VERSED: The ASCAP Podcast

"Bugonia" is the ancient practice of leaving out the body of a dead cow, with the belief that bees would spontaneously generate from its carcass. That strange idea serves as an inspiration for the film Bugonia, the latest from visionary director Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things, The Favourite, The Lobster). And in an abstract way it also inspired its score by British composer Jerskin Fendrix – the first original composer that Lanthimos ever worked with, and his collaborator on Poor Things and Kinds of Kindness.
Fendrix didn't read the script or see any footage before he began writing music for Bugonia. Instead, Lanthimos gave him just three words: "bees," "basement" and "spaceship." The bare bones of the film's metaphorical carcass, out of which Fendrix generated his score.
What resulted is a grandiose, oftentimes unhinged score that tracks the film's complex emotional terrain. It was recorded by the 90-piece London Contemporary Orchestra, which Jerskin praised for their adventurousness. "They're up for playing around, they're up for experimenting, they're up for embarrassing themselves musically," he says. "So being able to play with an orchestra…which I was able to draw some more unusual, more provocative sounds out of, was an absolute joy."
The same month that Bugonia was released in theaters, Fendrix released Once Upon a Time…In Shropshire, his first solo album in five years. It's a fascinating yin to Bugonia's yang, representing a very different side of this multi-faceted creator.
Follow Jerskin Fendrix on Instagram.
Bugonia is in theaters and on select streaming platforms. More info here.
Listen to Jerskin Fendrix's discography on Spotify.
Stream Once Upon a Time...In Shropshire on Bandcamp.
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Lucius, the Grammy-nominated indie-pop quartet led by Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe, have been crafting innovative, exciting and absolutely otherworldly music for nearly 20 years. Driven by Holly and Jess's intricately-blended vocals and backed by masterful musicians, drummer Dan Molad and guitarist Peter Lalish, Lucius's songs deliver provocative and soulful journeys into the human heart, all set in soundscapes that are by turns edgy and cinematic.
On the heels of releasing their fourth studio album, a self-titled work that is their most personal and purposeful work to date, and which Rolling Stone calls "The best album of their career," Holly and Jess took a break from their 2025 Gold Rush Tour to talk to VERSED about their roots, the art of collaboration and harmonizing and how their long-enduring friendship and partnership has carried them through music-making, motherhood and more.
We also share insights from singer-songwriter Alex Warren's appearance at the 2023 ASCAP Experience in LA that set him up for success with "Ordinary," Billboard's 2025 Song of the Summer.
Catch Lucius on tour
Listen to their new album
Watch the video for "Final Days"
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Award-winning jazz pianist, composer and bandleader Jahari Stampley was born in Chicago and started playing piano at age 14. Within two years of exploring his instrument, he started winning competitions. By the age of 18, he was recognized and followed by such world-renowned musicians as Yebba Smith, Jill Scott, Robert Glasper, Jacob Collier and others. In 2023, Jahari won first place in the Herbie Hancock Institute International Competition, was named Chicagoan of the Year in Jazz, became the first non-classical musician to receive the Chicago Youth Symphony Alumni Award, and was awarded the 2023 LuminArts Fellowship for his debut album Still Listening. That album, by the way, rose to #1 on Apple iTunes in the first weeks of its release.
 In May of this year, Jahari released the single "To Be Alive" from his second album, What a Time, set to be released in the US in September.  Also this year, Jahari was presented with an ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award and was selected to perform at DC JazzFest as part of the Foundation's partnership with the festival.
As he geared up to take the DC JazzFest Transit Stage in August with his Jahari Stampley Family Band, featuring his mother, the Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist D-Erania Stampley, and some special guests, he shared what brought him to this moment in his career, what he has learned on his journey so far, and what he hopes to achieve with his music.
Also in this episode are excerpts from ASCAP's Etan Rosenbloom's interview with songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist and Laufey collaborator Spencer Stewart about how jazz has impacted the way he makes music.
 
Visit Jahari Stampley online
Listen to "To Be Alive (Solo Piano)" from Jahari's forthcoming album, What a Time
Check out Laufey's new album, A Matter of Time
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Daniel Levitin is an award-winning neuroscientist, musician, ASCAP songwriter and the New York Times best-selling author of several books, including This is Your Brain on Music, The World in Six Songs, The Organized Mind and Successful Aging. His latest book, entitled I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine, explores the healing powers of music and shows how and why it is one of the most potent therapies today. He brings together the results of numerous studies on music and the brain and demonstrates how music can contribute to the treatment of ailments such as neurodegenerative diseases, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's to cognitive injury, depression and pain.
 
But Dan brings so much more to his work than an incredible scientific background. As a songwriter and musician who has worked closely with music icons such as Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, Rodney Crowell and many more, he speaks eloquently about these topics from a music creator's perspective. In this fascinating conversation, he also touches on human vs AI created music, how some of the most legendary songwriters tapped into their unconscious mind to create indelible lyrics and his work in getting music therapy as a covered treatment.
 
Learn more about Daniel's work and read the book
Watch Daniel perform "Just a Memory" with Renée Fleming, Victor Wooten and Hardy Hemphill
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For the past decade, megahit songwriter Justin Tranter has penned hit after beloved hit for massive acts like Chappell Roan, Selena Gomez, Imagine Dragons, Fall Out Boy,  Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Maroon 5, Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa, Janelle Monáe – the list goes on and on. Justin's keen ear for catchy hooks, resonant lyrics and an endless supply of infectious melodies has secured their near constant presence on the top of the charts for the past 10 years – and their ambitions only grow stronger with every smash, most recently Chappell Roan's undeniable anthem "Good Luck, Babe!" nominated for "Song of the Year" at the 2025 Grammy Awards. 
To celebrate their joining the ASCAP family, Justin recently joined us at NightBird Recording Studio for a behind the song look at some of the most beloved hits from this dynamic songwriting talent, outspoken activist and community advocate. We also picked their brain about their songwriting process, the issues facing songwriters today and why they joined ASCAP. 
Music. Truth. Community.
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