And The Writer Is...with Ross Golan

And The Update Is...Ella Langley Makes Billboard History, UMG Sues DistroKid & Songwriters Fight for Healthcare 19.09.2026 4min

And The Update Is…a weekly beat on the industry . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. 264: How Aaron Dessner Became an Industry Favorite and the 3AM Text That Became 'folklore' 15.09.2026 1val 22min

Today's guest is a musician's musician who co-founded The National, the Grammy-winning band behind Boxer, High Violet and Sleep Well Beast.He co-wrote and produced Taylor Swift's folklore and evermore, including cardigan and willow. folklore won Album of the Year at the Grammys.He worked on The Tortured Poets Department and produced Ed Sheeran's Subtract.He's behind Gracie Abrams' I Love You, I'm Sorry and Noah Kahan's Porch Light.In the last year alone, he's made records with Mumford & Sons, Florence + the Machine, Brandi Carlile, Sam Barber, Kevin Morby and Suki Waterhouse.He's one half of Big Red Machine with Bon Iver's Justin Vernon.And he built Long Pond, the Hudson Valley studio where many of these songs were made.And The Writer Is... Aaron Dessner!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.Amazon Music for Songwriters. Your support means the world to us.And SONA — Songwriters of North America. If you write songs, join them. They fight for us.0:00 Intro1:00 Cardigan, willow, Porch Light — and eight albums in a year5:26 Why "I Love You, I'm Sorry" was never the single7:27 Secretly rooting for the weird song8:17 When a pop star needs a single right now10:25 Don't fill the space: how he walks into a session12:12 Long Pond and "you never make a mistake investing in your creativity"17:24 Twin brothers and their dad's jazz drums22:48 "We faked it": how The National got signed26:48 Playing to no one — then 500 strangers in Michigan30:05 "Did you lose yourself?"33:14 When one bandmate starts writing hits for other people35:38 On stage with Taylor: "You're playing a stadium. It's okay."37:27 "Hey, it's Taylor": the text in 202040:34 The Dropbox folder — and cardigan by 3 a.m.47:45 The thank-you note that became willow51:49 Meeting Gracie Abrams — and 2–3 songs a day57:47 How an instrumentalist became the storyteller's whisperer1:01:11 Why his albums don't get shelved: finishing Prizefighter1:04:23 Studio stories: Gracie, Brandi Carlile, Florence, Sam Barber1:11:40 Noah Kahan arrives burnt out — and Porch Light1:15:41 Live Q&A: finding the corners, his first key change1:18:24 Advice for musicians with day jobs1:20:07 What all the greats have in commonCredits:Hosted by Ross GolanProduced by Joe London & Jad Saad Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. 263: Ziggy Marley on Family Rules for Life, Music, and Success 08.09.2026 1val 3min

Today's guest is a Grammy-winning songwriter, bandleader and activist who has spent four decades inside the most famous name in reggae — but whose real story isn't the inheritance. It's the set of rules underneath it, the ones the family actually lives by, which turn out to have almost nothing to do with music.And The Writer Is... Ziggy Marley!Subscribe to our channel 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 for making these conversations possible.Our lead sponsor, NMPA — the National Music Publishers' Association. Your support means the world to us. And @splice — the best sample library on the market. Period.Chapters:0:00 He inherited a legacy and built a voice of his own0:45 Why reggae heals 4:53 What makes the Marley family so consistent6:43 Seven kids, and the family business that isn't music8:36 Why the whole album is tuned to 43212:32 The one song he left at 44016:06 What makes this album different from the other fifteen18:11 Finishing the songs before going into the studio20:37 Why he wrote "Many Mourn For Bob" 45 years later24:54 Umbrella or shadow: being a Marley26:39 The funeral, and the drive to Nine Miles30:54 NMPA + Splice33:15 Breaking the four-bar on "Racism"36:03 "It sounds light, but it's heavy underneath"38:37 What "Beach in Hawaii" is actually about43:37 How he found out "Tomorrow People" was a hit46:14 The Melody Makers, and the line you don't cross49:15 "Create your own space"53:45 Advice to the next Marleys55:27 "You can't just ChatGPT life experience"59:12 "When the fridge was empty, I was happy"1:00:26 "I know my value"1:03:07 "It's always new. Still a kid."Credits:Hosted by Ross GolanProduced by Joe London & Jad Saad Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

And The Update Is...The Industry Mourns Dolly, AI Music, $11 BILLION in Ticket Fees & Ella Langley Takes Over the Charts 04.09.2026 6min

And The Update Is…a weekly beat on the industry . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. 262: Ryan Beatty | How to Make It in Music Without Losing Yourself 01.09.2026 1val 6min

