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VERSED is a monthly podcast illuminating the heart and soul of music. Featuring in-depth interviews with songwriters and composers, plus tips and insights to help you navigate your music career. Brought to you by ASCAP, home of the world's greatest music creators.

For the past decade, megahit songwriter Justin Tranter has penned hit after beloved hit for massive acts like Chappell Roan, Selena Gomez, Imagine Dragons, Fall Out Boy,  Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Maroon 5, Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa, Janelle Monáe – the list goes on and on. Justin’s keen ear for catchy hooks, resonant lyrics and an endless supply of infectious melodies has secured their near constant presence on the top of the charts for the past 10 years – and their ambitions only grow stronger with every smash, most recently Chappell Roan’s undeniable anthem “Good Luck, Babe!” nominated for “Song of the Year” at the 2025 Grammy Awards. 

To celebrate their joining the ASCAP family, Justin recently joined us at NightBird Recording Studio for a behind the song look at some of the most beloved hits from this dynamic songwriting talent, outspoken activist and community advocate. We also picked their brain about their songwriting process, the issues facing songwriters today and why they joined ASCAP. 

+ Watch the video version of our interview with Justin Tranter 

EP. 42 FEATURED INTERVIEWEE: JUSTIN TRANTER

Justin Tranter is one of the most in-demand producers and songwriters in music today, an ACLU Bill of Rights Award-winning activist and founder of Facet Records and Facet Publishing. With over 75 million single sales, 100 billion streams on Spotify and YouTube alone, 3 diamond-certified songs and dozens of honors as well as multiple GRAMMY and Golden Globes nominations (including a “Songwriter Of The Year” nomination at the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards as well as a “Song Of The Year” nomination at the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards for their work on Chappell's "Good Luck, Babe!"), 16 total BMI Pop Awards and two consecutive “Songwriter of the Year'' titles at the BMI Pop Awards and a 2023 SONA Warrior Award, Tranter’s work has topped the charts while shaping and defining sounds of the past decade and beyond.

Tranter’s unparalleled creative fingerprint can be felt across music, film, TV and theater, as they’ve lent their talents to some of the most iconic songs and albums in recent memory; Justin Bieber’s diamond-certified smash “Sorry,” Imagine Dragons and JID’s #1 single “Enemy,” Selena Gomez’s “Good For You” (featuring A$AP Rocky), Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” and “My Kink Is Karma,” Saweetie’s “NaNi,” Reneé Rapp’s "Pretty Girls" and "Gemini Moon,” Måneskin's "Honey! (Are U Coming?),” DNCE’s “Cake by the Ocean,” Maroon 5’s “Cold," Ariana Grande’s Thank U, Next (2019), Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia (2020), Lady Gaga’s Chromatica (2020), The Chicks’ Gaslighter (2020), Miley Cyrus’s Endless Summer Vacation (2023), Gomez’s Rare (2020) and Bieber’s Purpose (2015). In addition, they have written regularly with some of the biggest names in music such as Cardi B, The Jonas Brothers, Sam Smith, Kid Cudi, Janelle Monáe, Leon Bridges, King Princess, Kim Petras and more.

Tranter co-created the heralded musical WILD: A Musical Becoming starring Idina Menzel, which was directed by Diane Paulus and written by V (formerly Eve Ensler). In addition to co-writing several original songs for Netflix’s runaway summer hit Purple Hearts (2022), they also served as executive music producer for Billy Porter’s brand new directorial debut Anything’s Possible (2022) and served as the executive producer for the soundtrack to Happiest Season (2020), Hulu’s record-breaking holiday film. Tranter also executive produced and wrote more than 30 original songs for the Grease prequel series Rise of The Pink Ladies where they also had a starring role as the Angel of Fashion.
Their journey is also guided by the community they’ve built and grown with Facet House, an inclusive home for publishing and artistry run by Tranter, who has devoted themselves to numerous equal pay initiatives for songwriters as well as supporting singers/songwriters they believe in. Artists like Jake Wesley Rogers and Shea Diamond call Facet home, as do writers such as Skyler Stonestreet (“Boyfriend” by Dove Cameron), Blush (“What It Is” by Doechii) Russ Chell (“Rodeo” by Lil Nas X and Cardi B) and Jason Gill (“Never Really Over” by Katy Perry). 

Most recently, Tranter partnered with Google and YouTube to unveil a suite of new music tools dubbed, “Music AI Sandbox.” This state of the art technology is designed to open a new playground for creativity, allowing users to generate new instrumental sections from scratch while transforming sound in new ways. In addition, Tranter has been named a US Global Music Ambassador as part of the US Department of State and YouTube’s Global Music Partnership. Additional ambassadors include Chuck D, Grace Bowers, Kane Brown, Herbie Hancock, Jelly Roll and more. 

As a former board member of GLAAD and the ACLU of Southern California, Tranter is an outspoken supporter of human rights with a storied track record of fighting for change, inclusivity and diversity. Their activism work has been prolific and in 2019 they earned the prestigious ACLU Bill of Rights Award for their continued dedication to making meaningful change. Most recently, Tranter accepted the Equality Visibility Award at Los Angeles’s Equality Awards, celebrating their activism and continued work within the LGBTQIA+ community.  

+ Follow Justin Tranter on Instagram
+ Visit Facet House on the web