Here’s a riddle, what’s a job where you make something millions of people know, yet almost none of those same people recognize your name? busbee (an uncapitalized moniker that’s just stuck over time) would tell you it’s a job as a songwriter. The list of artists that busbee’s written songs for is astounding. The laundry list includes Timbaland, Lady Antebellum, Hunter Hayes, Kelly Clarkson, and most recently P!nk with her new song, “Try.” It’s hard to say being a songwriter is a thankless job, but it can definitely be one that gets overlooked. Maybe that’s why I wanted to pick busbee’s brain, asking him a few questions about music and the business.

What are some of your past influences along with new and recent influences?

I was a jazz kid at first, my all time favorite has to be Myles Davis. I also love everyone from Willie Nelson to The Foo Fighters, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder...

I can appreciate the effort a band puts in, to make sure every release is not a copy of the last. That’s how Ra Ra Riot’s newest album ‘Beta Love’ comes across, like the band took their “sound,” updated/tweaked it slightly and put together a collection of cohesive songs. That’s not too say the album is absolute gold, it’s not, but Ra Ra Riot has another solid release on their hands.

I worry though that the electronic edge that glows from ‘Beta Love’ may not have been a ‘feel it in your gut’ decision, and rather, just a ‘the markets went this direction’ move. Never once does the word ‘gimmicky’ come to mind, only compared to ‘The Orchard’ (the band’s previous album) does this new release feel so different.

Regardless of the band’s motives, the songs ultimately speak for themselves and these songs scream “Good time.” Mostly filled with quick hits of the snare drum, keeping the pace...

Here’s some questions I did with Sonja Glass of the female Pop duo, BOY. The questions originally appeared on the NoiseTrade.com blog.

The single, “Little Numbers” just released in the US and was featured on iTunes, how has the reception been? Any different than releasing the album in another country?

It is so exciting to know that our music can be heard somewhere that is so far away from our home. We are going to play in the US in March for the first time, so we don’t really have a feeling of what to expect. But we are looking forward to it. And of course, it’s a very special thing for us.

Mutual Friends has already been out for over a year in different countries, selling more than 100,000 copies, how do you keep the songs fresh as a performer?

For me it really varies – one night you feel more touched by one song, another night it can well be different one. But we love the music we...