Bruno Mars, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Drake -- the Most Platinum Songwriter Alive on Writing Hits, the Music Business, and What It Actually Takes to Move the World with a Song
James Fauntleroy has written or co-written some of the most streamed, awarded, and culturally significant songs of the last two decades. Bruno Mars. Rihanna. Justin Timberlake. Drake. The list reads like a roll call of the biggest names in music -- and James wrote the songs. Not just contributed to them, but wrote the kind of verses and hooks that people have tattooed on their bodies and played at their weddings. By any metric of platinum certifications and streaming numbers, there is an argument to be made that no one alive has written more hits.
In this conversation with Elmo, James gets into what songwriting at this level actually requires -- the craft, the relationships, the discipline, and the particular thing that separates a great song from a song that simply exists. He talks about how the collaborations with the biggest artists in the world actually happen, what he has learned about the music business from a position most people never get to occupy, and what he still believes about the power of a well-written song in an era that sometimes seems to have forgotten it.
"A great song doesn't need anything else to be great. No budget, no marketing. Just truth. That's always been the bar."
The inside story on how the collaboration with Bruno works -- the creative process, what it looks and sounds like in the room, and what James has learned about hit-making from one of the most consistent hit-makers in the history of pop music. What makes Bruno's instincts different, and what James brings that makes the partnership work.
How the collaborations with the other giants of his catalogue came to be -- the specific conversations, sessions, and moments behind songs that became cultural touchstones. What each artist brings to a session that is distinct, and how James has adapted his approach to serve each one's specific sound and vision without losing his own identity in the process.
What James actually believes separates a great song from a merely competent one: the specific technical and emotional elements he is always looking for, the mistakes he sees writers make most often at every level, and the discipline behind a body of work that has produced platinum records across multiple decades and genres.
What the business looks like from the position James occupies -- a songwriter whose credits span the biggest artists in the industry. What he has learned about how deals get made, how credit works, what the streaming era has changed for writers specifically, and what he believes every songwriter needs to understand to protect themselves and thrive.
How James got to where he is: the early years, the relationships that opened doors, the sessions that mattered, and the specific things he did to develop his craft and his reputation to the point where the biggest artists in the world trusted him with their most important projects. What he would tell a young songwriter trying to build a lasting career today.
James's theory of what makes a song last -- not just chart, but endure. The emotional and structural qualities he is always chasing, why he believes great songs are always about something true, and what the presence or absence of that truth sounds like to a listener even when they can't articulate what they're hearing.
James on what it actually means to be the most platinum songwriter alive -- not the accolade, but the daily reality of a career spent writing for artists who trust you with their most vulnerable creative moments and then performing those moments for millions of people who never know your name.
The Bruno Mars sessions: James breaks down what collaboration with Bruno actually looks like behind closed doors -- the creative shorthand they've developed, the moments that produced specific iconic songs, and why he believes Bruno is one of the most instinctive hit-makers of his generation.
On the music business and songwriting credit: James is candid about what writers experience in a business that often treats them as interchangeable -- the deals, the royalties, the credit disputes, and what has changed and what has stayed the same in the streaming era for the people who actually write the songs.
His theory of what makes a hit: not the formula, not the trend-chasing, but the specific emotional and structural things he is always trying to build into a song -- and why he believes the writers who chase trends are always playing catch-up while the writers who chase truth have a chance at something that lasts.
What he would tell his younger self: the specific pieces of advice James would give to a songwriter coming up today, including the things he learned the hard way about the relationship between craft, business, relationships, and patience in building a career that can sustain itself across decades.
James in full: one of the most talented and least celebrated figures in contemporary music finally getting the kind of in-depth conversation his body of work deserves -- open, specific, and honest about the work, the business, and what he still believes about music after everything he has seen and done.