivia Rodrigo, the patience of a craftsman who sat on "Good Luck, Babe" for 18 months before it ever left his hard drive, and the conviction to say no — to every rushed demo, every session hop, every label note that doesn't serve the artist.
This is one of the more honest conversations about what it actually takes to build a superstar.
And The Writer Is... Dan Nigro!
In this episode of And The Writer Is, we go deep on:
• The three years he spent making nothing — and what finally broke it
• Why getting Chappell dropped from Atlantic was "the greatest thing that ever happened"
• "We're building like an icon here" — the real work behind Chappell Roan's rise
• Why Dan refuses to send demos
• 20 days with one artist, not 20 sessions with twenty
• Meeting Dua Lipa in 2014 — "this girl is a superstar"
• Artist development, finding your lane
• Writing good songs sucks — and why that's fine
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 Publishing Association. Your support means the world to us.
And @splice — the best sample library on the market. Period.
Chapter timestamps:
0:00 Intro
3:01 Why Atlantic dropping Chappell was "the greatest thing that ever happened"
4:16 Atlantic's note: cut one of the Pink Pony Club guitar solos
8:20 Self-releasing Karma, Naked in Manhattan, and building a label with Island
11:33 "We're building like an icon here" — Bowie, Madonna, the Chappell blueprint
13:13 What makes somebody "have it" — the gut call you can't fake
17:21 "There are no more superstars" — the article that pissed Dan off
19:34 20 days with one artist, not 20 sessions with twenty
21:27 Good Luck Babe's million rewrites — the "Good Luck Jane" era
22:59 Why Dan refuses to send demos — ever
24:54 18 months on the hard drive
26:01 Justin Tranter asks: how do you have the confidence to dive that deep?
28:04 Three years. Ended up with nothing.
33:12 The Madonna model — outside songs, finding your lane
43:21 Taking five months off after Olivia and Chappell
46:41 Steph Jones asks: rituals, guilty pleasures, happy accidents
51:43 Amy Allen asks: has your feeling ever been wrong?
52:58 "The most egotistical thing I've ever said" — never wrong about an artist
53:20 Meeting Dua Lipa in 2014 — "this girl is a superstar"
55:55 Vampire — and the label that thought it was "three songs in one"
62:39 People need to take more risks
63:37 Writing good songs sucks — and why that's fine
68:21 Five for five — As Tall As Lions, Sour, Guts, Amusement Records
70:31 The second-album mountain
72:58 Playing Olivia and Chappell for his daughter
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.
Every week, And the Writer Is brings you the most important news moving through the music industry — straight, sharp, and no fluff. This week: a jury ruled Live Nation and Ticketmaster violated antitrust laws and operate as illegal monopolies, with a judge now weighing whether to force a breakup or sale. Max Lousada and Julie Greenwald — the A&R legends behind Warner's modern run — launched a new long-term international label with Sony Music investment and distribution. And Udio signed a licensing deal with Kobalt, becoming one of the first AI companies actually paying creatives for training on their work. Plus: D4vd arrested on murder charges and dropped by Interscope, Foster the People ink a new deal, and Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" holds the #1 song. Follow us on socials and don't miss our new episodes every Tuesday — the hottest conversations in music, with the people making it.
This week:
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today's guest is the architect of alternative rock who sold 30 million albums and defined the sound of an entire generation — but whose real story begins after the hits stopped mattering to him.
From the suburbs of Chicago to the apex of 90s mainstream success, Billy Corgan built an empire. Then he spent the last 20 years quietly dismantling the idea that commercial success is the same thing as real value. He carries three things simultaneously that most artists never figure out how to hold at once: the ambition of someone who was never going to settle for the midwest, the technical genius of a classically-trained musician who produces every layer of his own work, and the philosophical rigor of someone willing to completely reimagine what success actually means.
This is one of the more unflinching conversations about what staying relevant actually costs — not the version that gets posted on socials, the version that gets lived in the real decisions you make about art, money, independence, and how you want to spend your time. When the gatekeepers are gone and nobody's controlling the narrative anymore, who do you become?
And The Writer Is... Billy Corgan!
