And The Writer Is...with Ross Golan - Rewind: The Benny Blanco Episode [Patreon Exclusive]

Episode Date: July 17, 2026

Today's episode is a rewind to our conversation with Benny Blanco.To hear the rest of this episode, join our Patreon, where you'll find our full library of archived episodes with legends like Babyface, Shania Twain, Sabrina Carpenter, Benny Blanco, and many more. Members also get access to our monthly Writers Room on Zoom, where we play your demos and answer your biggest industry questions.We hope to see you there.Thank you for listening to And The Writer Is.And The Writer Is...is presented by the National Music Publishers' AssociationHosted by Ross GolanProduced by Joe London and Jad Saad Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The first time I met Benny was going to his place in New York, and I always joke with him that he lives in L.A. now, but he says that he just visits here, even if he's here, for more than half the year. So he bought a house recently in Hollywood, and we went to his new place. There are all kinds of people walking in and out of his place. He's got artists. He's got writers. He's got producers. He's got just friends all over the place. And they're all very funny, and they're all loud and fun. And you'll hear in the background of this, I'm sure a few people talk. But that's the vibe with Benny. It's all about the community. So when he said, why don't you come over to my place, we felt like that was a smarter move than having him come to a studio. Because if you want to be around Benny, you have to be in his domain. That makes Benny great. Anyway, we go to his house and he's got some of the coolest furniture, coolest rugs, coolest artwork. And when I mean cool, I mean classy.

I mean, they say that there's that expression of money can't buy class. but there's so much class in that guy. One of the stories that I like to tell, and I don't know if I said it in this interview or not, but when I used to go to his place in New York, I noticed he had no platinum records on the wall, except for one. He had one that was given to him by a children's hospital.

And that always made me feel like that explained Benny most. I mean, here's a guy who's had millions of records, countless hits, and all he has is a record from a children's hospital. So without further ado, here's the very first episode of And The Writer Is. Welcome to And The Writer Is. I'm your host, Ross Golden. Today's writer-producer is one of my favorite humans. He's been BMI Songwriter the Year a few times, sold over 100 million songs, runs a record label,

has been recognized by the Songwriter Hall of Fame, and he just turned 28. straight from Virginia by way of New York this writer has broken artists like Katie Perry and Kesha and reinvigorated bands like Maroon 5 I have mad love for this adorable little man and the writer is everyone's favorite matzabal Benny Blanco

Hola What's up guys So I usually start by saying We're asking Or like looking up how I I met somebody. Okay. And it turns out I sent you a song years before we actually met.

Like, there must have been some time where you gave me your email. And I actually think I, I think it was at some Grammy event. And you gave me, like, friends or family kind of thing. Mm-hmm. And you had really long hair. Okay. And you gave me your email, and I sent you a pretty... Like, now when I listen to it, I listened to it,

because I was like, maybe this is good and I can show you and be like, like show you in front of humans, and then I was like, no, this isn't very good. People must send you records constantly, right? I'd say at least 10 to 15 records a day, maybe more. Do you listen to them? I try to listen to every song that someone sends me.

Really? I do. It might not be like, I'm pretty bad with email, so it might be like two weeks later, but I listen to everything everyone does. Or I'm like, or like if they don't send me a song, I'm like, oh, we'll send me a song.

Or if I meet someone out and they're like, how can I get my music to you? I listen to every single thing. Really? Yeah, because you never know, man. What if it's like, what if this person is the next fucking me or you, you know? I guess I worry that I'm going to end up being

that that's like the story of how you get sued. And so like I tend to just be like, no, I don't even click on anything. I'm just like, yo, I can't click on it. It depends where it comes from I mean if you sent me something I'd listen to it Why I feel like and if it's like

Yeah well not because it's good But because like So you want to laugh a little Yeah exactly I mean no but it's one of those things Where if a friend of a friend sends it That's one thing But if it's like if it's a random person

Who gets my email and sends it I can't do it I listen to every single one Wow have you ever found anybody Where you're like oh my God No horrible no Has anyone ever sent you something Where you're like this is it

This is the song This guy I need to to I need to work with this person. A few times it's happened like that but it didn't material. It wasn't no no it didn't turn into anything

but Amar was kind of like that. Didn't you guys grow up? Yeah yeah we knew each other but we didn't hang out that much. David was the one who I hung out with. David Silverstein being Omar Malik. Yeah, yeah.

