Julia Michaels’ Songwriting Superpowers
Switched on Pop4 Mai 2021

Julia Michaels’ Songwriting Superpowers

For nearly a decade, Julia Michaels has penned hit songs for the biggest acts in pop music. She is adept at turning people’s vulnerabilities into memorable hooks — think Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” or Selena Gomez’s “Lose You to Love Me.” There are countless others, but all of them share distinctive traits. Where many songwriters might turn to the simplest, almost nursery-rhyme-level lyrics to get the message across, Michaels does the opposite. She crams as many words as possible into each phrase. Her lyrics sound spoken. On her own hit song, her 2017 debut solo single “Issues,” she sings, “Bask in the glory, of all our problems / ’Cause we got the kind of love it takes to solve ’em”; it earned her a Song of the Year nomination at the 2018 Grammys, along with a Best New Artist nod. Her rhyming may sound accidental, but that’s the pop-song illusion. Michaels’s idiosyncratic phrasing has symmetry and her rhyming is indeed purposeful, all to illuminate her primary subject: the infinite recursions of human relationships. After releasing three EPs and countless singles of her own, Michaels has just released her first full-length album, Not in Chronological Order. On this week’s episode of Switched on Pop, Nate and Charlie try to identify Julias Michaels songwriting superpowers and then Charlie speaks with Michaels about how the vagaries of the heart inspire an endless stream of songs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episoder(525)

Breaking Through: Doechii, Mk.gee, Rosé

Breaking Through: Doechii, Mk.gee, Rosé

Three artists quietly reshaped pop music in 2024, though you might not know it from your Spotify Wrapped. As listeners question the accuracy of their year-end streaming stats, we explore the innovativ...

17 Des 202440min

The best (and worst) of holiday music in 2024

The best (and worst) of holiday music in 2024

It's an annual tradition: Every December, artists release their bids to join the hallowed halls of holiday music history. The gold standard remains Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You," wh...

13 Des 202436min

Kendrick Lamar: from Pulitzer to pop

Kendrick Lamar: from Pulitzer to pop

In 2024, Kendrick Lamar pulled off what seemed impossible: winning hip-hop's biggest rap battle in recent history, securing the Super Bowl halftime show, and dropping GNX, a surprise album that might ...

10 Des 202439min

We're off to see the "Wicked"

We're off to see the "Wicked"

The year's hottest movie is, against all odds, a musical. Wicked, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, just hit theaters, and tells the tale of how a green-skinned girl named Elphaba became the W...

3 Des 202438min

Listening 2 Madonna: Ray of Light

Listening 2 Madonna: Ray of Light

TIME Magazine once said, “there are few figures more closely associated with religion in pop culture than Madonna.” And looking at her catalog, it’s hard to disagree. From cheeky double entendres on “...

29 Nov 202442min

Listening 2 Madonna: Spanish Eyes

Listening 2 Madonna: Spanish Eyes

Throughout her forty-year career, Madonna has managed to travel the globe, both literally and musically. Despite being a white woman from the midwest (Michigan, to be exact), her discography has been ...

27 Nov 202442min

Listening 2 Madonna: Who's That Girl?

Listening 2 Madonna: Who's That Girl?

Madonna is the world's biggest female pop star. She's influenced everyone from Beyoncé to Britney Spears; is the most successful solo artist in Hot 100 chart history; and is the best-selling female re...

25 Nov 202447min

Fleetwood Mac perfected turning drama into hits

Fleetwood Mac perfected turning drama into hits

In 1973, before their ascent to rock superstardom with Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks were just two young lovers making music in Los Angeles. Their debut album, Buckingham Nicks, t...

19 Nov 202452min

Populært innen Underholdning

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