Months into writing a brand new tune with Chappell Roan in 2023, Dan Nigro hit a wall. The Grammy-winning songwriter-producer had tried nearly every thing he might consider with the effervescent beneath pop phenomenon — boosting the manufacturing, cleansing up the lyrics, adjusting the important thing — and but the tune nonetheless didn’t have that particular X issue they have been searching for.
“We stored on getting so pissed off,” Nigro tells Billboard. “We knew that one thing about it was actually particular, however we couldn’t determine it out. Was it the important thing? Was it the verses that wanted to really feel extra spunky?”
However as soon as the duo discovered what they have been searching for within the stratospheric refrain, the tune reworked into Roan’s runaway hit, “Good Luck, Babe!” For the reason that tune’s launch in April, Roan (born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz) has turn out to be one of the talked-about voices in mainstream pop music. The one marked her first entry on the Billboard Sizzling 100, debuting at No. 77, and has risen to No. 16 on the June 29-dated chart, with three of her different songs — “Pink Wine Supernova,” “Sizzling to Go!” and “Pink Pony Membership” — populating the decrease half of the record. In the meantime, her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, reaches a career-high at No. 8 on the Billboard 200.
It shouldn’t come as a shock {that a} monitor co-penned by Nigro is discovering such breakaway success. Over the past a number of years, the songwriter has cemented himself as one of the sought-after writers within the enterprise, serving to write hits for pop artists together with Olivia Rodrigo, Caroline Polachek, Conan Grey and others. However in working with Roan, Nigro says he’s discovered one thing particularly thrilling.
“Once we made [her May 2020 single] ‘California,’ which was the second tune we wrote collectively, I had this sense like I used to be part of one thing deeply particular,” Nigro says. “It felt magical and deeply relatable … and actually essential, [because] she was making it in order that it felt essential.”
Nigro breaks down the “intense” technique of writing “Good Luck, Babe!,” its runaway success during the last two months and why he knew early on that Chappell Roan was destined to be “a celebrity.”
Inform me concerning the starting of the method with “Good Luck, Babe!” — the place did the unique thought for the monitor come from, and when did you start engaged on this?
Kayleigh, Justin [Tranter] and I really began the concept in November of 2022. We wrote a scratch thought — it was only a verse and a refrain. The concept was initially referred to as “Good Luck, Jane” — Kayleigh was actually set on having it’s a reputation.
It’s a tune we wrestled with for some time. We laid down a demo, and the 2 of us felt prefer it wasn’t proper. We knew one thing was particular concerning the tune, however we couldn’t inform what it was that we have been getting unsuitable. So, we labored on it for a day, we put it away, after which a number of months later, she got here in for one thing else, and he or she was like, “What about that one tune we wrote? I really feel like there’s one thing there.”
Kayleigh’s voice is loopy throughout all of her songs, however it seems like she is in uncommon kind on “Good Luck, Babe!,” the place she’s nearly expressing the whole thing of her vocal vary on one tune.
Completely. Once we opened it again up, we actually narrowed in on the refrain and determined that among the phrases wanted to be in full voice. After which abruptly, we listened again and went, “Okay! I feel we’ve figured it out!” As soon as we lastly obtained it, it was such a aid. That tune was so intense, and it was positively one of many hardest songs to get proper.
Kayleigh and I aren’t the individuals who go within the studio and write a tune in in the future. We take our time with it, comb over the lyrics after which neglect about it for a month and are available again to pay attention with recent ears. Plenty of instances if you’re engaged on a tune, within the midst of engaged on it, you are likely to get actually enthusiastic about it, and then you definately look again later and go, “Oh, that wasn’t pretty much as good as we thought it was.” Fortunately, Kayleigh is so good at having that perception and understanding [when] to take a step again and replicate on it. She’s so unimaginable at having that self-awareness. She’s additionally such an unimaginable singer — which is a good factor, however as a result of she typically sounds actually good singing any tune, determining the distinction between one thing being actually good and being superb could be difficult.
I do know Kayleigh has mentioned this tune was “a b-tch to put in writing,” and that very a lot tracks with what you’re describing right here.
For positive. Although, it’s humorous: To me, it wasn’t really that a lot of a b-tch to write. I really feel prefer it was the manufacturing and the method that was actually robust. Really writing the tune was fairly fluid. I keep in mind she came to visit in the future, and I used to be like, “Effectively, now we want a bridge.” She wrote the bridge all on her personal in like two minutes. She mentioned, “Put the pre-chorus chords on,” I looped it, and he or she simply obtained on the mic and went for it. I used to be attempting to maintain looping the chords extra as a result of she simply stored singing, and I used to be like, “No, we’ve got to go additional!” It was superb.
