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.