Songcraft: Spotlight On Songwriters

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2020 conversation with Linda Perry.   ABOUT LINDA PERRYSinger, songwriter, musician, producer, and Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Linda Perry first made her mark as an artist, serving as lead vocalist and primary songwriter of the group 4 Non Blondes, which is best known for the Top 15 pop hit “What’s Up?” Following a couple of solo albums, Linda emerged as a powerhouse songwriter and producer thanks to her work on P!nk’s multiplatinum Misundaztood album. The debut single, “Get The Party Started,” which Linda wrote solo, was a global smash. She followed it up with another solo-written composition, “Beautiful,” which became a chart-topping ballad for Christina Aguilera that earned a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year. Subsequent chart success came with Gwen Stefani’s debut solo single “What You Waiting For,” Alicia Keys’s “Superwoman,” Ariana Grande’s

Three-time Grammy nominee and My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James joins us to talk about the evolution of his songwriting and the band's new album, Is. PART ONE:Paul and Scott chat about ideal song length and extend an invitation to Taylor Swift PART TWO:Our in-depth conversation with Jim JamesABOUT JIM JAMES:Jim James is best known as the frontman of the band My Morning Jacket, which he formed in Louisville, Kentucky in 1998. As the band’s primary songwriter, James has embraced everything from roots music to experimental psychedelic sounds. To date, they’ve released nine full length studio albums, two of which—Evil Urges and Circuital—reached the Top 10 on the Billboard album chart. My Morning Jacket has received three Grammy nominations for Best Alternative Album. In addition to the band, Jim has released four solo albums and formed the supergroup Monsters of Folks with Conor Oberst, M. Ward, and Mike Mogis, which released a self-titled album in 2009. My Morning Jacket’s new album is called Is. 

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2015 conversation with Bill Withers.  ABOUT BILL WITHERSPop and R&B legend Bill Withers released nine albums between 1971 and 1985 that included such classic songs as “Lean on Me,” “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Grandma’s Hands,” “Use Me,” “Lovely Day,” and “Just the Two of Us.” Though he stepped away from the limelight in the mid-1980s, his songs have become classics that have withstood the test of time and been covered by iconic artists including Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Gladys Knight, Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson, Paul McCartney, Ike & Tina Turner, Smokey Robinson, Al Green, The Staple Singers, Diana Ross, Neil Diamond, Sting, Linda Ronstadt, Roberta Flack, Buddy Guy, Barbra Streisand, and George Benson. Additionally, his music has been sampled by Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, L.L. Cool J, Tupac Shakur, and Kanye West. Withers was in the inaugural class of the

Guster's Ryan Miller discusses his songwriting process before Scott, Paul, and Ryan go totally off the rails on 80s pop songs, Sebastian Bach, and other random stuff. One of the most fun interviews we've had in a while! PART ONE:Paul and Scott chat about the time Paul opened for Guster, their friend who met his wife thanks to Guster fandom, and the phenomenon of social cultures forming around certain performers. PART TWO:Our in-depth conversation with Guster's Ryan MillerABOUT RYAN MILLER:Ryan Miller is best known for his work with the alternative rock band Guster. With nine studio albums and a dedicated live following, the band has topped Billboard’s independent albums chart with Evermotion in 2015 and Look Alive in 2019. Among their top 5 singles on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart are the songs “Amsterdam,” “Careful,” “One Man Wrecking Machine,” “Satellite,” and “Overexcited.” In addition to his work with the band, Miller has composed the scores for over 15 feature films, and launched his own TV

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2021 conversation with Dan Nigro. ABOUT DAN NIGRO:Dan Nigro is a record producer and songwriter who has produced and written songs for and with Olivia Rodrigo, Chappell Roan, Sky Ferreira, Joe Jonas, Kylie Minogue, Lewis Capaldi, Caroline Polacheck, Dermot Kennedy, Maisie Peters, and Conan Gray. He has been nominated for 13 Grammy awards, and won the Grammy for Producer of the Year for 2024. He was also named ASCAP Songwriter of the Year for the same period. When we originally caught up with Dan in 2021 he was enjoying the success of Sour, his first album with Olivia Rodrigo.   

