Ross Jacob Golan (born April 8, 1980) is an American songwriter, record producer and playwright.[1]
Ross Golan | |
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 Golan in 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ross Jacob Golan |
| Born | April 8, 1980 Evanston, Illinois, U.S. |
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| Years active | 2003–present |
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| Website | www |
Life and career
editEarly career
editGolan graduated from Deerfield High School (Illinois) of Deerfield, Illinois in 1998. He studied music at the University of Southern California, and has since released songs with artists including Maroon 5, Justin Bieber, Celine Dion, Nicki Minaj, Gwen Stefani, Lady Antebellum, Michael Bublé, Selena Gomez, Keith Urban, Ariana Grande, Flo Rida, Enrique Iglesias, One Direction, P!nk, The Dixie Chicks, Pitbull, Lauv, Idina Menzel, Nelly, Luis Fonsi, Demi Lovato, Jason Derulo, Meghan Trainor, Cee Lo Green, 5 Seconds of Summer, Linkin Park, Prince Royce, Snoop Dogg, Charlie Puth, James Taylor, Avril Lavigne, Little Mix, Gavin DeGraw, Colbie Caillat, Andy Grammer, James Blunt, Big Sean, Travis Barker, Lukas Graham, Sabrina Carpenter, Skylar Grey, Rixton, The Vamps and Icona Pop, among others. He is the 2016 BMI "Pop Songwriter of the Year" and is currently published by Warner/Chappell Music. His concept album The Wrong Man was released worldwide by Interscope Records on 26 July 2019.
Early Record Deals
editGolan had multiple record deals, the first in 2003 with Insider Trading Corporation/EMI, which was a label he started while in school. The label teamed up with EMI's then-president Phil Quatararo, releasing Reagan Baby. After that, Golan co-founded Glacier Hiking, which had a hybrid publishing/label deal with Lionsgate[citation needed] - the band released a self-titled EP before breaking up in 2009.
Early Record Deals
editGolan had multiple record deals, the first in 2003 with Insider Trading Corporation/EMI, which was a label he started while in school. The label teamed up with EMI's then-president Phil Quatararo, releasing Reagan Baby. After that, Golan co-founded Glacier Hiking, which had a hybrid publishing/label deal with Lionsgate[citation needed] - the band released a self-titled EP before breaking up in 2009.
The Wrong Man
editGolan developed a musical called The Wrong Man,[2] based on the concept music album, which is about a man who is wrongly accused of a crime committed in Reno, Nevada. A one-man version of the show, starring Golan, ran in Los Angeles in February 2014 and received three Ovation Award wins out of four nominations. The musical made its way to New York City, playing Off-Broadway to previews beginning 18 September 2019, with an October 7 opening and scheduled run through 24 November 2019 at the Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space. The full-cast stage production included Tony winners and nominees Tommy Kail, Alex Lacamoire and Joshua Henry.[3] The Wrong Man received 9 Drama Desk Awards nominations including Best Musical and 3 Lucille Lortel Awards nominations. The show was also honored with four Outer Critics Circle Awards including best original score for Golan.
The concept album was released worldwide by Interscope Records on 26 July 2019. That version made it to the big screen, with an animated film adaptation written and performed by Golan. The movie premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2019.[4]
Podcast
editGolan is also the podcast host of And the Writer Is... which is co-produced by Joe London. It has garnered three million downloads.
Advocacy
editIn 2016, Golan co-authored an initiative to include songwriters in the Grammy Awards "Album of the Year" category, and 2017 marked the first year a songwriter received a statue for the award. In 2018, he was a leading voice in the Music Modernization Act. In 2019, he became the first songwriter to sit on the board of directors of the National Music Publishers Association in the 100-plus year history of that organization. In 2021, he advocated to have the 33% rule eradicated from the Grammy Awards "Album of the Year" category and in 2022, all songwriters, producers and engineers who worked on a nominated album will for the first time be recognized as nominees.
Awards and nominations
edit- 2014: Winner, "Video/Projection Design" - Michael Hoy and Adam Flemming, for the Skylight Theatre Company production of The Wrong Man.[6]
- 2014: Winner, "Lyrics/Music for an Original Musical" - Ross Golan, for the Skylight Theatre Company production of The Wrong Man.[6]
- 2014: Winner, "Book for an Original Musical" - Ross Golan, for the Skylight Theatre Company production of The Wrong Man.[7]
- 2014: Nominee, "Best Production of a Musical (Intimate Theatre)" - Skylight Theatre Company, for the production of The Wrong Man.[7]
- 2016: Winner, "Pop Songwriter of the Year".
- 2020: Winner, "Best Original Score" - for the MCC production of The Wrong Man.
- 2020: Nominee, "Outstanding Score" - for the MCC production of The Wrong Man.
- 2020: Nominee, "Outstanding Musical" - for the MCC production of The Wrong Man.
References
edit- ^ "Warner Chappell Publishing | Ross Golan | Music Industry Professional". Musicxray.com. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
- ^ "TimeOut Los Angeles theater profile: 'The Wrong Man'". TimeOut. 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
- ^ "'The Wrong Man' musical's epic journey to the stage, with help from Team 'Hamilton'". Los Angeles Times. September 19, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
- ^ "IMDb profile: 'The Wrong Man' (2019)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
- ^ "Jaxsta". jaxsta.com. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ a b "The 2014 Ovation Awards Winners Announced". LA STAGE Alliance. 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
- ^ a b "Ovation Awards Nominees Announced". LA STAGE Alliance. 2014. Archived from the original on July 13, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2016.