In this episode of And The Writer Is, we go deep on:
• The trap of being defined by your greatest hits — and why he refuses it
• His father's failed music career, and the moment his dad finally understood
• Chicago's inward-facing indie scene and the cost of communities that don't believe in themselves
• How the value of artists gets assessed in rooms — and why that's broken
• What "influence" actually means vs. commercial success
• The gatekeepers are gone — what that really means for independent artists
• Owning 100% of your publishing and why that changes everything
• Building a new world where direct artist support is how things actually work
• Why legacy thinking is changing, and what comes next
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 Publishing Association. Your support means the world to us.
And @splice — the best sample library on the market. Period.
Chapter timestamps:
0:00 Intro
2:30 Why Billy doesn't prefer to talk about his hits, and how his legacy has adjusted
5:00 Dad's bitterness: you got lucky
6:30 Dad's realization "You're one of the best songwriters in the world"
8:00 Independent music, 'selling out', and Chicago's music scene
10:30 The touring economics of the 90's
13:15 Rigged charts and the beginning of Pop music
16:00 Representation of Rock music in the charts / award shows
19:30 Ross on the future of music in a digital world
20:30 Numbers mean nothing if no one gives a sh*t.
21:00 Pop vs Rock: The future of music
28:30 Women archetypes in music
38:21 Billy's advice: What you need to survive in the music industry
40:00 World building and songwriting advice
43:31 How to define your value as an artist in a commercial world
44:40 Billy's Batman story
49:00 Breaking 'Landmine' because of Courtney Love
51:50 How he meets Courtney Love
54:08 How he learned to play guitar
57:00 His guitar hero inspiration…
1:01:10 Meeting the band
1:03:20 Finding a world class drummer hiding in plain sight
1:07:05 Fighting for his band when no one believed in them
1:15:29 Keeping your mouth shut when it's not your session
1:16:02 Fight for your copyright. The band struggling with his sole writing credit
1:18:00 AI in music… and Billy's take on it
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.
Every week, And the Writer Is brings you the most important news moving through the music industry — straight, sharp, and no fluff. This week: Maryland just passed the RAP Act, making it illegal to use rap lyrics as courtroom evidence, potentially setting the stage for federal law. Suno's licensing negotiations with Sony and Universal have stalled, leaving major AI royalty questions unresolved. And Pershing Square submitted a $64 billion bid for Universal Music Group, revealing just how undervalued the music industry is to outside investors. Plus: Ticketmaster's face value integration, HYBE's new Indian girl group audition, and moves at Warner. Follow us on socials and don't miss our new episodes every Tuesday — the hottest conversations in music, with the people making it.
This week:
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today's guest is the Irish troubadour who sold out arenas across the world and built one of the most durable careers in modern music, entirely on his own terms.
From Dublin street corners and busking for strangers to headlining Madison Square Garden, this conversation is about what that actually costs to build the slow, deliberate construction of a career that answers to no one, yet resonates with millions around the world.
He carries three things simultaneously that most artists never figure out how to hold at once: the ambition of someone who was never going to settle for Ireland only, the sensitivity of a songwriter who writes for his whole community, and the creative instincts of a kid who grew up on hip hop and folk and refused to let either one fully win.
This is one of the more honest conversations about what a creative life actually looks like from the inside — not the version that gets posted, the version that gets lived.
And The Writer Is... Dermot Kennedy!
In this episode of And The Writer Is...
We go deep on:
• His whole journey
• The moment he realized the audience could feel how hard he was trying — and why that was the problem • How to carry ambition, sensitivity, and creative instinct in the same body without one of them destroying the other
• Building an international career without a viral hit — and what that reveals about how the industry actually works
• The busking years, and the secrets for how he survived
• Why he deliberately toured smaller venues on his last run — and what that decision says about success
• Imposter syndrome, insecurity, and the reality of growing a career from 0-100.
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...
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.
Chapter timestamps:
0:00 Intro
3:30 The 3 Sides Every Creative Has to Balance
4:30 You Shouldn't Rinse Your Shows. It's a Sacred Thing.