Best known for his song "Electric Love" (with nearly 2 BILLION streams on Spotify!), BØRNS took some time off and has now reinvented his sound with a fantastic new EP. PART ONE: Paul and Scott talk about Omnivore Recordings, a new Buck Owens LP, who they wouldn't want to invite over to Songcraft world headquarters, and other random stuff. PART TWO: Our in-depth conversation with BØRNSABOUT BØRNS:Michigan native and Los Angeles based singer-songwriter BØRNS is best known for the platinum-selling single “Electric Love” from his 2015 album Dopamine on Interscope Records. The follow-up album, Blue Madonna, included the singles “Sweet Dreams” and “God Save Our Blood,” featuring Lana Del Rey. After a departure from Interscope and a recording hiatus, he returned with the Suddenly EP in 2023, which marked a sonic shift to a more organic aesthetic. That same year, he and girlfriend Courtney Farren released the Together Together EP. BØRNS’ most recent EP is the retro-infused Honeybee, which was released in early 2025. 

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2020 conversation with Lucinda Williams. ABOUT LUCINDA WILLIAMSOne of the most revered songwriters on the face of the earth, Lucinda Williams was once crowned “America’s Best Songwriter” by People magazine. She first gained widespread attention after Mary Chapin Carpenter made her song “Passionate Kisses” a Top 5 hit, which earned Lucinda a Grammy award for Country Song of the Year. She went on to release a string of critically-acclaimed albums that garnered her a total of 15 Grammy nominations spanning the genres of rock, pop, country, folk, and Americana. One of the primary architects of the Americana genre, Lucinda has received more Americana Music Association award nominations than nearly any other artist, and she was the first female recipient of the AMA’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting. VH1 named her one of the 100 Greatest Women in Rock &

Six-time Grammy winner, Academy Award nominee, and Songwriters Hall of Famer Glen Ballard joins us to talk about his work with Michael Jackson, Alanis Morrisette, Dave Matthews, and many others!PART ONEPaul and Scott talk about the awesomeness that is Omnivore Recordings, dig into the Fire Aid concert, and talk about their '90s music geekery. PART TWOOur in-depth conversation with Glen BallardABOUT GLEN BALLARDFollowing an entry-level job at Elton John’s Rocket Records in Los Angeles, Glen Ballard began his creative career as a staff songwriter for MCA Music Publishing. Early singles included George Strait’s “You Look So Good in Love” and Jack Wagner’s major hit “All I Need,” which Glen also produced. In the mid-1980s he went to work for Quincy Jones, an era when he and Siedah Garrett co-wrote Michael Jackson’s triple platinum single “Man in the Mirror.” By the dawn of the 1990s, Glen had begun collaborating with Wilson Phillips, co-writing their chart topping hits “Hold On” and “You’re in Love.” He went on t

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our milestone 100th episode with the legendary Lamont Dozier! ABOUT LAMONT DOZIERLamont Dozier, along with brothers Eddie and Brian Holland, wrote and produced more than 20 consecutive singles recorded by the Supremes, including ten #1 pop hits: “Where Did Our Love Go,” “Baby Love,” “Come See About Me,” “Stop! In the Name of Love,” “Back in My Arms Again,” “I Hear a Symphony,” “You Can’t Hurry Love,” “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” “Love is Here and Now You’re Gone,” and “The Happening.” Other Top 5 singles they wrote for the Supremes include “My World is Empty Without You” and “Reflections.” In addition to their hits with the Supremes, Holland, Dozier, and Holland helped further define the Motown sound by writing major pop and R&B hits such as “Heat Wave,” “Nowhere to Run,” and “Jimmy Mack” for Martha and the Vandellas, “Mickey’s Monkey” for the Miracles, “Can I

Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes joins us to talk about the evolution of humor in his songwriting, why he's transparent with his fans, and maybe the most Bob Dylan of Bob Dylan stories we've ever heard. PART ONE:Paul and Scott address the recent wildfires in the Los Angeles area, and encourage people to help make a difference by considering a donation through one of four organizations: Fire Aid (fireaidla.org)The Red Cross (redcross.org)MusiCares (musicares.org)World Central Kitchen (wck.org) PART TWO:Our in-depth conversation with Taylor Goldsmith of DawesABOUT TAYLOR GOLDSMITH:Taylor Goldsmith is best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter for the folk-influenced rock band Dawes. The group, which also includes Taylor’s brother, Griffin, has released nine full-length studio albums, six of which have hit the Top 5 on Billboard’s Americana/Folk Albums chart, and four of which have hit the Top 10 on Billboard’s rock chart. In addition to his work with Dawes, he has been a member of the band Middle

