Why pop songwriters break the rules (ft. Amy Allen)
Switched on Pop12 Des 2025

Why pop songwriters break the rules (ft. Amy Allen)

Grammy-winning songwriter Amy Allen joins NYU Steinhardt students live to trace her path from early pitch songs to co-writing some of the decade's defining hits. She explains why Halsey's "Without Me" needed an extended chorus but no pre-made chord loops, how Harry Styles' "Matilda" required character-driven writing for emotional safety, and what made the hypnotic groove of Tate McRae's "Greedy" demand a rare third verse. Allen also unpacks the spoken hook in Rosé and Bruno Mars' "APT" and the three-step key change powering Sabrina Carpenter's recent work. The result is a masterclass in why songs work—and why the rules worth breaking are the ones you've already learned. SONGS DISCUSSED Halsey "Without Me" Harry Styles "Adore You" Harry Styles "Matilda" Tate McRae "greedy" Rosé and Bruno Mars "ATA" Sabrina Carpenter "Please, please, please" Selena Gomez "Back to You" Justin Timberlake "Cry Me A River" (Interpolated in "Without Me") Olivia Rodrigo "Driver's License" Sabrina Carpenter "Espresso" Sabrina Carpenter Short and Sweet (Album) Sabrina Carpenter Man's Best Friend (Album) Beyoncé "Love on Top" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episoder(526)

Harry Styles loses himself to dance

Harry Styles loses himself to dance

The dance floor is where Harry Styles does his therapy, and this album is the session notes. Four years after Harry's House, Styles returns with Kiss All the Time, Disco Occasionally, a record built f...

10 Mar 43min

Can Bruno Mars counterprogram his way to another hit album?

Can Bruno Mars counterprogram his way to another hit album?

Bruno Mars is back with a new album called The Romantic, his first solo release since 2016’s 24k Magic. At first listen, the lead single, “I Just Might,” sounds like an outtake from 2021’s collaborati...

3 Mar 44min

Charli XCX’s "Wuthering Heights" fever dream

Charli XCX’s "Wuthering Heights" fever dream

Emerald Fennell's new adaptation of Emily Brontë's 1847 gothic romance "Wuthering Heights" is the most talked-about film of the year. But for pop lovers, the soundtrack is the real event: Charli xcx, ...

24 Feb 48min

Will Sinners do for blues what O Brother did for bluegrass?

Will Sinners do for blues what O Brother did for bluegrass?

It's the middle of award season, and Ryan Coogler's ode to the Black music canon Sinners has emerged as the Oscars frontrunner and the most nominated film in Academy Awards history. The love the movie...

17 Feb 51min

Jazz is A$AP Rocky’s secret weapon

Jazz is A$AP Rocky’s secret weapon

A$AP Rocky’s latest album, Don’t Be Dumb, is a wild ride through a cacophony of sounds — punk, industrial, drum ‘n’ bass, indie rock, and of course, hip hop. But on one track, “Robbery,” he and the ri...

10 Feb 35min

Does humor belong in music?

Does humor belong in music?

What makes Weird Al songs so indelible? Why is Bo Burnham more than just a comic? How do the biggest pop hits make us crack up in the middle of a somber ballad? Humor is always present in music, but w...

3 Feb 48min

And the Grammy goes to…

And the Grammy goes to…

The ultimate gauntlet of popular music is upon us once again: it's Grammy season, and this year, the competition is pretty tight across the board. Big ticket A-listers like Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpente...

27 Jan 52min

Robyn’s new songs bring “drum 'n' grace” to the dance floor

Robyn’s new songs bring “drum 'n' grace” to the dance floor

Swedish pop star Robyn emerged as a phenomenon in the mid 1990s, an ingenue whose work with Max Martin presaged the R&B crossover hits of acts like Britney and the Backstreet Boys. Since her debut, sh...

21 Jan 46min

Populært innen Underholdning

papaya
harm-og-hegseth
tore-og-haralds-podkast
enkel-servering
storefri-med-mikkel-og-herman
big-5-med-nils-og-harald-2
konspirasjonspodden
topp-3-med-wold-og-fladseth
tusvik-tnne
ma-pa-behandling-med-morten-ramm
hovla
folk-flest-med-linn-og-nils
kjendiscrush-med-sofie-karlstad
nare-venner
vitnemal
gi-meg-alle-detaljene
rss-gammal-maiden
feedback-med-egon-holstad
christine-dancke
rss-backstage-historier-om-legender