Media
Walter Afanasieff: The Hitmaker Behind All I Want for Christmas Is You, My Heart Will Go On, & More
It’s that time of year when Walter Afanasieff takes over the charts. Walter is the writer and producer of “All I Want for Christmas Is You”—the biggest Christmas song of all time—and he also produced “My Heart Will Go On.” But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. From writing and producing with Mariah Carey to working with Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, and Barbra Streisand, Walter has been behind some of the most unforgettable songs in music history. He co-wrote dozens of hits with Mariah Carey, including “Hero” and “One Sweet Day”—the record-breaking duet with Boyz II Men that held the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for 16 weeks. And let’s not forget “My Heart Will Go On”—yes, the Titanic theme with Celine Dion—which earned him a GRAMMY for Record of the Year. Walter also won the Producer of the Year GRAMMY in 2000. This year, he’s nominated for Best Song Written for Visual Media for his song “Love Will Survive” with Barbra Streisand from the miniseries The Tattooist of Auschwitz. Walter co-wrote the piece with Hans Zimmer, Charlie Midnight, and Kara Talve, and produced it alongside Peter Asher. In this episode, we dig into Walter’s incredible journey through the music world. From his early days working with Narada Michael Walden (fun fact: Walter played synths on “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”) to collaborating with some of the biggest voices in history, Walter is an absolute legend. He’s also a dear friend, and I’m so excited to share our conversation with you today.
1:25:50
6
Elena Pinderhughes: From Herbie Hancock to Future, This Jazz Star Brings Flute to Front & Center
Episode 57: Elena Pinderhughes is one of the most sought-after musicians in today’s vibrant jazz scene. From touring with legends like Herbie Hancock, Common, and Chief Adjuah to performing the iconic “Mask Off” with Future on the Coachella Main Stage, Elena has already brought the flute to a new level. She’s a prominent figure in this wave of brilliant young musicians rising within the new jazz world. Elena talks about her journey—from being a teenage jazz star to becoming a first-call collaborator across genres. She shares stories about working with Herbie Hancock, Chief Adjuah, Esperanza Spalding, Robert Glasper, and Josh Groban, diving into the lessons she’s learned and how she’s crafted her unique sound. We explore the modern jazz scene, how she’s making her mark, and how she balances artistry with building a thriving career. Elena Pinderhughes is a trailblazer in both jazz and pop culture, and there’s no question—her career is only going up from here. ‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights. Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!
1:08:147
Quincy Jones Tribute: Stories from friends and collaborators
Episode 55 - Quincy Jones was one of the most important humans in the history of music. At 91 years of age, we sadly lost the legend this week. Quincy touched us all in so many ways. Beyond his music and boundary-breaking life, Quincy was a friend, advisor, and investor to Jammcard. His support meant the world, changed our lives, and inspired us beyond explanation. We’d like to take a moment to honor Quincy and share stories from the podcast of friends and collaborators of his, in hopes that it makes you smile, reflect, feel good, and learn even more about the amazing man he was. In this episode, we have stories from John JR Robinson, Michael Bearden, Ibrahim Maalouf, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Daru Jones, Jason White, Jeff Gitty, and our host, Elmo Lovano. We hope you enjoy. We love you, Q. ‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights. Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!
1:01:1323
Jason White: Sunday Service Choir, Kanye West, Beyoncé, Will Smith, Vocal Contractor, Director, God
Episode 54 - Jason White is one of the greatest choir directors, vocal producers, and contractors in the world. He’s best known as the leader of Kanye West’s Sunday Service Choir, which took the world by storm in 2019, and he’s worked with so many other legends as well. He worked with Beyoncé on her GRAMMY-winning “Break My Soul” (and we talk about that session in this episode), Will Smith on his first new music in years and re-emerging in the public eye (which we also talk about), Harry Styles, Elton John, T.I., Jennifer Hudson, Whitney Houston, Kurt Carr, and countless others. We talk about how Kanye’s Sunday Service started, how he built it with Phil Cornish, Ye, and other key people; its rapid growth; employing hundreds of people; and the high-stakes preparation for their iconic Coachella performance, and so much more. ‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights. Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!
2:12:195
Kris Pooley: Music director for Katy Perry & American Idol, Arranger, Pink, Gwen Stefani, Super Bowl
Episode 53: Kristopher Pooley is one of the most successful musical directors in the game, known for his long relationship as MD for Katy Perry, music directing American Idol for the last 8 seasons (going on 9), and working with Gwen Stefani, Kesha, Demi Lovato, Pink, Smashing Pumpkins, Morrisey, Jane’s Addiction and so much more. We dive deep into his career, how he landed these gigs, his creative process behind directing major performances like Katy Perry’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, and his unique perspective of balancing these live shows all while working as the music director for American Idol (which is an intense 7 day a week gig when in season). Kris gives advice on the importance of fostering strong relationships and reflects on the valuable lessons he’s learned while working in the industry. We talk about his future ambitions, what it’s like running his business day-to-day, and how he can stay home while still music directing these big acts. We also love that Kris is a fan of metal and listens to Meshuggah (daily). This was most important to Elmo. We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did. Let’s go with the incredible Kris Pooley! ‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights. Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes.
1:15:4410
Adam Blackstone: Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Dr Dre, Super Bowl, GRAMMY, Emmy, Kanye, Rihanna, BBE MD
Episode 51 is with the legendary Adam Blackstone. Adam is one of the most successful musical directors of all time, and a multi-GRAMMY-nominated artist himself. He’s been the musical director for Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Kanye West, Eminem, Jill Scott, Dr. Dre, and countless others. Adam has musical directed four Super Bowl Halftime Shows in the last six years, including the 2022 performance with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar—where he took home the Emmy for Best Musical Direction. We go deep in this interview on how he got where he is, how he continues to grow, nurturing relationships, balancing his musical director life with his artist life and his family life, his relationships with Questlove, Jay-Z, and the music world. This interview is packed with information, knowledge, and insight, so sit down, soak it all in, and enjoy the wisdom from one of the music industry’s true leaders. ‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights. Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop!
1:26:1918
Show more
Bio
Show more