Today's guest is an artist and songwriter whose career has taken him from teenage YouTube covers to working with Beyoncé, Tyler, The Creator, Brockhampton, Miley Cyrus and Jack Antonoff.But this conversation is really about something bigger: How to build a career in music without losing yourself along the way.Ryan talks about learning to trust his own taste, being grateful he never had a hit record, protecting what makes an artist special, and refusing to let success, algorithms or other people's expectations define him.We also get into Boy in Jeans, Brockhampton, Tyler the Creator's unexpected DM, writing four songs on Cowboy Carter, the making of "Bruises Off the Peach," and his new album Sweet Fortune.And The Writer Is... Ryan Beatty!Subscribe for more conversations with the artists, songwriters and producers shaping music.Follow us: @andthewriterisA special thank you to our sponsors:NMPA — the National Music Publishers' Association Splice — the best sample library on the market. Period.Chapters0:00 Intro1:36 The Greek, Hollywood Bowl & Pokémon evolutions3:08 Being made fun of for singing4:09 “I refuse to continue just being one thing”8:32 Why being hard to define is freedom9:52 How Ryan approaches a songwriting session11:52 Teach people how to treat you13:43 “I’m grateful I’ve never had a hit record”14:12 What success feels like vs. what it looks like20:08 “I didn’t feel smart enough to be a songwriter”20:55 Boy in Jeans — finding his voice as a songwriter26:42 Jack Antonoff and an unexpected Broadway placement27:30 NMPA + Splice29:19 His advice for artists going viral31:55 The moment he decided to do it his way34:06 Brockhampton, Kevin Abstract & finding confidence37:05 Why Ryan never pitches songs40:43 Tyler, The Creator’s unexpected DM42:35 Dreaming of David, touring & burnout44:52 Making “Bruises Off the Peach”48:17 Finding his actual singing voice50:30 Cowboy Carter — four songs, told nobody54:30 Making Sweet Fortune & chasing timelessness57:32 How he wants listeners to see themselves in his songs59:36 Amy Allen, Clairo & making the studio a place of joy1:04:25 “Doing this is scary for me”CreditsHosted by Ross Golan Produced by Joe London & Jad Saad Edited by Jad Saad Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. 261: Travis Barker | Survival and Building a Legendary Career out of the Ashes 18.08.2026 1val 45min

Today's guest is the drummer who took punk out of the garage, put it on your radio, then on MTV, then on your body. But his real story isn't the discography. It's what he did with everything that was supposed to end him.From a four-piece kit in Fontana to the center of the album cover, Travis carries three things simultaneously that most musicians never figure out how to hold at once: the craft of writing a drum part as a hook — singing it in his head before his hands ever get there; the conviction that no genre gets to own him, and no one else gets to write his ending; and the contrarian edge to ban Auto-Tune, editing, and drum samples from his own studio at the exact moment the rest of the industry is sprinting toward machine-clean.And The Writer Is... Travis Barker!Hit subscribe and turn on notifications. Every week, we go deep with the most interesting creatives in music.Join us on Patreon: patreon.com/andthewriterisWe're giving away 4 pieces of premium recording gear on zoom on August 25th! Join Patreon for details.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. And @splice — the best sample library on the market. Period.CHAPTERS0:00 Intro1:51 Why the documentary sat for nine years3:18 The producers pitch an ending: "Can you just walk onto a plane?"4:51 Survivor's guilt: "They wouldn't want me to sit here and not fly again"6:33 "The doc was dead to me" — and living your life like it's a movie9:41 "I don't make beats." "Now you do. I need it in two days."12:23 Beastie Boys, Bad Brains, Buck Owens — refusing the box15:28 The drums are a hook, not a timekeeper15:54 "That's not music" — the teacher who wouldn't teach him rock17:25 How he actually writes a part: "I sing it in my head"18:21 Learning the whole blink-182 set in an hour21:29 Trash men in Laguna, and one store that sold their tape22:52 The untitled album, and the day the process changed25:57 The lyrics he wrote: "We'll have Halloween on Christmas"27:15 "I Miss You" — the loop he had to convince them to keep28:07 "You have to put your ego away to be a drummer who's a songwriter"35:46 The burn center: "How am I going to play drums?"36:25 The hand he couldn't feel, and why he told no one43:20 "Too heavy for blink" — Boxcar Racer, and Mark56:30 "There was no therapy for what happened"1:10:19 What drummers should actually practice1:19:29 AI: "I hate it" — no Auto-Tune, no editing, no samples1:31:20 "All the Small Things" — the day Tom told him to open the valve1:33:33 "Where's all the hits?" — the note that made Rock Show and First Date1:35:15 "One More Time": writing about your own band breaking upCredits:Hosted by Ross GolanProduced by Joe London and Jad Saad Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. 260: Role Model | Being Discovered by Mac Miller & How Getting Signed Changed His Music 11.08.2026 58min

