Unfamous with Justin Tranter

Does understanding what works make the art stronger, or can knowing too much flatten the feeling? In this Unfamous minisode, Grammy-nominated hit songwriter Justin Tranter and co-creator Morgan T. Stuart dig deeper into some of the debates sparked by clips from the show: song math, the first five seconds of a hit, TikTok, artist promotion and whether the pressure to optimize everything is changing the art itself. Justin explains why understanding melodic structure can make a great song more effective but can never manufacture the original idea, why naturally gifted songwriters often follow musical patterns without realizing it, and why grabbing someone’s attention is not the same thing as rushing a song. They also look at the business surrounding the art. Has TikTok actually made executives more willing to take creative risks? Should artists learn how their own marketing works before they lose access to the team doing it? And is today’s pressure to “make content” really that different from the resistance artists once had to making music videos? From the Gershwins and Patty Griffin to Madonna, Kurt Cobain and the modern pop machine, Justin and Morgan ask where structure and strategy can help, and where optimization has to stop. Chapters 0:00 Are We Optimizing the Art Out of Music? 1:14 Welcome to Unfamous 1:52 Why We’re Having This Conversation 3:38 CRAFT: Do the Rules Kill the Feeling? 6:08 The Subconscious Rules Behind Great Songs 7:54 Why a Great Chorus Can Still Feel Weak 9:46 ATTENTION: Does a Song Have to Win You in 5 Seconds? 10:59 Were Pop Songs Always This Short? 11:50 A Word From Rula 14:16 From Two-Minute Songs to Seven-Minute Songs 14:58 SOCIAL MEDIA: Has TikTok Made Big Creative Swings Safer? 17:22 PROMOTION: Hasn’t This Always Been Part of the Job? 18:47 Kurt Cobain, Madonna and “Making Content” 20:33 CREATIVITY: What Should Never Be Optimized? 21:57 Why Structure Still Matters 24:00 Why We Want to Make More of These Minisodes 24:44 Follow, Subscribe + See You Next Wednesday Credits Unfamous is hosted by Justin Tranter Created by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart Produced by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart Written & Researched by Morgan T. Stuart Director: Morgan T. Stuart Co-Director + Cinematographer: Olivia McCrary Audio Engineer: Mike Sabri Camera Assistant: Julia Gargano Special thanks to Mark Beavan and Jimmy Knehans. Chat with the Unfamous team: https://tr.ee/XMEBI7 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Sweet Disposition” started with someone practicing scales in a tiny rehearsal room. The music came together almost immediately. The lyrics were finished the next day. In this episode of Unfamous, The Temper Trap join Justin Tranter to break down how one of their most enduring songs was actually written — and what happened after something created almost entirely on instinct became the song everyone wanted them to recreate. They talk about reaching a point where, after nearly 15 years of writing, recording and touring, they were spent — creatively, relationally, all of it — and what happened after time apart gave them the opportunity to get back into a room together with no expectations. Within the first hour, they felt a spark again. The band also gets into what more than two decades of making music, stepping away and finding their way back to the collaboration has taught them about ego, compromise, resentment and trust, including the early “Temper Trap manifesto” that still shapes how they think about the work: it doesn’t matter who comes up with the part. It matters whether it’s the best part for the song. It’s a conversation about writing a great song — but even more about what it takes to return to a creative partnership with enough perspective to make something new. Chapters: 0:00 Preview: “Sweet Disposition,” Burnout & the Spark 0:38 Meet The Temper Trap 5:49 Why Being in a Band Is the Ultimate Collaboration 9:01 When a Song Keeps Refusing to Be Finished 9:53 How “Sweet Disposition” Was Written 14:38 Can You Recreate Your Biggest Hit? 16:59 When “Sweet Disposition” Found a New Generation 21:09 What Happens When a Band Runs Out of Fuel? 23:40 What Actually Brought The Temper Trap Back 26:25 How a Solo Song Became a Temper Trap Song 28:38 Compromise, Ego and the Creative Marriage 32:25 Serve the Song, Not Your Ego 33:38 The Temper Trap Manifesto 34:36 Does Great Art Need Conflict? 38:37 From Retail Jobs to Starting The Temper Trap 43:56 The 10-Hour Drives That Built the Band 46:44 The Songs That Made Them Want to Be Musicians 54:03 What They’d Tell Their Younger Selves 56:33 The Skill That Matters Beyond Talent Credits: Unfamous is hosted by Justin Tranter Created by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart Produced by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart Written & Researched by Morgan T. Stuart Director: Morgan T. Stuart Co-Director + Cinematographer: Olivia McCrary Audio Engineer: Mike Sabri Camera Assistant: Kolbi Samantha Special thanks to Mark Beavan, Jimmy Knehans, and Lily Golightly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why do “Good Luck, Babe!” and “Sorry” feel so immediately satisfying?In this Unfamous recap, Justin Tranter breaks down the songwriting math behind both songs — from where each section enters in the phrase to how verse, pre-chorus and chorus are built to feel distinct. Justin and Unfamous co-creator Morgan Stuart also revisit their conversation with Bongo ByTheWay and Ant Clemons about lyric structure, producer psychology, interpolation, publishing and artist development — including why structure can actually create more freedom for creatives, when an interpolation is worth giving up publishing for, and what artists need to be prepared for beyond making great music. Plus: Paul McCartney taking 100% of the publishing, why emotional production matters as much as technical production, and the creative decisions behind songs that actually connect. Chapters 0:00 Paul McCartney, Producer Psychology & the Rules Behind Hits 0:42 Why the Behind-the-Scenes Creators Connected 1:52 Paul McCartney Took 100% of the Publishing 3:24 Sample vs. Interpolation: What You’re Actually Paying For 5:32 When Should You Kill an Interpolation? 