5:00 What Dermot Beats Himself Up About On Stage
5:30 Anxiety After the Show Starts, Not Before
6:00 The Struggle of Being Lucky Enough to Have a Career
8:00 Childhood
9:00 "I Know I'm Good. But I Feel Very Insecure in Other Ways."
14:00 How Dermot Built a Career With No Algorithm and No Social Pressure
18:00 Why He Doesn't Play Music for People
19:19 How He Started Busking
20:15 Why Most People Couldn't Busk — and the Genius Who Changed Everything
21:00 The Importance of Branding When Selling Anything
22:00 How to Make Real Money Busking
26:00 How Dermot Built His Name and Started Playing Shows
29:00 Into the Music Business — and the Most Successful He's Ever Felt
31:00 Being Sought After and Avoiding Bad Record Deals
32:40 How to Build Out Your Team
36:00 A Note About Touring: Enjoy Where You're At
38:23 His Advice to His 15-Year-Old Self: Find Your Contentment
39:23 How Dermot Kennedy Built a Worldwide Fanbase
Credits:
Hosted by Ross Golan
Produced by Joe London & Jad Saad
Edited by Jad Saad
Post-Production VFX by Pratik Karki
Watercolor Art by Michael White
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today’s guest is one of the most quietly enduring artists in modern pop — a songwriter and performer who’s spent over a decade growing up in public, learning how to separate perception from identity.
She was discovered online as a teenager and quickly thrust into an industry that had already decided who she was.
But behind the headlines, she was doing the real work — writing, refining her sound, and slowly building a career on her own terms.
This is a conversation about perception vs reality, creative control, and what it actually takes to become yourself in an industry that benefits from misunderstanding you.
And The Writer Is… Madison Beer!
What you'll learn:
• What it actually feels like to grow up in the public eye
• The gap between how artists are perceived vs who they really are
• Why longevity in music requires emotional resilience
• How Madison developed her sound and creative identity over time
• The pressure of early success — and rebuilding from it
• Why being misunderstood can either break you or sharpen you
This episode is brought to you by the NMPA — supporting songwriters and protecting the value of music.
And by Splice — the world’s largest library of sounds and samples, built for creators.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:42 Madison’s favorite songs of hers
3:00 Lyrics or melody first?
4:30 Ross meeting Madison at 13
6:00 Madison’s childhood, early memories
7:00 Going through parent’s divorce in early childhood
9:45 Why singing the national anthem is hard
10:00 Her family’s early encouragement
11:00 Madison’s first song
13:00 Starting her career at 10
18:40 Getting discovered overnight from a Justin Bieber tweet.
19:11 Contracts in music industry
19:58 Meeting Justin Bieber
21:46 Why getting dropped is a blessing
24:00 Struggling with early music identity
26:00 Why she felt she couldn’t fight back on creative control early on
28:00 finding her power through social media
31:55 Reclaiming creative control
33:50 writing reckless
35:28 Home with you
36:25 the importance of your collaborators
39:12 the original demo to Reckless
41:13 being easier to write dark songs than happy songs
41:40 the challenge of writing her new album
41:54 NMPA
42:36 Splice
43:26 Going back into the label system
45:00 her first tour in lockdown
46:50 Madison’s touring non negotiables
52:00 the story of Home to another one
53:41 Writing darker songs while in a happy relationship
55:55 Setting boundaries for mental health
56:55 “Showed Me” as an interpolation
58:37 Her mental health struggles and path to healing
1:01:54 How her album locket Freed her
1:03:25 the unlikely story of bittersweet
1:05:30 what writing a song with strangers is like
1:09:00 loneliness and missing out on a normal childhood
1:12:00 Dealing with constant criticism and how she manages it
1:12:47 Surviving the lowest point of her life
1:16:30 how she currently manages her mental health
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 world builder builds worlds worldwide to make her own universe! Dark and whimsical meets bubblegum grunge when this artist broke out on the scene to create her own cult following.
When doors didn’t open, she built her own.
And The Writer Is……Melanie Martinez!
