Unfamous with Justin Tranter

Singer-songwriter Emei joins Grammy-winning producer, songwriter and Nice Life founder Ricky Reed for a conversation about the creative partnership behind her latest project, Night at the Opera, and what it really takes to build a lasting career. Together with Justin Tranter, they unpack how Ricky discovered Emei, why one radically honest conversation became the foundation of their collaboration,...

Nick Jonas has spent nearly two decades navigating the highs, lows, and reinventions that come with growing up in public. In this episode of Unfamous, he joins Justin Tranter for an honest conversation about the resilience, creativity, and self-belief that have fueled one of pop culture's most enduring careers. Nick reflects on the pressure of being perceived as a Disney star and Jonas Brother whi...

Rose Gray joins Justin Tranter for a conversation about songwriting, collaboration, and the creative journey behind her latest single, "Club to Your Arms." A Critics Choice Brit Award nominee and one of the most exciting voices in modern pop, Rose shares how she built a devoted fanbase through relentless touring, emotional honesty, and a clear artistic vision long before any viral breakthrough arr...

Katy Perry, Christian Breslauer and Justin Tranter make bold, emotionally driven work. But more importantly, they know what it means to feel something fully and still let it be seen. In this episode of Unfamous, Katy sits down with Justin to talk about their songwriting collaboration on “Band-Aids” and “Watch It Burn” (out 6/25), and how those songs came from a place of vulnerability, intention, a...

Skylar Grey and Elliott Taylor collaborate on making music. But more importantly, they’ve built a creative life together. In this episode of Unfamous, Skylar opens up about writing Love The Way You Lie for Eminem and Rihanna alone in a cabin in the woods with no internet, how emotional burnout shaped her new album Wasted Potential, and why some of the darkest creative moments often lead to breakth...

Bongo ByTheWay and Ant Clemons break down the creative chemistry that turned their first session into 11 songs in a single day and eventually led to collaborations with artists like Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, Beyoncé, and more. The conversation dives into songwriting “math,” artist development, ego-free collaboration, surviving the music industry, and why emotional intelligence matters just as...

Linda Perry, the songwriter and producer behind songs like Christina Aguilera's “Beautiful” and Four Non Blondes’ “What’s Up?” joins Unfamous alongside documentary filmmaker Don Hardy to talk about the deeply personal documentary about Linda’s life and creative evolution. The episode explores Linda’s journey through music, collaboration, grief, cancer, vulnerability, and emotional honesty while un...

Valencia Grace and manager Kyle Stuart break down what it actually takes to build an artist from the ground up. From getting dropped by a label and rebuilding independently to shaping a theatrical “pop opera” identity in real time, the episode explores the creative and strategic partnership behind an emerging artist’s career. They talk about how to find the right collaborators, what makes artist-m...

Valencia Grace performs a live rendition of “Picture Frames” on this special episode of Unfamous. Stripped down to just voice and piano, the performance highlights the theatrical emotion, intimacy, and storytelling at the core of Valencia’s artistry. Follow, subscribe, like and comment if you love to watch and listen. Credits: Unfamous is hosted by Justin Tranter Created by Justin Tranter & Morgan...

Valencia Grace performs a live rendition of “Picture Frames” on this special episode of Unfamous. Stripped down to just voice and piano, the performance highlights the theatrical emotion, intimacy, and storytelling at the core of Valencia’s artistry. Follow, subscribe, like and comment if you love to watch and listen. Credits: Unfamous is hosted by Justin Tranter Created by Justin Tranter & Morgan...

Yadim Carranza and Darian Darling shape beauty culture from behind the scenes. But more importantly, they’ve spent years helping each other survive and evolve through nightlife, fashion, addiction, transphobia, and the chaos of creative ambition. In this episode, the longtime friends and collaborators join Justin Tranter to talk about going from MAC counters and tiny New York apartments to influen...