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. What better way to kick things off than where it all began? Here's a look back at episode one and our conversation with Jim Peterik.  ABOUT JIM PETERIKSinger, songwriter, guitarist, and keyboardist Jim Peterik is best known as a founding member of the band Survivor and the co-writer of their Grammy-winning double platinum #1 hit single, “Eye of the Tiger.” But that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Thirty-five of Jim’s songs have appeared on the Billboard Pop chart, including seven Top 10 singles. His first major success came when his original band, Ides of March, took the Peterik-penned “Vehicle” to the #2 position on the Pop chart in 1970, spawning cover versions by Chet Baker and Shirley Bassey. After a stint as a solo artist with Epic Records, Jim formed Survivor in 1979, penning a string of hits for the band, including “I Can’t Hold Back,” “High On You,” “The Search is Over,” “Burni

Songcraft celebrates ten years with a look back at episode highlights and behind-the-scenes stories from our first decade! Plus, a few announcements about what's new in 2025. 

Six-time Grammy winner, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer, and Kennedy Center honoree Amy Grant joins us to chat about the pursuit of honesty in songwriting, the stories behind some of her songs, and her catalog of modern day Christmas classics. PART ONEPaul and Scott chat about the idea of a "definitive" version of a Christmas song, discuss their favorites, debate about Christmas songs they love and hate, and delve into Scott's elementary school crush on Amy Grant. PART TWOOur in-depth interview with Amy GrantABOUT AMY GRANTPerhaps the most influential pioneer of the Contemporary Christian Music genre, Amy Grant released her first album while still in high school. Her fourth album, 1982’s Age to Age, found unprecedented success with hit singles such as “Sing Your Praise to the Lord” and “El Shaddai.” Age to Age topped the Christian album chart for 85 weeks, earned Amy her first Grammy award, and became the first Christian album to be certified Platinum by the RIAA. Her 1984 album Straight Ahead spawned hit

Bonnie McKee chats about co-writing hits with Katy Perry, including "California Gurls" and "Roar," as well as her own artist career that has resulted in successful singles such as "American Girl." PART ONE:Scott and Paul share a little preview of what's to come as they prepare to celebrate Songcraft's 10 anniversaryPART TWOOur in-depth conversation with Bonnie McKeeABOUT BONNIE McKEE:Bonnie McKee grew up as a classically trained singer and pianist, but began pursuing a pop music career while still a teen. In 2004 she released her debut album, Trouble, with Reprise Records, but soon switched her focus to working as a behind-the-scenes songwriter. She has written ten songs that have hit #1 in either the US or UK, and is best known for her work with Katy Perry, which began with the Diamond-certified and international chart-topping album, Teenage Daydream. Bonnie contributed to three songs on the album, all of which became chart-topping singles: “California Gurls,” “Teenage Dream,” and “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F

Grammy nominee and four-time ASCAP Christian Songwriter of the Year Jeremy Camp dives deep with Songcraft on creativity, loss, honesty, and following the right path. PART ONEPaul and Scott get in the weeds on Billboard magazine's recent "100 Greatest Country Artists of All Time" list. Plus, we preview the remaining episodes for 2024 and offer a sneak peek at what's ahead for our 10th anniversary year.PART TWOOur in-depth interview with Jeremy CampABOUT JEREMY CAMPBetween 2002 and 2024, Christian artist Jeremy Camp released fifteen studio albums, four of which have been certified Gold by the RIAA. Additionally, his 2005 album Live Unplugged has been certified double Platinum. Fourteen of Jeremy’s singles as an artist have hit #1 on Billboard’s Christian charts, including the Gold-certified “Walk by Faith,” “There Will be a Day,” “Overcome,” “Same Power,” “Christ in Me,” “Dead Man Walking,” and “Keep Me in the Moment.” Other highlights of his catalog include “Give You Glory,” “Lay Down My Pride,” “Stay,” and “I