So David and I met a Jewish sleepaway camp. We were like 10. And we were like break down. And then like we went to like bar mitzvahs together. And then David and I lost communication from probably 14 to 19 or something. Right. And I'm and I go down to visit my friends. Actually, sorry.

Okay. So first I met. I met him. again because my best friend Lev, this guy left, they were going to school together. And he was like, hey, I have this roommate, man. He's really cool, he should meet him when you come

down. And I'm like, cool. I'm like, he's like he does music and stuff. We come down, I see David. I'm like, holy shit. It's like the random, the synchronicity between that. Like, he's just like... Two friends from childhood than meeting like that. And then I started listening to Amar's stuff

again and I would give him advice and shit. And then... At that point, okay, so... But they were sending me songs all the time, and I wasn't, like, with them. But how does this happen? You're, like, 16 years old or whatever, when you start...

You're in Virginia and then you end up in New York or you end up producing spank rock, or how does this happen? How do you go from being a Jewish kid from the suburbs who's making music at home to, like, oh, yeah, all of a sudden, I mean, are you sending out your songs first before? I mean, how do people hear you?

All right, let's do the short thing. Oh, this is also why. Because I wonder, like, they're sending you records, like, you know better at this point, which is crazy because you kind of did. This is the main reason why I listened to all those records, because that's how I was discovered. Right. I was discovered completely randomly. So what happened was, you know, we all did the same exact thing when we were younger.

We were in bands fucking thesbians. Like we were in Like we're fucking losers. No, but I was doing all the normal things that kids do You know if you're like

Artistic and I was Making music making songs Like I used to I used to like I didn't have Like my parents didn't buy me like equipment So like we had like two boom boxes And I would like record everything into one Then record it all into that one

and then record it back. So I, like, made, like, my own A track. Sure. And everything was horribly out of time, and my beats sucked, and my songs were awful. So then I was like, you know what? I'm going to be, like, M&M. Like, I was like, I'm going to be Eminem.

It was like 99. I was already rapping at that point. Long story short, I get... My brother hooks me up with this guy named Sam who starts recording all my early demos, taught me how to make me. music taught me how to produce taught me pro tools like he was like he was like the guy who like really got my foot so did you buy or i didn't have anything right i was just using i would go i would

travel to him he was in jersey and i was in virginia and then would you drive or take a train or what yeah yeah however i could yeah however like i used there was like a china bus like that you could you could and so i would do whatever i could i was like 13 at this point and then like my parents stopped going with me like i would just get to go on my own at this 13 yeah 13 14 and then crazy but you didn't and you didn't play any instruments you're just like mom and dad i'm gonna be a rapper i was a rapper and i made all the beats right at this point at this point i was really into like playing i used to actually be okay at guitar i just fucking lost it like yeah i now i'm like now i'm not so great at anything but um It seems like almost everybody in the industry is either educated and they went through the process of going through, you know, high school, college, touring, did the whole thing that way, play, you know, virtuastic instruments.

Or they're these like, or they're, you know, prodigies where they're 13 years old and they're like, yeah, I'm going to rap or, you know, like what Julia does. Or, you know, these people who can somehow write hit songs when they're kind of born. I mean, how do you go from 13 years old? now you're going and rapping were the song's good? Did you know they were good or did you feel like you had to learn? I was Was Sam teaching you everything?

I started beatboxing first like before anything because I thought that's how you had to make your beats. I thought like everyone, I was like, why can't don't, I was like, why doesn't my mouth sound like the things on the radio? I didn't understand it. And I thought like whenever there was like scratching records that it was like there's a song of the world is yours by Nas and like there's like scratch solos in it

and I'm like damn they're so good at. doing it with their mouth. I thought they did it. I didn't even put two and two together that like you like played an instrument on a on a on a on a on a on a on a on a song. So then so I was working. I was I was just trying to figure out how to get it all done. And I got the attention of this guy named Jonathan Schechter who started Source magazine and he was the first person to put out Eminem. He was instrumental in 50. career and and he had his own label on Columbia and he had uh he also had this thing called hip hop honeies and what that was was like a soft core porn type of thing so it was like so listen

this is a website or is it a magazine or it's a it's a it's a DVD series it's like the biggest selling soft core DVD of all time and what it was was was it was like all the video girls from like all the videos dancing like with their tops off to like rap beats yeah and I was like I was like yo man and he was like he was trying to sign me to Columbia and I was like and then like but you're 15 or 16 I'm 14 13 or 14 so you're still like kind of turned on and kind of not sure what to do it like yeah exactly like I remember like he took me to meet um like the first time I like went to go hang out with him. It was him and Tara Patrick. I don't know if you remember

who that is, but she was like a really famous like porn star back in the day. And I was like the first time and I'm like, hi. Like, and I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, actually I'm not like hi. I'm like hi. I'm like, hi. So I kind of sound exactly like how I do now.

Sure, right. Right. Right. So I you know, long story short, we he started helping develop me And then somewhere along the line, I'd, like, well, like, jive record. A bunch of labels were into it.

Like, they all, I remember they flew down to see me perform at my homecoming when I was, like, 14 or something. Oh, that's cool. They all flew in from New York to see me. At this point, were you cool in high school? Because, like, you know, you're saying they, you started by kind of saying how we were all dorks, which I know I was.

But, like, to go from that to then being a rapper that, you know, has a possible record deal. I can imagine that there's, like, a liner on the block, in high school to be like, oh, I want to be friends with that guy. I mean, it was like this. I was cool because of my brother. My brother was like the coolest kid at school.

So everyone was like, oh, you're Jeremy's little brother. And he was like four or five years older. So he was like always like a school above me. So I was like automatically cool. Like because of him. Like because of me probably no chance. And then like, I mean, I was, I'm pretty sure you can know who I was.

I was friends with all the crowds. You know, I was like friends with all the hip hop kids. You know, I went to a very diverse school. So I was like friends with all the hip hop kids. I was friends with all the white kids. I was friends with all the Spanish kid. Like I was in every group. And I was like the class clown.

You know, I was like the teacher would be like, Ben, like shut up. Like, you know, I was like the kid, like I was getting kicked out of class for like talking too much and like making. And then these guys and then all of a sudden like porn star people are coming to your homecoming to see. No, no, they didn't come to my homecoming. Old dudes came. I've seen this movie before. Old dudes came to my home home. Right, right, right.

With probably saggy testicles. Yeah, right. Old dudes is saggy testicles. So I'm in. Yeah. No, but no, what happened was they all came and stuff. And then I wound up signing like this like production deal with, I don't know if you know who Gamble and Huff is.

Yeah, of course. They like wrote like all those old songs back in the day. And they kind of, them and their kids like kind of like helped mentor me along the way and then how did they hear you my brother met one of them at it my brother has like got me everything at the beginning he met one of them at like why didn't he manage you he wasn't thinking about that he didn't know what that was I mean he was essentially your manager yeah like he didn't know what that was and I had like you know managers who do a whole lot less than that yeah I had like a weird manager thing like I don't know like some like guy at the time you did yeah when I was like

13, 14, I forget who it was. I think his name was like Jay or some, some guy I met online. It was like my manager. Right. And then... This is like Myspace era probably. This is before MySpace.

So your, MySpace plays a big role in this. So, okay. So, you know, let's get forward. So I tell my friend, I'm probably like 14, 15 now. And I'm like, man, I'm like, let me make one of those beats for the hip hop honey's things. I want to make, I want to make some money for it. Like, I want to like, I want my name out there. And I want, because I didn't have any money and I wanted to get my own setup.

I didn't have any money to get my own set up. I had like whack keyboards. And I had like the little casios that like I wound up using on every record later in my life. Like all the cash stuff. Like, but I didn't know what any of, I didn't know that was going to come into play. Like because like back in the day like little weird cassio sounds weren't really cool. Right. Like and I was.

That was much later that those became cool again. Exactly. Right. Exactly. So. I was just trying to get in and I made a beat and he was like, whoa, this isn't bad.

