In 2025 ace tunesmith Amy Allen became the second person—and the first woman—to win the Songwriter of the Year Grammy. At the podium, she reminded the glittering crowd that what she and her fellow writers craft is the fuel in the engine of pop music. “Without us,” she said, “there would be no songs for anyone to win awards for."
The Warner Chappell-signed hookmeister’s vital contributions to two Sabrina Carpenter smashes, “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” were undoubtedly key to her win. But she’s also penned or co-penned songs recorded by Olivia Rodrigo, ROSÉ, Justin Timberlake and other stars, and is an artist in her own right. Most recently, she collaborated on a new single for Carpenter, the Jack Antonoff-produced “Manchild,” and on the new Tate McRae hit from the F1 soundtrack, "Just Keep Watching."
Composing answers to our off-key questions was probably less enjoyable than doing that stuff.
Let’s start with your Grammy win for Songwriter of the Year—Mazels on that, by the way. What did that recognition mean to you, and what’s your most powerful memory from Grammy night?
Right as I sat down in my seat (two minutes before they called my category), my dress ripped from top to bottom, which was pretty iconic, and my manager Gabz [Landman, who is also SVP A&R at Warner Chappell] and boyfriend Tom used a safety pin I randomly happened to have pinned on my jacket and somehow stitched me up so they didn’t have to censor my entire body as I walked up there. So, that was an exciting moment for sure!
But honestly, just hearing my sisters and parents scream when my name was called was the cutest and most amazing feeling ever. They’ve supported me so wholeheartedly since I was little and very, very bad at writing songs, so to share that moment with them was emotional and a dream come true.
What do you think of as the secret sauce you bring to a songwriting session?
For so long, I think I’ve underestimated how much being in bands since I was nine years old has helped me be a better writer and collaborator, but lately I’ve been really grateful for all those years of experience. I also truly have to thank my dad for playing so many different genres of music in the car and around the house when I was growing up. It’s definitely helped me be a more versatile writer.
Let’s say you sit down with a collaborator and they have just a rough idea of a song. What are your first steps? How do you go about refining it?
My approach truly changes with every session depending on who I’m with, the way they like to work and what makes them feel most comfortable telling their story. I feel so grateful to get to work with artists who inspire me so deeply, and it makes my job incredibly fun and rewarding to get to do what I love while simultaneously learning how to be better at my craft every day.
You’ve written quite a few big songs with Sabrina. What’s the process of that collaboration like, typically?
Sab is over-the-moon amazing, and feels like a sister to me now, and I can’t stress enough how much I’ve learned from her over the past couple years we’ve been working together. She’s never afraid to be out of the box, take risks, and really push the boundaries of what a “pop” song can be. It’s just also a writing chemistry I never dreamed I’d find with someone, and a friendship I cherish so, so much.
Another huge record you were part of is “APT.” by ROSÉ. Is it true that song came about because she was trying to teach everyone a drinking game?
Yes! I love Rosie, and that was such a fun day because I always love writing with her, but it was also a great reminder that a song can come from the wildest and most unexpected places. I also love a good drinking game.
Tell me about growing up in Maine, and your household. Was there music playing when you were growing up? What was the first music to capture your attention?
Maine is my heart and soul. It gave me my love of nature and hiking, and swimming, and is an endless source of musical inspiration for me as well.
When I was growing up, we lived in this really woodsy neighborhood that was on a lake and about an hour away from our school, so we spent a lot of time in the car with our dad. He schooled us on The Stones and Fleetwood Mac, and Sheryl Crow, Deep Purple, Queen, Led Zeppelin. In addition to that, one of my grandfathers was a drummer, and we used to go watch him play with his band in the park all the time. My other set of grandparents lived on an island off the coast, and they’d always be playing really romantic songs from the ’50s and girl groups like The Supremes and The Ronettes, and even some Jimmy Buffett thrown in there, so I was falling in love with music from all angles. It wasn’t until I started playing myself and getting into [artists like] Dolly Parton and John Prine that I started to really fall in love with lyrics and storytelling in general.
Do you remember discovering what songwriting was?
Yeah definitely. One day, when I was in elementary school, my older sister Ashley (who had been playing the drums for a little bit) came home from school and told me she and her two friends Charlotte and Addie had started a rock band, and they needed a bass player. Naturally I begged to fill the role (even though I didn’t even know what a bass was at that point), and it kind of all snowballed from there. I started learning Fleetwood Mac and Beatles songs and slowly started falling in love with lyrics and storytelling.
Which artists made you want to write songs of your own? Is there an artist you’ve always loved that would surprise people familiar with your work?
Yep. Stevie Nicks. Dolly Parton. ABBA. Sheryl Crow. All of Dionne Warwick’s songs. I just fell in love with the lyrics and the musicality, and became obsessed with trying to write one that made me feel even a fraction of what their songs made me feel.
You made some early recordings as an artist, both solo and with a band. What were your big takeaways from that period?
Collaborating with others and writing songs with the idea in my head of playing them live. That’s such a huge help to my songwriting today, and something I think I’ve taken for granted for ages.
What led you to move to L.A., and how did you first find yourself writing for other artists?
After college, I stayed in Boston for a year, working at lululemon and playing shows with my band. I think that’s when I really put in my 10,000-plus hours, because I needed it to work, and because I truly just loved writing so much. After that, the band moved to New York with the idea of signing a deal, but after my first label meeting and hearing my songs on the speakers in the meeting, I realized all I wanted to do was get better at writing.
So that’s when I stopped playing shows and started to solely focus on my songwriting. A few months later, I co-wrote a song that ended up being a Selena Gomez song, ”Back to You.” That led to me moving to L.A. because I wanted to be around more songwriters so I could keep getting better, and I’ve been here ever since.
Tell me about inking with Warner Chappell and your interaction with the team there. What makes it the right publisher for you?
My incredible manager, Gabz, works there, and I love the entire team at Warner Chappell. They support me endlessly and push me to constantly want to make better music.
Which of your contemporaries consistently inspire your admiration—or envy?
Ugh, there are so many. But a few writers I’ll always be in awe of—and over the moon that I get to work with—are Lori McKenna, Ethan Gruska, and John Ryan. And of course all of the artists I’m so fortunate to work with.
Allen with attorney Harry Roberts (l) and WCM's Giules Clemente, Gabz Landman, pubbery co-chief Guy Moot and Annie Levin
What’s your assessment of the state of the pop-music world at this moment, particularly as regards songwriting? What would you like to see more, or less, of?
I think pop music is in such an exciting place right now. The artists/writers who are taking big risks, pushing boundaries, and being unwaveringly honest are the ones winning, and it’s forcing everyone to just keep getting better and better. I love it so much.
What advice, if any, would you offer someone who wants to do what you do?
Study from the greats. Be as honest as you can. Find friends to collaborate with and learn from. And write songs—in my case, thousands—until you make one good one, and then keep going.
How do you like to spend your downtime? What recharges you?
Being with my friends and family. Camping. Going home to Maine. Traveling. Working out. Watching shitty TV. And reminding myself that you need to live life in order to then write songs about it.