Exclusive: Julian Bunetta, Producer for Sabrina Carpenter and Teddy Swims, Explains Nuanced Songwriting and Moving Between Genres

Julian Bunetta was born with music in his DNA. His father, Peter Bunetta, was a drummer who produced records for Smokey Robinson and Kenny G. His uncle, Al Bunetta, was John Prine’s longtime manager and co-founded Prine’s Oh Boy record label alongside the icon.

Bunetta grew up surrounded by the business of music, but he never wanted to be behind the microphone. Instead, Bunetta is one of this generation’s most successful songwriters and producers.
His work spans multiple genres and has generated more than 30 billion streams. Bunetta, a crucial part of One Direction, co-wrote and produced more than 40 songs for the group, including “Story of My Life” and “Drag Me Down.” He’s the man behind Niall Horan’s No. 1 “Slow Hands.” He put his Bunetta stamp on Thomas Rhett‘s chart-topper “Look What God Gave Her.” He produced Sabrina Carpenter’s “Taste” and is working on Teddy Swims’ new album.   

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Bunetta’s cross-genre experience serves him—and the town—well in Music City. He said most pop stars come to Nashville to record with him, and country and pop grow from bumping into each other.

“I think it’s a really awesome thing now that the dam has broken between L.A. and Nashville,” said Bunetta, who is married to Thomas Rhett’s manager, Virginia Davis Bunetta. “I think it’s really exciting because some pop music could definitely use some more storytelling sometimes. And I think in country music, you could stand to take more chances sonically with sounds and even with melody and arrangement and just have a little more disruptive things that shake it up. At this point in time, both genres will feed off each other beautifully for the next bunch of years.”  

Julian Bunetta: “The Dam Has Broken Between L.A. and Nashville”

 He noted that Nashville has become such a destination for artists and songwriters that creators from all genres are eager to hop on a plane and fly over. Nashville is a relatively short flight from anywhere, he said. It’s small enough for people to navigate easily, and the high-end food scene and green spaces are also a draw. West Coast songwriting/producing greats, including Mike Elizondo, Gabe Simon, Mikky Ekko, Steph Jones, and Sasha Sloan, call Nashville home, too.

“There’s a lot of great pop writers out here,” Bunetta said. “You can make a really awesome trip if you come out to Nashville and want to do some pop stuff.”

Bunetta explained that moving between genres isn’t hard for those who understand music fundamentals.

“It’s not rocket science,” Bunetta said. “There’s just different patterns and different tendencies and different notes that make you feel a certain type of way. Then lyrics come into a different play. I’m still learning the craft of all of it.”

The songwriter/producer knows others are more skilled than he is in some areas. Like hip-hop, he knows writing country music is about refinement.

“In country and hip hop, nuance is the difference between a really corny line and a really good line,” he said. “It’s the shuffling of a few words around that makes it a genius line versus just a really hokey line. Surrounding yourself with other people who understand that, too, is always a good thing to do.”

Nuance Is the Difference Between a Corny Line and a Really Good Line

Whether he’s working with Rhett or Carpenter, his approach is the same.

“I’ve tried so many different ways of starting a song that it just doesn’t matter,” he said. “We might come up with a title or start with a beat, or it starts with a conversation. My approach now going in is just to be myself. I want to put myself in rooms with people where I feel understood and heard.”

(Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)