Inside Pop Songwriting: Hits, Failure, Fear + What Actually Makes a Song Work

What makes a great song when everyone is trying to reverse-engineer hits, virality and the “right” way to be an artist?

Justin Tranter sits down with friends and collaborators Sasha Alex Sloan and Amelia Moore, two artist-songwriters whose careers keep proving that some of the best creative decisions are the ones that look wrong on paper.

They unpack how an imperfect choice became one of the most memorable parts of Camila Cabello’s “Never Be the Same,” why the “too complicated” riff in Amelia’s “See Through” became a TikTok singing challenge and helped lead to her second record deal, and what getting dropped taught both of them about failure, freedom and trying again.

Plus: writing for other artists, the very different mechanics of K-pop, how to say no without killing a writing session, and why neither industry rejection nor industry praise can tell you who you are.

Credits:

Unfamous is hosted by Justin Tranter

Created by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart

Produced by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart

Written & Researched by Morgan T. Stuart

Director: Morgan T. Stuart

Co-Director + Cinematographer: Olivia McCrary

Audio Engineer: Mike Sabri