Now, awards shows are taking note.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Congratulations on your nominations.
A Grammy nod, a Golden Globe nodyoure having an eventful winter.
Credit: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic
JUSTIN TRANTER:Thank you!
It feels like its not real.
For songwriters, theres only a few categories we can get nominated for at the Grammys.
At the Golden Globes, theres only one category.
The chances are so slim.
When I woke up on the morning of the Grammy nominations, I couldnt believe it.
And Im still honored and proud to be a part of Julia Michaels insane trajectory.
Shes one of the greats of our time.
I was like, Its 6:15 in the morning, what is she talking about?!
I Googled it and was like, Wait a goddamn minute, did I just get nominated?
And Nick Jonas is such an underrated musician.
Hes the real deal.
He plays everything, he sings his ass off.
To see him get a little love is fun as well.
Did you think the transition was inevitable, or were you surprised?
The minute I heard this girl sing, I was like, Ohf!
The melody that came out of her was just magical.
I always knew, but she was so against it.
Every executive she met was telling her that she should sign a record deal.
Before you started writing with pop artists, you spent several years in the alt-rock band Semi Precious Weapons.
If you could pull any non-pop musician into one of your writing sessions now, whom would you choose?
I think it would be really fing cool to bring Patty Griffin into pop sessions and see what happens.
I think it would be really amazing to bring Paula Cole in and see what happens.
All those women of the 90s were these brilliant lyricists and melody writers in this classic but edgy way.
I mean, Im not afraid of much.
None of the genres really scare me.
That truth can come in so many different forms.
Dan Reynolds [of Imagine Dragons] and Julia Michaels have a very raw, specific emotional truth.
Is there something you havent been able to do, for whatever reason, that youre dying to try?
Anything thats new and exciting.
Id love to come across a new young woman in hip-hop and convince her to work with me.
Cardi B, Im ready, girl!
Lets figure this out.
[Laughs] That would be really inspiring for me to be a part of.
So tell me: Who in this business doesnt get enough credit?
You know who blew my mind recently?
Then I wrote a song with her, and I was like, Holy sh!
We had such an amazing time.
Her writing talent is just next-level.
Which I should have realized, considering the amount of hits shes written, for herself and others!
But being in a room with somebody, you see a whole other side of their talent.
The mini-albums she put out this year were so much fun.
Shes one of the best songwriters we have right now.
And her trajectory has, in a good way, been nice and slow and solid.
But were not mad at Meryl Streep for not writing her own scripts!
Some people are pure entertainers.
And I think entertainment is just as important as deep, emotional art.
Theyre both here to transport us.
Anyone looking down on those differences is just an asshole.
Youre one of Selena Gomezs go-to collaborators.
What can you tease about her next album?
Is it more Bad Liar or more Fetish or nothing like either?
Every time Im blessed with her presence, shes always an inspiring beacon of joy.
She is truly one of the best and sweetest.
Thats pretty much all I can say!
Youve talked before about wanting to get more LGBTQ people like yourself in behind-the-scenes roles in the music industry.
But for me to do that, I have to be able to relate to it honestly.
I have to be able to find a point in my life where I saw that or felt that.
Thats all based on my queer perspective.
I look at Freddie Mercury, who wrote some of the biggest sports anthems of all time.
That to me was always really interesting.
How did the queenliterally, Queen!write some of the biggest sports anthems ever?
Sports is not always a safe world for LGBTQ people.
But every fan in the world is singing along to We Will Rock You or We Are the Champions.
History will remember that queer people have done nothing but love and bring beautiful things into the world.
I was not expecting you to answer that question with a Fall Out Boy song.
The Fall Out Boy thing is even cooler.
I didnt write the verses on that, they wrote them themselves.
So if youre looking for something aboutMarsha P. Johnsonin the verses, youre not going to find it.
I hopethatsong comes soon.
I just signed a new artist, and her name is Shea Diamond.
She is a stunningly talented trans woman of color.
She has nothing but truth to tell, and the world is going to learn soon.
We have a whole EP coming.
What else do you have coming up?
Im so excited that Julia and I get to write together again for all of January and February.
Shes been traveling so much, but we get back together for those two months.
Their level of musicianship is terrifying.
I feel like such a hack.
Im the one who went to a geeky music college, but theyre running circles around me.
Thats kind of it.
Just writing, writing, writing and seeing what the f happens!
