And The Writer Is...with Ross Golan

Today's guest is one of the great voices of his generation — the theater kid who auditioned for American Idol with Michael Jackson, watched the judges' faces fall, and demanded a second song because he'd just quit his job and had no health insurance. But his real story isn't the voice. It's the game — the one Freddie Mercury wrote about, the one that picks your singles, writes your headlines, and decides who you are before you do.And The Writer Is... Adam Lambert!In this episode of And The Writer Is, we go deep on:The AMA kiss that blew up a $500,000 single launch — "everyone was going, oh shit"Quitting Wicked — and losing his health insurance — to audition, then refusing the judges' noWhy Kara DioGuardi 'busted his balls all season'What Brian May says "Play the Game" was really aboutSigned before the finale even aired: why losing Idol never matteredand much more.Hit subscribe and turn on notifications. Every week, we go deep with the most interesting creatives in music.Follow us on socials: @andthewriterisA special thank you to our lead sponsor, NMPA — the National Music Publishers' Association. 0:00 Intro1:09 The album is out — why self-titled, "first name basis"2:35 Meeting Pete Nappi through a pandemic song still in the vault3:39 "Am I Okay" — written one week after the breakup6:02 Singles made him "crazy" — the label picks that flopped: "I told you so"7:04 Leaning into what fans expect vs. challenging them8:16 Proud of the flops, indifferent to some hits9:34 Theater kids: every album is a character, every record a world11:28 The dystopian cover — "I want it blasted into the future"13:55 Adam Lambert or Freddie Mercury? "I feel like it's me"15:35 Coffee with Freddie — what Brian says "Play the Game" was really about16:56 "The music industry is a big old game, isn't it?"17:43 A college-DJ dad, a Sly Stone mom, and a kid screaming through the house19:46 The Fiddler note where everybody went "oh, wow"21:03 San Diego to LA at 19 — math knocked him off the college path23:00 Weed, poetry, and GarageBand25:49 Wicked: six months, burnt out, and a new plan29:20 Inside the Idol machine — two camps, two agendas32:49 The Burning Man epiphany that vanquished the fear34:39 No job, no insurance, and judges who didn't get Rock With You35:11 "I didn't really ask" — the second song that changed everything36:22 Why Idol can't break artists anymore38:04 Honey water: the whiskey story behind Kara DioGuardi's grudge41:21 Justin Timberlake tells him to remake A Night at the Opera42:06 Losing the finale — already signed before it aired47:20 The blog photos drop: "Yeah, that's me. Get over it."51:53 The AMA kiss and the $500,000 single53:22 What Do You Want From Me — the P!nk demo56:00 Singing uncredited on Avicii's "Lay Me Down"59:03 "It takes a village — bring them with you"60:26 Max Martin: "When you get on stage, I don't have to worry"61:26 How Queen actually made the call62:07 Trespassing hits #1 — a first he didn't know he'd made62:48 The poster-child years: "the headline is that I'm gay, and no one's talking about the music"66:11 Trespassing, the "bipolar album" — his half vs. the label's half67:20 Two months with the Wolf Cousins — why his songs didn't make the cut70:05 The Ghost Town gamble — "you've got to do something drastic"72:44 Songs with no home — "throwing my ideas into space"76:03 Velvet dies to Covid, two weeks in76:52 A Telefunken, YouTube tutorials, and teaching himself Logic77:51 The secret musical: 20 songs written over Zoom82:45 Identity vs. brand — "the personality precedes the skill"83:35 Songwriters don't get paid for their time — the union conversation87:37 Giving his co-writers master points — "it's just classy, man"88:28 Where the stage presence actually comes from90:13 The hardest part of fame93:06 "I nitpick the negative" — showing the uglier side for the first time96:28 Is Ozempic killing LA nightlife?Credits:Hosted by Ross GolanProduced by Joe London & Jad SaadEdited by Jad Saad

Today's episode is a rewind to our conversation with Benny Blanco.To hear the rest of this episode, join our Patreon, where you'll find our full library of archived episodes with legends like Babyface, Shania Twain, Sabrina Carpenter, Benny Blanco, and many more. Members also get access to our monthly Writers Room on Zoom, where we play your demos and answer your biggest industry questions.We hope to see you there.Thank you for listening to And The Writer Is.And The Writer Is...is presented by the National Music Publishers' AssociationHosted by Ross GolanProduced by Joe London and Jad Saad

Today's guest is the frontman of Bush, one of the defining voices of '90s alternative rock and the "feral," self-flagellating songwriter underneath them, who still claws through every blank page 30 years in and can't tell you how he does it.From a broken home at 12 to painting dentists' offices after he'd already made 16 Stone, Gavin carries three things simultaneously that most rock legends never figure out how to hold at once: the craft of a lifelong student who still writes out scales to get better, the conviction to bet on analog human perspective in the age of AI, and the contrarian refusal to romanticize any of it — "it's a perpetual UFC octagon."This is one of the more honest conversations about longevity, survival, and what it actually costs to keep creating after the era that made you has moved on — and buried some of the people who defined it. When the confidence and the insecurity are the same engine, who do you become?And The Writer Is... Gavin Rossdale!Hit subscribe and turn on notifications. Every week, we go deep with the most interesting creatives in music.Follow us on socials: @andthewriterisA 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.Hosted by Ross GolanProduced by Joe London and Jad Saad

Today's guest is Brittany Howard — four-time Grammy winner, the voice of Alabama Shakes, and one of the most singular artists of her generation. But her real story isn't the accolades or the sold-out rooms. It's a single-wide trailer, a junkyard full of animals, and a garbage truck — and a woman who never once chased any of it.From a Cotton Patch trailer park to Paisley Park, Brittany built a career by refusing to do it the way you're supposed to. She carries three things simultaneously that most artists never figure out how to hold at once: an obsessive craftsman's ear (she'll stab an amp with a screwdriver to find a tone), an unbudging authenticity (she showed up to the deal that changed her life hungover, in her pajamas, in a mail truck), and a total indifference to the machine (0% involvement in her own charts, streams, and licensing).This is one of the more honest conversations we've had about staying true to yourself in music.And The Writer Is... Alabama Shakes!Hit subscribe and turn on notifications. Every week, we go deep with the most interesting creatives in music.Follow us on socials: @andthewriterisA special thank you to our sponsor, NMPA — the National Music Publishers Association. Your support means the world to us.Timestamps0:00 Intro2:09 Is hunting for tone a fool's errand?4:02 "Happy accidents" — taste vs. preference6:22 Stabbing an amp with a screwdriver for the perfect tone9:02 Born in a single-wide in Cotton Patch trailer park10:53 "Are we rich now?" — a junkyard, 96 cats, 26 dogs12:53 Picking up guitar out of necessity (she wanted to play bass)17:00 Recording songs at 12 on Audacity, alone in the woods18:45 The At the Drive-In shirt — meeting Zach19:33 Mom: "I didn't know you could sing" / "Me either"20:46 Her first song ever28:59 The label meeting: hungover, in pajamas, in a mail truck32:22 Writing "Hold On" in a garbage truck33:27 Making up the whole song live on stage at The Brick37:06 How a record deal did (and didn't) change how she lived44:01 "Do I have any money?" — buying her first house46:07 Meeting Shawn Everett & Blake Mills for Sound & Color52:51 Talking to Prince on the phone — and his list of rules54:17 Playing "Gimme All Your Love" with Prince — "did he change his mind?"56:49 How Alabama Shakes came back together59:15 Rapid fire + "Leave music to the people who love music"CreditsHosted by Ross GolanProduced by Joe London & Jad SaadEdited by Jad Saad

Today's guest is one of the most recognizable faces of her generation — an actor whose voice you'd know in a single frame. But her real story isn't the one you've watched. It's the one she kept secret: for 20 years she's been a songwriter, and barely anyone — even people who know her — knew it.This is one of the more honest conversations we've had about being underestimated — as an actor who "couldn't" really be a musician, and as a woman the industry assumed didn't write her own songs — and about what it costs to keep making things purely because you love them.And The Writer Is... Zooey Deschanel of She & Him!In this episode of And The Writer Is, we go deep on:Why she erased social media off her own devicesThe "industry plant" myth — why the industry "can't make anything happen" anymoreBeing told "you'll never make a record, no one will take you seriously" as an actorHer "secret agent" identityThe misogyny she goes to bat againstHer North Star she chasesAnd much more...Hit subscribe and turn on notifications. Every week, we go deep with the most interesting creatives in music.Join our Patreon for special access, bonus conversations, demo playing opportunities, and guest hangs!patreon.com/andthewriterisFollow us on socials: @andthewriterisA special thank you to our lead sponsor NMPA for making these conversations possible.NMPA is the National Music Publishers' Association. They fight for songwriters and they fight for this podcast, too.Chapters0:00 Intro1:00 Meet Zooey Deschanel1:51 Writing alone — and erasing social media to do it4:49 Why the "industry plant" is a myth6:37 "You'll never be taken seriously as a musician"7:25 Her secret identity as a songwriter11:15 How She & Him released with no name attached13:01 "I Thought I Saw Your Face Today" — never a single, now #1 on TikTok15:35 The story behind writing "I Thought I Saw Your Face Today"17:24 Her dad, the records, and growing up musical22:44 Brian Wilson, Gershwin, and the Great American Songbook26:13 Five desert island albums28:21 Why "A Hard Day's Night" beats the White Album30:16 Teaching herself piano at six32:46 Writing her first song at ten38:42 "I identify as a songwriter, not an actor"42:15 Dropping out of Northwestern45:59 A word from our lead sponsor, NMPA49:23 Finding her voice in the studio — the mic chain51:56 Recording with Brian Wilson & the gifted mic55:57 Why she never sold out — turning in finished records67:03 The lonely sets where her first two records were written69:35 Almost Famous & Cameron Crowe72:50 "I'm allergic to selling myself"76:19 Nobody believes a woman writes her own songs79:00 Writing for other artists & how publishing splits really work82:07 Why she loves writing Christmas songs84:24 500 Days of Summer & music in film88:36 The songwriting trick: "What if I am her?"93:21 Dyslexia, reading scripts & why melody sticks94:56 Why she doesn't do more theater98:38 Staying clean through party-era Hollywood100:50 M. Ward — 20 years, never one fight109:57 Writing alone when everyone's afraid to111:43 The biggest misconception about her114:18 Finding your North StarCredits:Hosted by Ross GolanProduced by Joe London & Jad SaadEdited by Jad SaadWatch on Spotify. If you're subscribed to Spotify Premium, you don't get any Spotify ads on our show.