Ep. 236: John Ryan | The Playbook of a World-Class Songwriter

Today's guest has quietly shaped the sound of a generation.

He has written and produced some of the biggest songs of the last 15 years—from One Direction's "Story of My Life" to Niall Horan's "Slow Hands," Sabrina Carpenter's "Taste", Teddy Swims' "Lose Control," and Olivia Dean's "So Easy to Fall in Love."

A true songwriter's songwriter, John Ryan doesn't just chase hits—he shapes careers, defines sounds, and knows exactly when inspiration is knocking.

In this episode, John breaks down what it really takes to stay relevant across multiple eras, why authenticity always wins, and how he went from a Berklee kid living in his manager's parents' house to becoming one of the most trusted voices in pop music.

We talk about:

- The hardest years of his career

- The real batting rate of the best songwriters

- Meeting Sabrina Carpenter and Teddy Swims

- Working with One Direction and losing Liam

- Gems upon GEMS for up and coming musicians, songwriters, and producers

and a special live performance of some of his biggest hits.

A special thank you to our sponsors…

Our lead Sponsor, NMPA— the National Music Publishing Association. Your support means the world to us.

And @splice — the best sample library on the market. Period.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro: John Ryan

02:30 How John Got Into the Music Industry

06:30 Songs from Eighth Grade & Writing Early

10:30 Writing Like a Kid Again (The Picasso Effect)

13:00 Berklee, Pro Tools & Learning the Craft

17:00 How Many Songs Actually Make It Out?

19:30 Maroon 5’s “Cold”

21:30 Niall Horan: From One Direction to Solo Artist

24:15 The Lowest Point of His Career

26:00 The Realization That Saved Him

28:00 Meeting Teddy Swims & Sabrina Carpenter

31:00 Social Media, Virality & “I Don’t Have That on My Phone”

33:30 Writing “Heaven” with Niall Horan

34:00 Sabrina Carpenter’s “Feather”

36:00 Stop Chasing Numbers. Start Betting on People

38:00 Co-Writing with Amy Allen

41:56 How John Ryan Produces Songs

44:50 Country Music & Expanding Taste

47:20 Liam Payne

51:03 Olivia Dean – “So Easy to Fall in Love”

56:45 John Ryan’s Take on Collaboration

58:50 Writing “Tears” with Sabrina Carpenter

59:40 Managing Life, Energy & Relationships

1:02:01 “Steal My Girl” & “Night Changes” Should’ve Been Bigger

1:04:52 Choosing Great People Over “Sure Things”

1:07:00 John Plays & Sings His Hits

1:20:00 Why 10,000 Hours Isn’t Enough

1:21:06 GEM: Ruthlessly A/B Your Music to Get Better

Hosted by Ross Golan

Produced by Joe London and Jad Saad

Edited by Jad Saad

Post-Production VFX by Pratik Karki

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