On this episode of Unfamous, Justin Tranter sits down with pop icon Debbie Gibson for a candid conversation about songwriting, producing, and building a career before adulthood. Debbie breaks down how she taught herself production, became the youngest artist ever to write, produce, and perform a Billboard Hot 100 #1, and learned to protect her creative vision in an industry that constantly underes...

Grace VanderWaal and Eren Cannata make work that feels raw but intentional. More importantly, they know how to keep the energy in the room alive long enough for the right idea to land. In this episode of Unfamous, they talk about building Childstar and the creative rhythm Grace and Eren found together. Grace reflects on starting sessions as young as 12 and how writing gave her a way to say things...

MUNA makes emotionally sharp, collaborative work that holds because they know how to stay in it long enough to figure out what a song actually needs. In this episode of Unfamous, host Justin Tranter sits down with MUNA to talk about building a band as a long-term collaboration and what it’s taken to evolve together while working on their upcoming album, which Justin also co-wrote on. They get into...

Kid Cudi and Justin Tranter make emotionally expansive, genre-shifting work. But more importantly, they know how to stay open long enough to actually find something new. In this episode of Unfamous, Justin sits down with Cudi to talk about their collaboration on Free and what it meant for him to move from writing alone into a shared process. They get into trust, pushing past limits, and letting ot...

Troye Sivan and Leland make emotional, euphoric, deeply honest pop. But more importantly? They know how to build a creative partnership that blurs the line between friendship and songwriting. In this episode of Unfamous, Justin Tranter sits down with the longtime collaborators to talk about how their relationship fuels their music, from their first chaotic session to crafting songs like “Rush” and...

King Princess makes bold, chaotic, deeply self-aware pop. But more importantly? She knows how to build art through collaboration, trust, and a healthy amount of beautifully unhinged creativity. In this episode of Unfamous, Justin Tranter sits down with longtime collaborator and pop provocateur King Princess to talk about songwriting, acting, queer storytelling, and what it actually takes to surviv...

Melanie Martinez and CJ Baran make dark, beautiful, deeply specific art. But more importantly? They know how to build a universe together. In this episode of Unfamous, Justin Tranter sits down with the longtime collaborators behind Cry Baby, Portals, and Melanie’s upcoming double-album world to talk about storytelling, trust, experimentation, intuition, and what it takes to make something both wil...

Trixie Mattel and Fena Barbitall know drag is never just the person in front of the camera. It takes trust, instinct, taste, stamina, and someone behind the scenes who knows how to keep the whole illusion alive. In this episode of Unfamous, Justin Tranter sits down with the longtime collaborators to talk about drag as a craft, creative assistance, building looks under pressure, touring, ego, insti...

Amy Allen is one of the biggest songwriters in pop. Gabz Landman is one of the sharpest managers in music. But more importantly? They know how to build a career together. In this episode of Unfamous, Justin Tranter sits down with the longtime collaborators to talk about instinct, trust, advocacy, career-building, and what it really takes to make a songwriter-manager relationship work over the long...

Caleb Hearon and Caitie Delaney are hilarious. But more importantly? They know how to collaborate. In this episode of Unfamous, Justin Tranter sits down with two of comedy’s sharpest minds to talk about writing rooms, pitching to sell, ego deaths, executive notes, financial insecurity, and the very specific horror of saying “sure” to Caleb Hearon. It’s chaotic, smart, honest and it’s a real take o...

Ink is a hitmaking songwriter with main-character energy. But more importantly? She understands collaboration like it’s a spiritual practice and a contact sport. In this Unfamous minisode, Justin Tranter sits down with Ink (Beyoncé’s “16 Carriages,” Lil Nas X’s “Star Walkin’,” Kendrick Lamar's "Luther", and a résumé she will absolutely read out loud and proud) to talk about freestyling melodies, l...

Most of what you love in pop culture didn't happen the way you think it did. Unfamous pairs a celebrity with the collaborator who helped build their biggest moments and lets you hear how it actually went down. It’s funny, honest, occasionally chaotic, and full of real insight about collaboration, ego, ambition, and making something that lasts. You know the moments. You don't know the stories. Tune...