The pop hitmaker continues to crank out bangers while quarantined.
“It was very urgent, aggressive, sonically rock music,” Tranter says.
“But then lyrically it was super high camp.
Credit: Noah Webb
There was this fun vulgarity, this hyper-femme sexuality and I was in six-inch gold glitter heels.”
Tranter, who is queer and gender non-conforming, prefers more of a flowy caftan-inspired look these days.
Are you still writing songs in quarantine?
Tranter with Selena Gomez.Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage
JUSTIN TRANTER:Yeah.
I am trying to keep writing virtually with people.
Do you do it over Zoom?
Tranter with Bebe Rexha.Jerod Harris/Getty Images
I do it over FaceTime.
I have a couple of writers who are signed to my publishing company who are kicking ass on Zoom.
And I’m like, “Oh, it’s probably because you’re 20.
I’m 40 and this technology is really f—ing up my flow.”
You’re hearing too many things at once.
I’ve been super honored to be executive producingBebe Rexha’s album with her.
I think Bebe is one of the most underrated people of our time right now.
She sings her ass off.
She writes her ass off.
She has a really cool story from where she grew up and her family.
So that’s been really great because we were pretty much done writing, right when lockdown started.
So now we’ve just been tying up loose ends virtually.
Have you worked with anyone new?
I don’t know if I can say it, but it was actually a really funny story.
Hopefully, the song will come out and you’ll all know what I’m talking about.
Their wifi wasn’t working, so we literally wrote it over the actual phone.
We couldn’t even see each other.
It’s notquitelike Bernie Taupin faxing lyrics to Elton John, but kind of.
So I’m trying to find ways to work.
But what’s also been nice too is I’m just writing a lot less.
Those don’t all come out, obviously, but I’m writing a lot less.
I can’t, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.
You recently started a company called Facet.
Is it a publishing company?
Is it a recording company?
It’s a couple of companies.
My business partner, Katie Vinten, and I launched Facet PublishingandFacet Records.
And we have a house in West Hollywood called Facet House.
It just launched basically at the beginning of the year.
Shewrote all of my favorite songs on Beyonce’sLemonade.
We put outa little bit of her music right before the shutdown.
And then we have a couple of other unbelievable artists that we had signed.
The artistserpentwithfeetI’m fully obsessed with.
I don’t even know how to put it in a genre.
The EP [blisters] was this sort of alternative classical soul, it was unbelievable.
All the music’s amazing.
Never met, never worked with.
He’s not signed to me, and I worship him.
Lil Nas X is unbelievable.
His melodies are like gold.
She currently hasthe theme songfor the showWe’re Hereon HBO.
How are you celebrating Pride this year?
I am a firm believer that Pride started as a protest, which we love.
We love a protest, or at least I do.
And it has obviously become a celebration.
I think that both of those things are valid and both of those things are amazing.
So I like to say I celebrate Pride by always living in my truth and celebrating that truth.
I celebrate by being who I am and will probably have a drink at noon.
