Photo by David O’Donohue

Behind the Songs With Amy Allen: Pop Songwriting’s Main Character

By Sarah Finegold | Marketing & Communications Specialist  •  October 7, 2024

Hit songwriter Amy Allen’s influence on the contemporary pop music landscape cannot be overstated. Her list of artist collaborators is as lengthy as it is prestigious; superstars like Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, Harry Styles, King Princess, Charli XCX, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Halsey, Leon Bridges and many more have benefited from her golden pen. As if having written or co-written over 35 Hot 100 charting tracks wasn’t enough, this Maine native recently released her self-titled debut album to critical acclaim. At ASCAP, we’re the biggest songwriting advocates (and superfans!) in the business, so we had to go “Behind the Songs” with Amy and get the inside scoop, exclusive session stories and process details from the most in-demand songwriter out there.

"Reason to Forgive" by Amy Allen

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"Reason to Forgive" is a song I wrote for myself, my sisters, my mother and my grandmothers. A trait I have always admired in all of the women in my family is the ability to love unconditionally and never give up on someone that you love. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned how this trait (which I’ve also inherited myself), while being kind and honorable, can also lead to breaking your own heart because you’re unable to let go. I wrote this song at my kitchen table one night, amidst what was then a slow and winding road to an eventual breakup, and truly had no idea how foundational this song would become to my album.

"Please Please Please" by Sabrina Carpenter

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"Please Please Please" was such an honor and a blast to co-write with Sabrina and Jack [Antonoff]. It was written at Jack's studio at Electric Lady in NYC during a snowstorm, and is truly one of the most vividly memorable writing sessions I’ve ever been a part of. Sabrina’s musicality and storytelling never ceases to amaze and inspire me, and Jack's ability to create what feels like an entire cinematic experience out of a 3-minute, 4-second song truly blows my mind. I felt so fortunate to be a part of this song and it will always be very near and dear to my heart.

"Adore You" and "Matilda" by Harry Styles

Listen to "Adore You" Listen to "Matilda"
I am forever grateful to have been a part of co-writing "Adore You" and "Matilda" with Harry. "Adore You" was written the first day I went into the studio with Harry, Tom [Thomas “Kid Harpoon” Hull] and Tyler [Johnson] and I remember it being one of the most fun sessions of my life. I remember laughing and dancing nonstop that day, with the song coming about so effortlessly amongst the four of us, and that’s truly every songwriter's dream. "Matilda" was written a year later in Malibu, with the same crew, and was a much more emotionally driven and vulnerable process. I have always been a massive fan of Harry’s emotive writing so I felt really honored to get to write such an intimate song with him.

“greedy” by Tate McRae

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"Greedy" is the first song I ever got to be a part of where dance was a largely considered factor. Tate is so inspired by movement, and we both love early 2000s pop records, so getting to create this song with her, Ryan [Tedder] and Jasper [Harris], and then see the life the song went on to have, was such a memorable and exciting experience.

“pretty isn’t pretty” and “scared of my guitar” by Olivia Rodrigo

Listen to "pretty isn't pretty" Listen to "scared of my guitar"
I’ve been such a fan of the songs Olivia and Dan [Nigro] make for such a long time, so getting to join them in the studio was a dream. "pretty isn’t pretty" was such a fun write, and a few weeks later I got to come back in, and at the end of the day we started a new idea which quickly and effortlessly became "scared of my guitar." I immediately connected with Olivia over this concept because I know, as well as any songwriter knows, that there are things you can put in a song but can't say out loud to someone you love or are falling out of love with. I think I’ll resonate with this song for the rest of my life, and am so grateful for Olivia and Dan for that.

“Without Me” by Halsey

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"Without Me" was the first song I ever wrote with my now good friends Delacey and Lou Bell. Delacey and I hadn’t met in person before but we had been writing to each other on Instagram the night before the session, talking about the breakups we were both going through. We met the next day and we just had so much in common musically and emotionally that the song essentially wrote itself.

“Back to You” by Selena Gomez

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"Back to You" was my first ever song on the radio. I wrote it the last day I lived in NYC before moving to my now-home of Los Angeles, and I never expected the song to have the life it did. The night before the session I sang the melody in the shower, and put gibberish lyrics to it. The following day I went into my session and finished the song with my good friend Micah and a production duo called Trackside. Hearing Selena’s voice on it for the first time is something I will never forget and I'm so grateful she resonated with the song and made it uniquely her own.

On strategies Amy uses to work through writer’s block and avoid burnout

A great teacher I had in college once told me there’s no such thing as writer's block – rather just input and output periods. So whenever I'm feeling burnt out or creatively stuck, I try to remember that it just means it's a period to listen and live a little. I live in Venice Beach, CA so I love going on beach walks and listening to old music I grew up on. It helps to go back to what made me fall in love with music initially. I do think just living some life and getting out of the studio for a bit is the secret for me though :)

On bringing out the best in an artist and elements of their personality through songwriting

I think earning an artist's trust and respect is such an important part of songwriting. I have always loved learning how other people move through/see the world, so that part has always been fun and easy for me. And I know this sounds obvious, but it took a minute for me to learn, but whatever the artist feels like they could most naturally vent about, is usually where the song lies.

Amy's favorite thing about being a songwriter

Hearing that songs I’ve been a part of have somehow made a difference in someone’s day. It’s an incredible feeling to walk into a room and then walk out a few hours later having created something that didn’t exist before and that has the potential to have a real impact on someone.

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Listen to Amy’s debut album

Listen to a playlist of some of our favorite Amy Allen tracks