7:46 The Producer’s Job Is Emotional, Too 11:58 The Song Map: Who, What, Where, When, Why 14:22 Why Structure Creates More Creative Freedom 15:22 The Melodic Math Behind “Good Luck, Babe!” and “Sorry” 19:26 What Music Is Missing: Artist Development 21:22 Singer-Songwriters Need Development Too 23:33 How Do You Prepare an Artist for Success? Credits Unfamous is hosted by Justin Tranter Created by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart Produced by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart Written & Researched by Morgan T. Stuart Director: Morgan T. Stuart Co-Director + Cinematographer: Olivia McCrary Audio Engineer: Mike Sabri Camera Assistant: Kolbi Samantha Special thanks to Mark Beavan, Jimmy Knehans, & Cory Jasin. Chat with the Unfamous team: https://tr.ee/jwPZ3j Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The best-looking photo can still be the wrong cover. And one bad compromise can turn a bold creative idea beige. The Hollywood Reporter’s Maer Roshan and Alison Edmond join Justin Tranter to reveal what actually happens behind some of Hollywood’s biggest covers—from Angelina Jolie asking them to redo an entire lighting setup after one shot, to orchestrating The White Lotus cast across two coasts and pulling together a Mikey Madison shoot the morning after her Oscar win. They break down how a cover goes from an idea to the final image, what happens when talent or publicists push back, why the most beautiful photograph doesn’t always serve the story, and why great creative work can fall apart when too many people get a vote. It’s a conversation about taste, trust, fighting for an idea, knowing when to defer to someone else’s expertise, and developing enough experience to stop second-guessing your own. CHAPTERS 0:00 Why the Best Photo Can Still Lose 1:16 Meet The Hollywood Reporter’s Maer Roshan & Alison Edmond 7:31 How a Hollywood Reporter Cover Actually Gets Made 11:08 Why the Most Beautiful Photo Isn’t Always the Right One 13:21 Photographing a Controversial Celebrity Story 17:07 Why Celebrities Care So Much About Their Image 18:03 Angelina Jolie Made Them Change the Entire Lighting Setup 19:44 What Happens When the Talent Has a Bad Idea? 23:15 How Do You Avoid a PR-Controlled Interview? 27:16 The Insane Logistics Behind The White Lotus Cover 30:11 Shooting Mikey Madison the Morning After Her Oscar Win 32:08 How Do You Create an Iconic Image in the iPhone Era? 37:05 The Most Common Way a Great Idea Gets Ruined 38:47 Why Creativity Dies by Committee 40:17 How to Fight for a Great Idea Without Killing the Collaboration 44:39 How Alison Edmond Learned to Stop Doubting Her Taste 49:31 Their First Jobs in the Magazine Business 52:09 How They Spot Talent Before Everyone Else Does 54:16 Why a Print Cover Still Means Something 56:08 “Don’t Be Stupid”: Alison’s Path to British Vogue 59:28 Growing Up With Censored Magazines in Iran 1:00:46 Why “Manifesting” Still Requires an Obscene Amount of Work 1:03:08 The Prince Harry Cover That Got a Letter From the Palace 1:04:38 How The Hollywood Reporter Balances Print, Digital & Social 1:09:01 Gag or Drag: Celebrity Creative Directors, Publicists & Bad Covers 1:14:14 The Career Advice They Wish They’d Learned Earlier CREDITS: Unfamous is hosted by Justin Tranter Created by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart Produced by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart Written & Researched by Morgan T. Stuart Director: Morgan T. Stuart Co-Director + Cinematographer: Olivia McCrary Audio Engineer: Mike Sabri Camera Assistant: Kolbi Samantha Special thanks to Mark Beavan, Jimmy Knehans, Luke Burland + 2BEntertainment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An Instagram DM became “Rush.” “Bloom” started with Troye Sivan thinking it wasn’t working. And after more than a decade of writing together, Troye and Leland are still trying to surprise themselves. On Unfamous, they break down their creative partnership, how Troye keeps evolving without repeating himself, the stories behind “Rush” and “Bloom,” imposter syndrome, writing for RuPaul’s Drag Race, and what makes the right collaborator click. Chapters are below so you can jump straight to your favorite parts. Chapters 0:00 Troye Sivan Introduces Leland 2:09 How Troye Sivan + Leland Met 6:27 Their First Song Together Ended Up With BTS 10:57 Why Troye Never Wants to Make the Same Album Twice 18:43 Why Songwriting Is Mostly Social Skills 22:10 How an Instagram DM Became “Rush” 26:57 Troye + Leland on Imposter Syndrome 29:46 Cirkut, Mark Ronson + Getting Nervous Around Your Heroes 32:34 How “Bloom” Went From “This Isn’t Working” to an Album Title 37:12 What 11 Years of Writing Together Teaches You 43:08 Writing Pop Hits vs. Writing for RuPaul’s Drag Race 47:33 Britney, Janet + the Pop Music That Changed Them 55:55 Why Great Artists Are Secretly Music Geeks 57:01 How Troye Keeps Evolving Without Forcing It 1:03:33 What Troye + Leland Would Tell Their Younger Selves 1:10:42 Gagged or Dragged: TikTok, Gay Icons + Pop Songwriting 1:16:31 The Best Advice for Creative Collaboration 1:18:52 Troye’s Advice to Songwriters: Not Every Collaboration Works Credits: Unfamous is hosted by Justin Tranter Created by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart Produced by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart Written & Researched by Morgan T. Stuart Director: Morgan T. Stuart Co-Director + Cinematographer: Olivia McCrary Audio Engineer: Mike Sabri Camera Assistant: Sherrae Rucker Special thanks to Mark Beaven and Jimmy Knehans Shout out to Leslie Tranter and Chloe Pappas on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices