Artist Recovery Podcast S2 Ep. 29 | Greig Watts: Eurovision, K-pop & the Songwriter's Journey

Greig Watts spent his teenage years being told a songwriter was not a real job. Decades later he is a co-founder of DWB, one of the UK's most successful independent songwriting and publishing teams, a Eurovision trailblazer with 18 entries across 11 years, and the bestselling author of "Keeping the Dream Alive."Greig walks Rich through a childhood in Surrey defined by a house that welcomed foster kids, church youth groups, and a record player that never stopped spinning. He talks candidly about being a deeply shy child who built a character just to survive being called on in class, and how one humiliating first day of secondary school became the moment he decided to always go first instead of last.The conversation moves into the years most creatives never talk about out loud. Greig describes taking a "safe" job at a bank to prepare for marriage, watching the commute to London slowly bury his songwriting dream, and the 2003 turning point when his wife told him it was time to hand in his notice and give music one real year. That leap led to a publishing deal that let him write songs while building a department around himself.From there, Greig unpacks how DWB became a top UK publisher in Japan years before K-pop and J-pop were on anyone's radar, how a festival in Cannes changed his career, and why he chased Eurovision, a stage that reaches 250 million viewers, when other UK songwriters dismissed it as too cheesy. He breaks down how Eurovision works for American listeners who have never seen it, and shares the mindset that took his songs from quiet at home to number one abroad.Greig also opens up about neurodiversity in songwriting, a topic close to his own family. He estimates half the songwriters he mentors are on the ADHD or autism spectrum, and argues neurodiverse thinkers change history because they refuse to accept "you're not good enough" as an answer. That perspective drives his mentoring work, built since 2022.The episode closes with a grounded conversation about AI tools like ChatGPT and Suno in songwriting, why authenticity matters more as AI floods the market, and the copyright gray areas every collaborative songwriter should understand.Connect with Greig:Website: https://www.dwbmusicgroup.comLinkedin:   / greigwatts  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greigwatts/...Artist Rich Wright’s WOW Essential Spirit Paintings: ⁠https://www.theartistrecovery.com/white-owl-wisdom-1Get some Art Rec Merch:https://artrecshop.com/Join Podmatch: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/artistre...Dyslexia Classes: https://www.skool.com/dyslexia-classes#GreigWatts #Eurovision #KPop #JPop #DWB #MusicPublishing #Songwriter #Songwriting #KeepingTheDreamAlive #Neurodiversity #ADHD #AutismSpectrum #MusicIndustry #UKMusic #CreativeResilience #Midem #SongwritingMentor #AISongwriting #ChatGPT #MusicCopyright #ArtistRecoveryPodcast #PodcastInterview #IndependentMusic #richwrightartist #richwrightunlimited #richwrightunltd #beaguest #podmatchguest ‪@PodMatch_com‬AskSupport the showAlways remember, Listen to your Heart and Be Kind to Your Mind! -Rich WrightFollow us here: https://www.theartistrecovery.comJoin the Community: https://www,artrecroom.comListen Weekly at: https://www.artistrecoverypodcast.comConnect:InstagramFacebookXTikTokLinkedin