He was like, you know what? He's like, I'm going to give you 200 bucks for this. And I was like, whoa. I was like, my life is made. I'm like, dude, I can like buy pot and as much pizza as I want. Like, that was like... 200 bucks for a 14 year old is...

I was like, holy shit. That's serious money at that age. So then I started making beats locally for like everyone. Like, because my name got out that I did like that. I started making beats for everyone locally. So I was getting like, you know, like, like $200 here, $300 there. So I started like making some money. So like I got a little bit better system.

And but like a lot of stupid shit happened. Like I got like my mom's house got robbed twice because I was just, I just wasn't in with like the right kids. I was like it was like I was just selling beats to anyone. It was like very brown paper bag money type of thing. Then fast forward. I'm like, I'm like 16 or 17. Yeah.

And MySpace is a thing. Yeah. And I'm writing everyone on MySpace. Like I'm, and somehow I got a lot of friends on MySpace. Like, somehow I got like way more. Like the normal person had like, I don't know, like, how many friends did you have? I don't remember. Like maybe a thousand or something.

Yeah, sure. And like that was like a big deal. You were like, man, I got like a thousand. I had like a lot more than that. Like I had like, you're just clicking on everybody. He was trying to email everybody. Not email. What was it called?

It wasn't friending. Was it friending on people on my space? Message. It was just like a message, right? I can't remember. I remember when labels were always said to like to bands. I'm sure they said it, you know, to everybody. It was just like, you know what you should do is you should make more friends on MySpace.

Friend people on MySpace. You're like, what? Spend to spend days trying to friend people so you can develop your profile. is that what they told you? Yeah, that's what they tell people now. They're like, go put up covers on YouTube. Don't do that. Yeah. Don't do that.

So I started like, and I would like hit people and I would get like meetings at labels. And I would like, and I would meet like some guy who like I didn't know at this point who was like a guy getting like the coffee. Yeah. But it was so cool because you're meeting like a guy from Columbia records. Yeah. And I was like, oh my God, this is insane. Like a guy who had no. power to do anything.

No one probably even knew his name. And I was just like, oh my God. And you're all nervous and excited. Yeah, I was so nervous. Like, probably just as nervous as he was. Yeah. And I started doing stuff like that. And I would reach out to tons of producers.

Like guys that I'm friends with now, like, like Emil Haney, like tons of. And I was reaching out to everyone in the music business. Like I was reaching out to anyone you knew, anyone you knew. And then I started getting meetings with people. and I was meeting with like one of my first meeting I met with Fenster when I was like 17 16 Crazy

And I started doing it And like a lot of people would be like Oh yeah meet up with me And then they'd be like oh like I have to cancel And I was like fuck Like I didn't want to make them I wanted to act like I was like oh yeah I have a bunch of meetings

Yeah sure it's all good don't worry about I literally drove up just for that And I was like And I used to like sleep in the McDonald's and stuff Because you could like You could um Where which McDonald's? There was a bunch of them

There was anyone that was open Like the one on the one in Times Square Like stays open like forever And it's and it's like multiple levels So like you can like switch around and stuff So I would just like wait until the next morning Like I would have my meeting at like 8 a. And how old are you at this point?

Probably 17 16 So would you like Would you go with your friend Like who also wanted to try to miss school Or would you be trying to meet people on weekends? I would do is Did you actually ditch? I did ditch a lot

Did you graduate? I did. I did. I did. I graduated high school. But I would ditch a lot and I would or I would like miss my last class and I would meet someone in New York for like their last meeting of the day. Like seven. But sometimes they'd be like, oh, can we just reschedule the like Saturday morning? And then I'd be fucked. I'd be like, fuck. Where am I going to sleep? And it's like before I knew people like that in New York. And if I did like I didn't want to like like, like, because they were like people I was like trying to work with. So I don't want to be like, hey, can I sleep on your couch with? three of my friends who are waiting in the car like yeah exactly like and we smell like do you think all that development of of going up there and sleeping there random nights and being with friends up there that that's part of your love of new york is like that's where you had your struggle as a kid yeah yeah and both my parents are from there and i always that was like the place where i was going like because it's not like you were going to go there anyway no matter what yeah it's not like i was going to l a like i've been

to l.a and i lived in we we lived in l.a for like a year for like a you're year and a half when I was a kid. But, like, I wasn't, New York was the closest place I could go where music was happening. I already had the D.C. thing. So, like, I already had, I was already working with all the biggest guys in D.C. at the point, but they weren't, like, big. Like, D.C.'s not, like, a huge, or at that time wasn't a huge music scene. Like, there was, but no one was making it.

