A diverse array of songwriters, from Julia Michaels to Lukas Nelson, are behind the music to A Star Is Born, which debuts atop the Billboard 200. Says Nelson: “We wanted to make something completely new.”
Diane Warren
The hitmaker teamed with Lady Gaga for The Hunting Ground’s Oscar-nominated “Til It Happens to You” in 2015. For Star, she wrote the upbeat “Why Did You Do That?,” which the fictional Ally (Gaga) performs on Saturday Night Live.
Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter
The duo -- known for co-writing smashes like Justin Bieber’s “Sorry,” Selena Gomez’s “Bad Liar” and Michaels’ solo breakout, “Issues” -- contributed to Ally’s showstopping “Heal Me.” For the track, the two added a dose of soul.
Lukas Nelson
The 29-year-old son of Willie Nelson co-wrote many of the movie’s down-home tunes, including “Too Far Gone,” sung by Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper). Nelson and his own band, Promise of the Real, appear as Maine’s onscreen musicians.
Lori McKenna
McKenna, who won consecutive best country song Grammy Awards for Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush” in 2016 and Tim McGraw’s “Humble and Kind” in 2017, penned Ally’s standout twangy ballad, “Always Remember Us This Way.”
This article originally appeared in the Oct. 20 issue of Billboard.