In this episode, Melanie opens up about:
• Materializing ideas and her entire creative process
• Why she never approached music as a game
• The reality behind shows like The Voice
• How she built her identity before the industry caught up
• Her philosophy on songwriting and the importance of your truth
• Protecting your creative voice in a commercial system
• Why being yourself is still the most important advantage
• And much more…
Hit the subscribe button 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…
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
2:00 The Real Meaning Behind “Disney Princess”
4:30 Introversion vs Performance
6:00 The Magic of Creating and Materializing Ideas
7:45 Her Creative Process — Titles, Concepts, and Staying Inspired
12:00 The Songs That Defined Her Early Career
12:48 Growing Up Writing — Her First Songs and Backstory
16:45 World-Building and Creating a True Artistic Identity
18:30 Rejection, Independence, and Dollhouse
20:00 “Blind Dating” in the Music Industry
24:00 Stage Fright and Early Creative Influences
26:00 What She’d Tell Her Younger Self
26:45 Advice for Artists Trying to Break Through
27:30 Hitchhiking to The Voice — And What It Really Was
30:00 The Reality of Music Competition Shows
31:42 NMPA — Our Lead Sponsor This Season
32:23 Splice
33:00 Ross on Music Competition TV
34:00 Performing Live and Managing Nerves
36:00 Finding Herself Through Dollhouse
37:20 The Story Behind Dollhouse
38:00 Fighting for Her Creative Vision
40:00 Where Her Ideas Come From
42:00 How She Builds Albums and Story Arcs
44:20 Writing Honestly Without Overthinking It
45:00 What Songwriters Get Wrong About Meaning
49:30 Are You Happy?
51:30 The Priorities That Changed Everything
54:00 Final Advice
55:00 Portals
57:47 Hades — A Dystopian World
1:00:20 The Utopian Album to Come
1:00:51 Her Favorite Songs on the Album
1:01:50 The Story of “Weight Watchers”
1:06:00 An Emotional Reflection — Her Message to Others
1:07:30 Her Inspirations
1:09:00 Social Media, AI, and Staying Human
Hosted by Ross Golan
Produced by Joe London & Jad Saad
Edited by Jad Saad
Post-Production VFX by Pratik Karki
Watercolor Art by Michael White
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today’s guest is one of the defining voices in modern pop — a songwriter, producer, and artist behind some of the biggest records of the last decade.
His songs have been streamed billions of times worldwide.
He came to Los Angeles to write for others.
Instead, he became a globally identifiable artist — before fully becoming himself.
Now, he’s building something that’s truly his.
And The Writer Is… Charlie Puth!
In this episode, Charlie opens up about:
• His early journey
• The moment “See You Again” came together, and why it still feels unexplainable
• How early success shaped his career before his identity caught up
• Why the best songs often come from discomfort, not control
• The role of collaboration in pushing him beyond his instincts
• Sessions with legendary artists — and what those moments actually feel like
• The importance of staying human in an increasingly synthetic world
• And much more…
Hit the subscribe button and follow us on socials @andthewriteris
Every week, we go deep with the most interesting creatives in music.
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
2:46 Charlie Demos the Theme Song
5:00 The “Mouth Phone” Trick
7:00 His Secret Involvement in Dangerous Woman
9:00 “Stay” — The Power of Collaboration (Justin Bieber, Kid Laroi)
13:00 “Are You Where You Want to Be?”
16:00 Where His Best Work Comes From
16:53 The Story of See You Again
20:43 Wiz Khalifa’s Defining 'See You Again' Moment
23:02 When the Industry Didn’t Know What to Do With Him
27:22 The Song No One Believed In (We Don’t Talk Anymore)
29:52 Ross’s Philosophy on Sending Music
31:04 The Song That Changed Everything
34:09 Authenticity, Vulnerability, and Letting People In
39:00 Why It’s More Important to Be Human Than Ever
45:05 NMPA — Our Lead Sponsor This Season
45:56 Splice
46:38 Conflict, Collaboration, and Making the New Album
51:11 Coffee With Kenny G and Michael McDonald
55:39 Chris Stapleton's Songwriting Advice
1:02:05 The Artists and Producers He Studies
1:08:00 His Lowest Point
1:31:51 Charlie Shares Drum Samples
Hosted by Ross Golan
Produced by Joe London & Jad Saad
Edited by Jad Saad
Post-Production VFX by Pratik Karki
Watercolor Art by Michael White
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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