Three-time Grammy nominee and pop songwriting powerhouse Justin Tranter joins us to talk about his process and his remarkable lists of hits for Chappell Roan, Fall Out Boy, Imagine Dragons, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, and many others.PART ONE:Scott and Paul nerd out on this year's Grammy nominationsPART TWO:Our in-depth interview with Justin TranterABOUT JUSTIN TRANTER:Nominated for Songwriter of the Year at the Grammy Awards in 2024, Justin Tranter is one of the most successful writers in pop music. The recognition capped off a ten year streak of success that includes hits such as “Centuries” by Fall Out Boy, the Selena Gomez hits “Good for You,” “Hands to Myself,” and “Lose You to Love Me,” DNCE’s “Cake By the Ocean,” “Sorry” by Justin Bieber, “Close” by Nick Jonas, “Issues” by Julia Michaels, the Imagine Dragons singles “Believer,” “Natural,” and “Enemy,” Maroon 5’s “Cold,” “Bad at Love” by Halsey, and “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan, which is nominated for Song of the Year at the upcoming Grammy Awar

Grammy-winning Southern roots rock duo Larkin Poe (sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell) join us to chat about their creative process and their exciting forthcoming album, Bloom. PART ONE:'Tis the season! Scott and Paul chat about the classic Halloween songs. Is it time for a modern day resurgence of spooky music?PART TWO:Our in-depth conversation with sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell, known to the world as duo Larkin PoeABOUT LARKIN POE:Blues-based rock duo Larkin Poe is comprised of multi-instrumentalist sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell. The Georgia natives began their career as an acoustic trio with their sister Jessica in 2004. That year they appeared on A Prairie Home Companion and won the Prairie Home National Teen Talent Competition. In 2008, the Lovell Sisters’ song “Distance” won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest grand prize in the country genre. That same year, their song “Time to Grow” received honorable mention in the International Songwriting Competition. After an impressive indie career that inclu

Storytelling folk troubadour and songwriter's songwriter David Wilcox dives deep on his creative process.PART ONE:Paul and Scott pay tribute to the late Kris Kristofferson and Hugh Prestwood before diving in to a cringey lyrical trend that they're happy to see fade into history. PART TWO:Our in-depth conversation with David WilcoxABOUT DAVID WILCOX:Emerging from the Asheville, North Carolina progressive folk scene in the late 1980s, David Wilcox signed with A&M Records and carved out a reputation as an insightful, sensitive, and often funny singer-songwriter and storyteller. His first album for the label, How Did You Find Me Here, sold over 100,000 copies on word of mouth alone. Often compared to James Taylor, Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake, Wilcox went on to build a dedicated following and establish himself as a songwriter’s songwriter. In 2008 he was honored, alongside Bob Dylan, with Acoustic Guitar magazine’s silver award in the singer-songwriter category. The San Francisco Chronicle called him the “dar

From Miley's "Wrecking Ball" to The Weeknd's "Earned It" to his own successful instrumental albums, Oscar and Grammy nominated songwriter, composer and producer Stephen Moccio gives opens up on his creative process. PART ONEPaul and Scott share some of your submissions for favorite lyric lines, as well as lyrics that bug you from songs you otherwise love. In addition, they pay tribute to past Songcraft guests JD Souther and Billy Edd Wheeler, who both recently passed away. PART TWOOur in-depth conversation with Stephen Moccio.  ABOUT STEPHAN MOCCIOStephan Moccio is an Oscar-nominated composer and a three-time Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer. His breakthrough came when fellow Canadian Celine Dion’s recording of “A New Day Has Come” made history by topping the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart for 21 weeks. He went on to release Exposure, his first solo album as an artist, which hit the Canadian Top 10 and was certified Gold. Since then, Moccio has balanced his creative efforts between releasing his o

Electronic music pioneer Howard Jones joins us to talk about everything from classic hits such as "Things Can Only Get Better" and "No One is to Blame" to his recent live album, Live at the O2. PART ONEPaul and Scott remind our listeners to send in their favorite lyric line, as well as their least favorite lines from songs they otherwise love. Then Richard Evans joins us to talk about his book Listening to the Music the Machines Make. PART TWOOur in-depth conversation with Howard JonesABOUT HOWARD JONESElectronic music pioneer Howard Jones first exploded on the scene in 1983 with his synthesizer-led UK Top 5 pop hit “New Song.” His debut album, Human’s Lib, reached #1 in 1984 in the UK and featured the hits “New Song” and “What Is Love?” In 1985, Howard released the follow-up, Dream Into Action, which became a Top Ten Platinum album in the US and featured the smash hits “Things Can Only Get Better,” “Life In One Day,” “No One Is To Blame,” and “Like To Get To Know You Well.” Other highlights from subsequent a