Ep.235: David Foster | What It Takes to Last in the Music Business
And The Writer Is...with Ross Golan
And The Writer Is
4.9 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 14 January 2026
⏱️ 105 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Everyone says they want to be great. What does it really cost? I mean, there is a price, obviously. You probably know it in your own life. One of the greatest musicians to live. David Fawson. I was a classical pianist. There was one problem. That wasn't good enough. And then I started doing sessions. I was looking through the glass and I was like, God dang, I think I can do that. I think I can do it. I want to do what |
| 0:21.8 | they're doing. Game over. I had this incredible career in the 80s. My career just kind of |
| 0:30.0 | nose died. Were you convinced that you were done? No. If you look back at younger David |
| 0:36.5 | Foster, what's the advice you give to younger you? |
| 0:40.8 | What do you think the most important word you could use on how to make it in the music business? |
| 0:46.1 | What is it? |
| 0:48.0 | Determination. Drive. Work hard. Whatever. I said, no. |
| 0:53.7 | Here's the word. |
| 0:54.6 | And don't forget this. |
| 0:56.2 | The word is... |
| 0:57.0 | This season is presented by NMPA, the National Music Publishers Association. |
| 1:06.4 | Champions of songwriters and publishers everywhere. |
| 1:10.3 | Welcome to And The Writer is. I am your host, |
| 1:13.1 | Ross Golan. Today's icon used influences from every genre imaginable to become one of the |
| 1:19.5 | architects of modern popular music. This songwriter Hall of Famer's career has spanned five |
| 1:26.4 | decades over half a billion records and 16 Grammy Awards. |
| 1:30.7 | You know those songs from Whitney to Celine to Boubley to Josh Grobin and Chicago and Earth Winning Fire and yada, yada, yada, yeah, he did a lot of that and did it better than anyone. |
| 1:43.9 | His influence is legendary and he's 100% on the Mount Rushmore of producers. |
| 1:49.3 | And the writer is, my friend, David Foster. |
| 1:52.6 | Boom. |
| 1:53.3 | What an intro. |
| 1:54.9 | Yeah, you know. |
... |
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