Ep.235: David Foster What It Takes to Last in the Music Business

Today’s guest isn’t just a living legend. He’s one of the architects of modern music. As a songwriter and producer, he’s discovered artists, shaped careers, and defined entire eras. This one is required listening. A once-in-a-generation legendary hybrid of songwriting and production, And The Writer Is... David Foster! In this episode, David breaks down what actually makes music last, the cost of greatness, and what it really takes to survive and stay relevant in the music business over decades, not moments. Not to mention his best advice for people in the business right now... We talk songwriting vs. production, discovering artists like Céline Dion and Michael Bublé, working with legends like Whitney Houston and Paul McCartney, the mistakes artists make chasing hits, and why longevity matters more than hype. Oh, and the only artist who could pull him out of retirement... 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 Mount Rushmore of Producers 02:00 Canadians 03:42 David Foster’s Parents 05:23 Discovering Perfect Pitch 07:03 Musical Roots and Learning Jazz 07:40 Jazz Voicings Explained 10:24 “Leave Songwriters Alone” – Publishing Talk 11:20 Writing His First Songs 12:21 Advice He’d Give His Younger Self 17:00 David Foster’s Trick for Reading People 17:58 Surviving a Plane Crash 20:22 The Start of His Early Career 22:00 Is “Africa” by Toto a Perfect Song? 27:20 The Greatest Songwriters Ever 30:25 Kanye West’s “Through the Wire” Sample Story 32:27 Songwriting vs Sampling (Blurred Lines Case) 34:21 His Documentary, Workflow, and Band Relationships 38:53 How David Foster Writes Songs 42:42 How Seven People Write One Song 43:39 Presented by NMPA & Splice 48:19 The Critical Mistake in “Uptown Funk” 49:49 “Unforgettable” with Nat King Cole 51:08 Paul McCartney 55:17 Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” 57:10 Top Five Singers He’s Worked With 59:06 Discovering Céline Dion 59:56 How David Foster Sees His Life 1:05:13 What Makes a Song Great? 1:09:40 The “Nashville No” 1:11:51 The Arc: A Holistic Approach to Songwriting 1:12:42 Discovering Michael Bublé 1:15:29 Star vs Superstar 1:16:39 Andrea Bocelli & Josh Groban 1:19:04 The Cost of Greatness 1:19:46 How to Make It in the Music Business 1:24:11 Family Life (Katharine McPhee & Kids) 1:25:50 “I Told Céline the Titanic Song Would Ruin Her Career” 1:31:01 Songs He Wishes He Wrote 1:31:39 Artists He Passed On Hosted by Ross Golan Produced by Joe London and Jad Saad Post production by Pratik Karki Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Ep.235: David Foster What It Takes to Last in the Music Business is an episode from And The Writer Is...with Ross Golan by And The Writer Is.

This episode is 1:45:15 long.

This episode was published on Jan 14, 2026.

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