You talked about that the unique model of the tune you wrote with Justin had actually completely different verses lyrically — what would you say basically modified between that first draft and the ultimate model?
I don’t precisely keep in mind what the verses have been to start with, simply because it’s been so lengthy since we wrote them. However I do keep in mind that we wished the phrases to really feel extra easy. We wished to ensure it had that informal, cool, laid-back feeling to it. The lyrics have been a little bit bit extra pointed, a little bit extra slicing. We chilled it out, after which she was sitting on the sofa at one level, and he or she mentioned, “I simply need to have a line in there about my arms reaching out of a sunroof.” It was so humorous.
At what level on this course of, if in any respect, did you suppose that “Good Luck, Babe!” was going to be successful?
When a tune is troublesome to get proper, particularly from the manufacturing facet of issues, I turn out to be so self-conscious of it that I can by no means see it tremendous clearly. Additionally, “Good Luck, Babe!” is so dramatic — I are likely to maintain my productions fairly minimal for probably the most half. However “Good Luck, Babe!” is such an epic manufacturing — there are like 100 string components! Once I’m including that a lot manufacturing, I are likely to really feel like I’m doing too many issues. So, I don’t suppose there was any level in that course of the place I used to be like, “Oh, this one’s going to be successful.”
I keep in mind she texted me the day the tune got here out, simply being excited concerning the tune. Then her supervisor texted me and mentioned, “This one feels particular, this feels completely different proper now.” That’s, to me, the loopy factor about with the ability to see the numbers in actual time: You’ve got completely no method of understanding, after which inside 12 hours, individuals can inform you, “Oh yeah, audiences are actually liking this one.”
It appears clear that “Good Luck, Babe!” actually cemented this cultural second for Kayleigh: The tune has climbed into the highest 20 of the Sizzling 100, “Pink Wine Supernova,” “Sizzling to Go!” and “Pink Pony Membership” have all entered the Sizzling 100, and The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess continues to climb on the Billboard 200, reaching the highest 10.
It’s loopy to observe. This seems like … I don’t need to say “future,” that’s the unsuitable phrase to make use of. All of it occurred for a cause. This tune was made through the making for Rise and Fall, and to me, it felt prefer it might have simply been on the document. I’d prefer to suppose that as a result of it got here out at a distinct time, it held a distinct that means and it was a distinct vessel for the album. Whereas, if it got here out with the album, then the document wouldn’t be what it’s doing proper now.
Why do you suppose this second is occurring proper now, reasonably than with the album’s launch final September?
All I can say is, three or 4 days into assembly her, I used to be satisfied she was a celebrity. I used to be so enamored by the best way she thought of music, and I couldn’t imagine I used to be part of it, as a result of it felt magical and likewise deeply relatable. Once we made “Pink Pony Membership,” that was the document the place it felt like we have been making one thing actively highly effective. It was that type of feeling the place you get the sense that you just’re singing that individuals want. I’ve at all times felt that one thing like this was going to occur for her; the query was simply when it might occur.
The truth that she’s so phenomenal stay means individuals are lastly in a position to see in actual time how good she is. That then turns into this word-of-mouth factor, and it’s great to see her have such old style success. I’ve instructed so many individuals, “That is the best way issues was — you would need to see the artist stay, and also you see them be good at what they do after which unfold the phrase.” She’s so good at what she does that the system is working once more! It truly is that easy.
That’s an essential level — whereas rather a lot has occurred within the final two months, this wasn’t “in a single day” success. Chappell had been steadily rising earlier than “Good Luck, Babe!” blew up.
I completely agree, it’s not “in a single day” success in any method — even because the document got here out 9 months in the past, each single day, the numbers have been steadily going up by like a share every week. It simply took so lengthy to get to the purpose the place sufficient individuals have been speaking about it each day for it to turn out to be exponential.
You’ve had loads of success working with pop stars like Olivia Rodrigo, Conan Grey and Caroline Polacheck — is there something about working with Chappell that feels completely different than your different collaborators? Or what issues really feel related in the best way you’re employed with all of these artists?
If I’m being sincere, I at all times really feel bizarre when requested to check individuals. I feel the essential factor is that she’s extremely articulate about what she needs out of a tune, and we’ve got an important relationship relating to creating music. We’re writing songs collectively, however we’re additionally producing them collectively, and he or she’s within the room for a bunch of it. There’s a very good language between us relating to making music. I can perceive what she’s searching for, and if I’m not getting one thing proper once I’m producing, she will be able to step in. She’s so good at explaining precisely what she needs, and it makes for a very good stream in our working relationship.
A model of this story initially appeared within the June 22, 2024, situation of Billboard.