World’s Greatest Songwriters

He wrote megahits for Michael Jackson and Alanis Morissette. Now he’s taking on musical theater.

Glen Ballard discusses co-writing Jagged Little Pill, working with Michael Jackson, how AI is 'the ultimate threat to every writer in the world' and much more...

Interviews

‘There’s a safe room we go to where the two of us can say anything to each other.’

Boy (George Merrill) Meets Girl (Shannon Rubicam) discuss writing 1980s mega-hits How Will I Know and I Wanna Dance With Somebody, their experience as artists, divorce, trust and rediscovering their passion for writing...

Interviews

‘The objective is not just to have a hit, it’s to make people feel less alone, more loved, more alive, more thankful.’

Josh Jenkins talks about co-writing two very different country mega-hits, the effect they have had on his career, gifts from God, TikTok and the importance of 'a slow, peaceful creative space'

Interviews

‘We need to find a fair way to compensate songwriters, because we can’t survive. Well, I can survive, but I’m terrified for the next generation.’

Liz Rose on becoming a superstar songwriter by accident, Taylor Swift, telling stories, selling catalogs and why current payment models urgently need overhauling

Interviews

Jimmy Napes on Unholy, Sam Smith, and never taking success for granted

Jimmy Napes discusses bangers, ballads, the importance of writing 'crap' songs and his enduring, phenomenally successful partnership with Sam Smith

Interviews

‘Songs are the engine of the music industry and sometimes people can lose sight of that’

Amy Allen discusses writing some of the biggest pop hits of recent times, the joy of collaborating and making Grammy history

Interviews

‘I’ve made lots of money doing something I love, but there’s such a lack of respect.’

Holly Knight looks back on a life of hooks and hits, including The Best by Tina Turner, and takes aim at the industry's treatment of songwriters

Interviews

‘The hardest thing in the world isn’t writing your first hit, it’s writing your second.’

The first song Evan Bogart wrote, before he even considered himself a songwriter, was SOS for Rihanna. All he had to do then was follow it up...

Interviews

‘Generally, the more people involved in writing a song, the less personal it gets.’

Per Gessle on how he wrote Roxette's biggest hits but always felt like an outsider

Interviews

‘Make music that you want to listen to. Don’t chase trends.’

Grammy-winning songwriter Starrah tells MBW about her breakthrough, her biggest hits, her methodology and philosophy

Interviews

‘In country, I feel like the magic of songwriting is still very apparent and very dominant.’

MBW profiles country music writing royalty Ashley Gorley as part of our World's Greatest Songwriters series

Interviews

‘People have asked, Can you write a hit? Answer: no. I mean obviously I can, but not because I’ve tried to.’

MBW profiles Patrick Leonard, who's written with Madonna and Leonard Cohen, for our World's Greatest Songwriters series

Interviews

‘Competition is good, it drives us and makes us all want to be better.’

Grammy-winning songwriter Hillary Lindsey discusses her scrapped artist career, songwriting technique, imposter syndrome and the streaming remuneration debate.

Interviews

‘The music industry revolves around the song.’

ABBA songwriter Björn Ulvaeus discusses his songwriting craft, creative partnership with Benny Andersson, and offers his perspective on the modern music scene.

Interviews

‘The best songs come from a real experience.’

Grammy-nominated songwriter Henry discusses his creative process, selling catalogs and much more besides