Today's guest is an artist most people meet through the bit: the deadpan internet, the cowboy suit, the one-sided war he's been waging with Harry Styles for a year that Harry Styles knows nothing about. So this is the other version of him. A kid in Pittsburgh with a borrowed mic and beats ripped off YouTube, broke and failing out of school, who gets a message that Mac Miller loves a song off his first EP — and uses those three days in LA to convince his parents to let him drop out. It's also one of the more honest conversations we've had about what the industry's upgrades actually cost you. Not the version where getting signed is the happy ending — the version where the nice studio, the engineer recording your vocals, and the A&R in your ear slowly make music that isn't yours. Chuck Timely & The Hourglass is what's on the other side of that: a record about time, made by someone who spent years trying to get his own back. And the only person who ever told him not to make it was his mother.And The Writer Is... Role Model!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. And @splice — the best sample library on the market. Period.They are also maybe the only ethical ai-integrated sample library and they pay creators for using their work in the new Variations update and beyond. Chapters0:00 Intro2:00 The year-long war with Harry Styles that Harry Styles knows nothing about2:41 Mac Miller and Odd Future on Vine are why he finally said yes to TikTok3:33 The message about "Stolen Car" that came while he was failing out of school15:01 "Did you scrub the internet?" — "Yes. Because I was embarrassed."16:13 "I was trying to impress a label. I just made shitty music."24:16 A 16-year-old in Portland, Maine, and an EP made entirely over email25:44 The labels start calling: "I was a sitting duck"27:01 The studio trap — how nice rooms take the music out of your hands28:01 The two EPs he's blocked out: "I don't remember making that music"28:54 Why he won't pitch songs to other artists31:06 The 80s synth album they made for two months and scrapped34:33 The two rules: no synths, no drum machines35:06 His mom: "There's country in it? Your fans are gonna hate that."37:39 "Sally," written in the 30 minutes a session ran short42:09 "But who is Chuck?" — inventing Chuck Timely47:12 Ross defines a good song: "This will piss off a lot of people"53:10 What he'd say to Mac Miller54:44 "Look at That Woman" started as a joke — and why the loose ones win56:27 The permission Kansas Anymore gave other songwritersCredits: Hosted by Ross Golan Produced by Joe London & Jad Saad Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

And The Update Is...Suno Loses Copyright Case, Spotify Hits 300M & YouTube Music Dominates 07.08.2026 4min

And The Update Is…a weekly beat on the industry . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. 259: Jessi Alexander on Writing "The Climb" The Week She Almost Quit... + What It Takes To Last as a Nashville Songwriter 04.08.2026 1val 27min

Today's guest wrote "The Climb." She also wrote "I Drive Your Truck," "Mine Would Be You," "Don't Think Jesus," and "Ain't No Love in Oklahoma." But her real story isn't the hits. It's the ten years before the first one, the five years after it when the phone stopped ringing, and what she figured out in between about how to actually last in this business.From a dropped record deal and years as what she calls a washed-up artist nobody would write with, to Song of the Year, a Grammy nomination, and a run of hits she wrote while raising three kids under three. She carries three things at once that almost no writer figures out how to hold together: a working method she can actually teach, a conviction that this is a calling and not a job, and a refusal to write the safe version of anything.And The Writer Is... Jessi Alexander!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.0:00 Intro0:48 Her favorite non-songwriting songwriter trick1:54 "How do you make unavailable country men emotional?"5:33 The five songs on her Hall of Fame plaque11:07 Pool halls and stick shifts: "that color is what I draw from"12:42 The artist deal that fizzled — "I wasn't the artist type"13:31 No man's land: "no one took me seriously, I was a washed-up artist"14:01 The insane story behind writing The Climb: "just another damn day"20:11 Bud Light, a guitar pull, and a British director22:07 Being told The Climb would change her life "Sir, that doesnt happen to people like me"28:08 Nashville still said No30:38 Getting men to sing: long notes and the falsetto flip31:44 "What part of their tool belt have they not used?"34:32 The professor who told her to quit school36:18 Her album, the mergers, and Redneck Woman40:27 New mom: "they'll just put someone else in my spot"45:30 Good mom or good at work — never both46:16 2015 to 2020: "the water just turned off"48:23 Advice for the writer whose phone stopped ringing50:24 The song that rang every bell57:21 Concept-first or melody-first: "I'm the director"61:16 Songwriters own it. Screenwriters sell it.64:16 Imposter syndrome and the Billy Strings answer65:24 What makes Morgan Wallen great69:46 "I don't like to not know where all the bodies are buried"71:43 I Drive Your Truck (Crazy story)74:37 Her granddad's truck in the driveway75:44 "Call in the third. Call in the fourth. Call in the 10th."76:46 No #1 party until they found him80:36 The truck-song traffic jam they were worried sick about85:38 "Keep your head down." Still the only answer.Credits:Hosted by Ross GolanProduced by Joe London & Jad Saad Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

And The Update Is…Labels Rein In AI, Miley Signs to Atlantic & Deezer Turns a Profit 02.08.2026 5min

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

Ep. 258: Suki Waterhouse on Loveland, Motherhood, and Finding Her People 28.07.2026 1val 43min

Today's guest is a songwriter four albums deep, with a song that's been picking up new listeners for nine years and Mick Fleetwood playing on her latest record. But her real story isn't any of that.From weekend stage camps in West London to opening Wembley for Taylor Swift five months after giving birth, she spent a decade releasing roughly one song a year into near silence. What kept her going wasn't a plan — it was a pair of collaborators who got nothing back for years and got up and made something every day anyway.This is an honest conversation about what a long stretch of nobody listening actually feels like, and what happens when the proof finally shows up on a timeline you didn't choose.And The Writer Is... Suki Waterhouse!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.And @splice — the best sample library on the market. Period.They've developed a Sounds plugin that allows creators to actually get paid for derivatively generated work from their art, and they have paid out $100M+ to artists already since inception. Chapters:0:00 Intro0:46 How's being a parent and doing music?1:18 "Being a parent is only hard for good parents"2:49 "The girl with the guitar" — how her daughter describes her job4:30 Test-driving album demos on a toddler in her "no" phase12:44 Somewhere Over the Rainbow — and losing to the girl who sang All Saints14:38 The voice teacher who told her she was too skinny to sing15:58 "I was angry. I had this huge fire in me."16:42 The friend group that turned on her: "fuck this school, fuck these people"26:45 "You walk through open doors" — model, actor, musician28:56 "Brutally," 2016, and ten years of making things nobody heard31:01 Advice to a young female artist: learn to produce, even basically32:56 "I went hunting for my fucking tribe. And I found them."35:54 Amy Winehouse at the pub, The Libertines, and a London scene that's gone38:12 Backstage at a Jake Bugg show — meeting Natalie and Jules at eighteen39:23 "They got zero back for years and years and years"42:45 Extreme ADHD, a giant sitar, and a fight over a song46:26 December 7th: flying to London for a song that didn't exist yet47:16 The pact: "if we're not writing something brilliant, we're not carrying it on"47:28 The worst audition of her life, in the dark48:09 A Wurlitzer, a Mellotron, and the song that opens the album1:01:39 "Good Looking" — top ten on TikTok, written nine years ago1:05:53 Covid, Daisy Jones, and deciding to just make the record1:06:32 Every label said no except Sub Pop1:08:40 "It's nothing about what happens in the first week"1:10:16 "Dangerous Woman" and a song that gains meaning over time1:11:38 Daisy Jones: "my name wasn't on the list and I was fucking pissed"1:16:24 "You're more envious of the check than the song"1:26:14 What makes a good song — Beck, Elliott Smith, and roughness1:29:26 Red Rocks with no ear monitors: "I was in insane debt"1:32:04 Opening for Taylor Swift at Wembley1:34:17 Hayley Williams: "this one's for Mr. Waterhouse"1:37:02 A baby in March, a record in September1:39:44 "When everyone goes a bit red — that's when you keep it in the song"1:40:35 What to play driving at night, heartbroken, walking through LondonCredits:Hosted by Ross GolanProduced by Joe London & Jad Saad Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

And The Update Is…Spotify Goes MTV, Triller Gets Sued & AI Floods the Industry 27.07.2026 3min

And The Update Is…a weekly beat on the industry . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. 257: Adam Lambert on Idol, Fronting Queen, and Opting Out of the Industry Game 21.07.2026 1val 37min

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

SUNO Sued, Ai Labels, Resale Ticket Act, Choosin Texas Stays Ontop 19.07.2026 5min

And The Update Is…a weekly beat on the industry . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rewind: The Benny Blanco Episode [Patreon Exclusive] 17.07.2026 30min

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

Ep. 256: Gavin Rossdale (Bush) | "Glycerine" & Surviving the '90s 14.07.2026 1val 41min

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

And The Update Is...Fake Streams, Billion-Dollar Deals & Ed Sheeran's Biggest Career Move Yet 10.07.2026 6min

And The Update Is…a weekly beat on the industry . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. 255: Brittany Howard | How Alabama Shakes Went From a Garbage Truck to Playing with Prince 07.07.2026 1val 10min

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