Right. Like, Wale hadn't made it yet. Like, Wale was, like, just getting on, like, he was, like, just starting to, like, get on, like, they had this thing. It was, like, hot or not. And it was like, you would be like the local artist and you decide if they were, they had a hot song or not. He had this song called like Nike boots. And it was like blowing up like locally.

And that was like, this was like 13 years ago, something like that. This is before you got any label or anything. So, so then I, so then at this point I go and I'm emailing everyone. And I email this guy named Disco D. Yeah. Like I was listening to the 50 cent album so much like and I was like both albums um because there are only been two albums out at that point and I was like this was when he was like supreme and I was like holy shit I was like this is so good because I was I was in that scene because like all those

guys I forgot like at this point I knew I knew like um I knew like uh like Theo saddemear Paul Rosenberg like I knew these guys because of uh Jonathan Schechter like he he was very in that scene because he worked with all those guys. Do you still keep in touch with Jonathan? Yeah, talk to him all the time. And Paul, all those guys. They must all think this is crazy. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Because they just knew you from being this little kid. It would come up to New York and shit. But everyone, Fenster, all these guys. I knew all these guys because you got a, I got my first record deal when I was right before I was 18. Yeah. So it's like, so what happened was, so now we're at like, I'm like, I'm like 16, 17, going up and I hit this guy Disco Dee.

And I'm like, yo, I want to. intern for you. And he's like, I don't tell him I live in Virginia. I'm like, he's like, or I did. I was like, I live in Virginia, but I'm moving to New York. I didn't, I had no idea when I was moving to New York. I was still in school. I was in my senior year.

So I was like 17, maybe 16, 17, 17, probably. And then I, he's like, come here tomorrow. So I'm like, all right. But really what I want to do is like playing my beats and like, do a, so like I come there. And he's like, it was a Friday. and I was with one of my friends James and he's like, it was in Brooklyn. He goes, I'm leaving to go to Brazil tomorrow.

I'll be back on Sunday. If you can film my studio the whole time I'm gone, he was like, and get like two or three sessions and make me money. He was like, you can keep the student. He's like, you can be my intern. And I was like, what? And I was like, I don't even know this many people. Right.

So you're like a studio manager. And he just let me stay at his house. Like the first time ever meeting me. Yeah. And I did. I did it. I called everyone I knew. I called kids from Virginia, D.C. Like, I filled his studio up. And, like, I got, like, two or three sessions. So, like, I had, like, and, like, two of them were on Sunday. And I made him money. And he was like, all right, you got the job. Now get the fuck out of here. And I was like, and so, like, I started coming up every week. And, you know, he was a loony dude. He was a very loony dude. And started coming up and I'll work for him every week. And I was like, I was like, I have to. find a way to move to New York. Sure. So I like, at this point, like, everyone's applying for colleges and I'm like,

man, I don't want to do this college thing. So, like, I find some like trade school in New York and I'm like, I apply to that and like I go there. What was it? I think it was called Institute of Audio Research. Oh, so, but you were going to do music somehow. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It wasn't like you went to go out of TT Tech. No, no, no, no. It's like, it's called like Institute of Audio Research. It's like an engineering school, like a music end. It's like full sale. Yeah. But for the East Coast. I was like, all right, I'm going to go here.

So, because I needed, like, an apartment. And my mom was like, if you go to school, she was like, I'll pay for one year. Right. And I was like, and I was like, cool. So, like, I go. Pretty amazing. Yeah. It's hard.

Like, you know, parental support. Well, she, I'm always so impressive. If somebody can make it without parental support, I don't know how they do it. And I know it happens. But that's like, that's, that's pretty incredible. She was like, I'll pay, I'll pay for, I'll pay for one year. So they recognize at least that you had talent. at that point.

