Songs You Know with Toby Gad

Latest Episodes:

I Spent $47k On The Demo For The Olympic Anthem And It Paid Off | Stephan Moccio #030 Oct 07, 2025

Show notes

Composer and producer Stephan Moccio shares the stories behind Earned It by The Weeknd, Miley Cyrus’s Wrecking Ball, and his Olympic anthem I Believe, reflecting on his creative process, classical roots, and what makes a song timeless.

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How Matteo Boecelli Went From Never Performing Publicly to Selling Out Arenas | #029 Sep 15, 2025

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Singer-songwriter Matteo Bocelli reflects on his journey from debuting alongside his father Andrea Bocelli to performing on some of the world’s most iconic stages. He shares stories about collaborations with Ed Sheeran and David Foster, memories of singing for Pope Francis and President Biden, and life growing up in Tuscany. Matteo also discusses balancing classical training with modern pop, his creative process, and advice for young artists chasing their own dreams.

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The Man Behind James Bond's Most Iconic Soundtracks | Don Black #028 Jun 10, 2025

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Academy award winning lyricist, Don Black CBE, known for his work on various James Bond films such as classics like Diamonds Are Forever, Thunderball, Tomorrow Never Dies, The Man With The Golden Gun and The World Is Not Enough reveals the stories behind the films and their legendary music. He also delves deep into his collaborations with icons such as Michael Jackson, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Quincy Jones, as well as his frequent partnership with composer John Barry.

Don also gives his advice to upcoming artists and songwriters, his take on the current music and theatre industry and why he is so dedicated to his work but detaches when he is away.

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How Sigala Went From Bedroom DJ to 5 Billion Streams | #027 Jun 03, 2025

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From being hungry for fame in the music industry and working at a second-hand store to achieving 5 billion stream, 7 global platinum singles, and 12 top-ten airplay hits in just ten years, Sigala shares his origin story of his first number one 'Easy Love' which famously samples the Jackson 5's 'ABC', to the pivotal moment in his bedroom which led to him create one of his biggest hits.

Sigala talks about his collaborations with James Arthur, Ella Eyre, Ellie Goulding, Alok, John Newman, and Nile Rodgers, as well as hearing his song on the radio while in the studio with Craig David and playing Wembley Stadium. He also opens up about his initial struggles of making music he likes, how he channels positive, feel-good energy, the philsophy he uses to craft his signature sound and how he has sometimes made a song with over 100 versions.

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Apple podcast - https://apple.co/3UX4VnF

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Freya Ridings Was Rejected for 10 years—Then Went Viral | #26 May 20, 2025

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Hailing from North London, Freya Ridings is a singer-songwriter with hits like 'Lost Without You' & 'Castles'. From her dad being the voiceover for Daddy Pig in Peppa Pig to her musical journey and growing up around instruments, Freya shares her side of writing music and the industry.

Freya reveals how she knew when she wrote her breakthrough song 'Lost Without You' it would change her life and how 'Castles' happened due to an unexpected trip to LA. Freya also discusses her own musical journey, how it began at nine years old and the challenges she faced along the way.

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Jessie J: Story Behind 'Price Tag', Writing for Miley Cyrus & Why She's Ready To Be Cancelled | #025 May 13, 2025

Show notes

From writing Miley Cyrus' 'Party in the USA' to chart topping singles like 'Price Tag', 'Bang Bang' and 'Domino', Jessie J dives deep into her musical career, revealing the truth behind performing at the London Olympics with Queen, what it's really like working with Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande and how she broke her foot and performed in front of 75,000 people.

Triumphantly returning to the spotlight, Jessie performs her new single 'No Secrets', as well as emphasising the importance of being yourself in the industry and how valuable being on The Voice was for herself and the next generation of artists. Jessie also speaks candidly about how her life changed when she became a mother and how her mum cried when she got a misspelt tattoo.

On Patreon, this week, Jessie exclusively performs her new song 'No Secrets' in the studio with Toby.

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Listen on:

Apple podcast - https://apple.co/3UX4VnF

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Jon Shave Unpacks Logic Sessions for Charli XCX’s “BRAT” Album | #24 May 07, 2025

Show notes

From working on the Brat album alongside Charli XCX to being nominated for Grammys and having multiplatinum hits, Jon Shave delves deep into his musical career, sharing the unseen original demos as well as revealing what it’s really like to work with Iggy Azalea.

Jon also talks about how he wrote Zayn Malik's album, produced two Miley Cyrus songs from Netflix's Black Mirror episode, as well as hit songs with artists such as Ellie Goulding, Britney Spears, Bebe Rexha, Nicki Minaj, Anne Marie, Jonas Blue, Madison Beer, Little Mix and Clean Bandit.

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Apple podcast - https://apple.co/3UX4VnF

Spotify - https://spoti.fi/40Uul9g

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How MNEK Wrote Hits for Madonna, Beyoncé and Zara Larsson | #023 Apr 30, 2025

Show notes

The mastermind behind tracks for Beyoncé, Madonna, Zara Larsson, Jax Jones, Joel Corry and so many more, MNEK shares his insights into songwriting, production and finding your own voice in a saturated industry.

MNEK reveals how he wrote his first song at aged eight on paper to navigating major records and international hits. We also dive deep into the stories behind Joel Corry's 'Head and Heart', his new song with Zara Larsson and how a simple phrase can spark a smash hit.

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Apple podcast - https://apple.co/3UX4VnF

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mnek/

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The DJs Behind TikTok’s Most Viral Sounds | Billen Ted #022 Apr 22, 2025

Show notes

From playing in death metal bands to producing dance hits like “Man in Finance” and “Wellerman”, Billen Ted delve into their creative process, their experiences working with artists such as Anne-Marie and Jess Glynne and what it takes to go viral every single time.

They also share their thoughts on the evolution of dance music, how TikTok has completely changed how we consume music and what DJ's actually do.

This week on Patreon, our wonderful Patreon member Nick calls in to ask Jeff Gitty questions around KSI, Producer Tags and Mac Miller.

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Listen on:

Apple podcast - https://apple.co/3UX4VnF

Spotify - https://spoti.fi/40Uul9g

Subscribe to our Patreon:

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Billen Ted links:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billented/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3RpZITk

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The Genius Behind Mac Miller, Hozier & Beyoncé | Jeff Gitty #021 Apr 15, 2025

Show notes

One of the world's biggest producers, Jeff Gitty is behind the global hits by Hozier, Beyoncé, Mac Miller, Jelly Roll, Teddy Swims and many, many more.

From Gitty's exploration of musical truth and vulnerability to his experiences working with some of the biggest names in the industry, Jeff shares how he crafts compelling songs. Jeff also gives his insight into the art of improvisation, the power of simplicity, and his philosophy on creating authentic music that will last forever.

On Patreon this week, a fan of the podcast calls in to ask Toby and Jeff questions about what it was like working with Hozier!

Join the community here:

https://www.patreon.com/SongsYouKnowPodcast

Listen on:

Apple podcast - https://apple.co/3UX4VnF

Spotify - https://spoti.fi/40Uul9g

Subscribe to our Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/SongsYouKnowPodcast

Jeff Gitty links:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffgitty/?hl=en

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/42mF5fT

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