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Today's guest is the British singer-songwriter behind “Escapism.” and “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!”

After seven years in a record deal without releasing her debut album, she went independent, landed a UK No. 1 and won six BRIT Awards in one night.

This is the story of how she found her own way to succeed—and brought her people with her.

And The Writer Is... RAYE!

In this episode, we get into:

• Signing a record deal at 17, having hits, and still being unable to release her debut album.

• The album called “too risky,” the partner who backed it, and “Escapism.” changing everything.

• Bringing her family and band into the success, and demanding fairer treatment for songwriters.

• Her full writing process, early “Click Clack Symphony.” demos, and nine hours on the “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!” bridge. and much more.

Hit subscribe and turn on notifications. Every week, we go deep with the most interesting creatives in music.

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CHAPTERS

0:00 Intro

1:10 Making music and touring with her family

7:38 What happened to her grandfather's songs

9:49 Ad: PRS for Music

11:09 Ad: Splice 12:16

Ross's stolen-song story and the line between influence and theft

17:33 Who deserves a songwriting credit?

19:52 Why songwriters deserve fees and master points

25:29 The power to say no and protect your splits

28:50 Advice for young writers: choosing your battles and avoiding comparison

33:18 Writing her first song at seven

36:48 The BRIT School and finding her voice

42:21 Subscribe to And The Writer Is

42:50 Jazz freedom and her first music-industry reality check

47:13 The dance hits that came with conditions

48:17 Signing her record deal at 17

54:26 Seven years, hit records and still no debut album

56:33 Going independent and the Escapism. breakthrough

1:02:56 Ice Cream Man. and finding strength through music

1:08:15 The BRIT Awards night she still has not watched back

1:10:38 Making THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE. on her own terms

1:12:38 Playing the early Click Clack Symphony. demos

1:14:53 Why she writes with Auto-Tune

1:17:15 Title first: heels, lyrics and theatrical melodies

1:18:48 Nine hours on the WHERE IS MY HUSBAND! bridge

1:21:19 Getting bigger without trying to please everyone

1:23:30 Who is Suzanne? Picking a song for every mood

1:26:18 Her grandfather's poems in Fields

1:27:04 Opening for Bruno Mars

1:28:48 Closing: building a better music industry

CREDITS

Hosted by Ross Golan

Produced by Joe London & Jad Saad

Edited by Jad Saad

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's guest is the Swedish producer and songwriter behind "Problem," "Into You," "Love Me Like You Do," "No Tears Left To Cry," "Santa Tell Me," and "Unholy,".

He finally sits down with Ross for an And The Writer Is interview ten years in the making.

He taught himself to make music from a demo CD that came in a cereal box.

A radio singing contest got him discovered, and he signed a publishing deal at 17.

It then took him ten years to land his first real hit. He tells Ross how a year of playing FIFA with Shellback led to Wolf Cousins, and what Max Martin's famous "math" actually is.

If you've ever wondered how the biggest pop songs of the last decade actually get finished, this one's for you

And The Writer Is... Ilya Salmanzadeh!

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CHAPTERS

0:00 Cold open: what Max Martin's "math" really means

1:32 Welcome Ilya Salmanzadeh

3:12 What MXM is: "like Real Madrid signed me"

4:46 Jantelagen: why Swedes won't brag

9:57 Born in Iran, raised in Denmark

16:22 A cereal-box CD and teaching himself music

19:54 The hits: Problem, Into You, Unholy and more

21:32 Early influences: Tracy Chapman, Michael Jackson, hip-hop

24:50 Why the world's biggest pop writers live in Stockholm

27:14 Wanting to be an R&B artist

32:36 The radio singing contest that got him discovered

37:26 Ten years from publishing deal to first hit

39:09 Telemarketing and Apple tech support

43:08 The immigrant drive to prove he belongs

46:21 His first cut: the Bratz album

48:20 A year of FIFA with Shellback and the birth of Wolf Cousins

52:37 The MXM pop family tree

54:21 Competition vs. family inside MXM

58:40 Max Martin: "Why aren't you in LA?"

1:00:41 What Max Martin taught him about songwriting

1:03:13 "Problem": Savan Kotecha's original voice memo

1:08:59 The morning "Problem" hit #1 on iTunes

1:10:57 His father and the number he keeps seeing

1:14:31 Weeks on one pre-chorus: making "Into You"

1:21:55 "Love Me Like You Do" started as a Sunday hang

1:27:08 Producer vs. writer credits: "Bad Blood" and "Bang Bang"

1:31:42 His creative wavelength with Ariana Grande

1:32:23 "No Tears Left To Cry" breaking the pop rules

1:34:00 "God is a woman" was almost for Beyoncé and JAY-Z

1:35:48 Ariana Grande as a producer1:37:27 "Unholy": the hotel staff, Max and his daughter

1:44:20 When a release doesn't hit

1:47:11 14-hour days: how he finishes so much music

1:48:57 Chris Martin, Coldplay and the "mind movie"

1:52:17 Why he keeps working with new artists (Tate McRae, LISA)

1:54:53 "eternal sunshine" vs. "petal": the two-room process

1:56:54 "Santa Tell Me" and chasing a Christmas classic

1:59:24 Has Ilya finally proven his worth to himself?

And The Writer Is, hosted by Ross Golan, is a podcast about the songwriters, producers and artists behind the songs you love.

Instagram: instagram.com/andthewriteris

Hosted by Ross Golan

Produced by Joe London and Jad Saad

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.