Yeah. Or they recognize that other people recognize you of talent. Yeah, they didn't, they were like, what's your backup plan? They were like,

what are you going to do? I have Jewish parents. I'm the only person in my entire like bloodline and go to college. Right. So it's like, so I think they believed

my mom was like, just give it a shot if you mess up, you can go back to school. Right. And she was like, she was like, just promise me

you're going to go to that school. which I didn't, but I did at the beginning. So basically I get into the school. I'm like, I'm so jazz. It's my last day, I'm graduating. I'm about to walk down the thing. It's my last day. My friend goes, yo, I need you to make me a music page

for one of my artists for MySpace. And this was like just when I didn't know, this is like when you could make your own music page and I didn't really know how to do it. Like making a music page. like using the player and stuff. And I was like, I was like, dude, I don't know how to do that. He was like, well, if you don't do that and read this book,

he gave me this book called like the Tao Deschen. It's like this like like like mantras and poems. And he was like, if you don't read this book by tomorrow and make that, he was like, don't even bother coming up. He was like, I won't hire you. And I was like, fuck. Somehow I figured out how to do it. I moved the next day to New York.

I didn't have a place yet because my place didn't start until after the summer. So I'm crashing on his floor and just like the limited people I know. Like like starting to make connects in New York and I'm like staying. My brother was living. And what is this?

2004 or something? 2005. 2006. So and I'm living and I'm like my brother lived in New York kind of so I'm like living in Hoboken for a little bit and I'm just like crashing in everyone's couch that will let me

sit on a couch. So then I get my place and it's in Brooklyn and I'm working with this guy and and he at the same time I used to cold call record labels and I would like

I would pretend like so say like say it's like who's someone on Atlantic like Bruno Mars let's just say that I was doing it right now right. I'd be like hey I'd be like

this is Bruno Mars lawyer and I would like look who the lawyer was. And then like I'd get in, I'd get through to like Craig. And I'd be like, and I'd be like, hey Craig, this isn't really him. I just really need to play you my music.

And like they would hang up. And like that's how I met like a lot of assistants that became something big. And I used to do that. And one of the guys I would call was this guy named Andrew Luffman. And then, and then I was doing that.

And then at the same time, Andrew was partially, managing disco D and stuff. And Andrew was just in a, he was Craig Calman's assistant at that point. So it's like, so he's Craig Calman's assistant. Then I meet a guy

who later becomes my manager that I started off by selling drugs for him to make money because I didn't have any money. In 2006, 2006. 2006. So like... What kind of drugs? Just pot.

Like, and I was like selling pot and like... That's how I started meeting a lot of people in the music business because he would deal like tons of people in the music business. And like it's not like he's dealing like coke. Was he your dealer and then you were like, oh, you should manage me? No. He was in the same building. He lived in the same building as Disco D.

And like he would... Disco D was one of his clients. Right. And like a lot of people were his clients. And then he goes... he goes to me he says he says what are you doing down there he's or up there he's like he's like I got a few keyboards and stuff he's like you want to come down to make music like at my place like we start making music and then he's like somehow he didn't know what it was either

he's like should I like be your manager and he was like a cool guy around brooklyn he was like this drug dealer he threw parties that were great everything and this is like when Williamsburg was like not a thing yet like it was just starting you know this was this is like 11 years ago 10 11 years ago so it's like it's like just starting to become a thing and I start making music I'm making a lot of music and I'm interning and like this is when people like weren't even signed yet so like like like Sont E Gold would come over to Disco D's house and like make music and like and she was like trying to get a record deal and all these people like tons of people that became that became big big artists like and like and

And tons of people were interning with me that became huge people that are in the music business now. Like just tons of people that like I know now that are like big songwriters, big producers, artists. And we're all doing this. Thank you for listening to And The Writer is. If you want to hear the rest of this rewind episode, make sure to join our Patreon,

where you can find our entire library of archive episodes with legends like baby phase shenaya twain Sabrina carpenter Benny Blanco and so so many more you'll also get access to our monthly writers room on Zoom where we play your demos and answer your biggest industry questions we'll see you over there