Bunetta’s cross-genre experience serves him—and the town—well in Music City. He said most pop stars come to Nashville to record with him, and country and pop grow from bumping into each other.
“I think it’s a really awesome thing now that the dam has broken between L.A. and Nashville,” said Bunetta, who is married to Thomas Rhett’s manager, Virginia Davis Bunetta. “I think it’s really exciting because some pop music could definitely use some more storytelling sometimes. And I think in country music, you could stand to take more chances sonically with sounds and even with melody and arrangement and just have a little more disruptive things that shake it up. At this point in time, both genres will feed off each other beautifully for the next bunch of years.”
Julian Bunetta was born with music in his DNA. His father, Peter Bunetta, was a drummer who produced records for Smokey Robinson and Kenny G. His uncle, Al Bunetta, was John Prine’s longtime manager and co-founded Prine’s Oh Boy record label alongside the icon.
Bunetta grew up surrounded by the business of music, but he never wanted to be behind the microphone. Instead, Bunetta is one of this generation’s most successful songwriters and producers.
His work spans multiple genres and has generated more than 30 billion streams. Bunetta, a crucial part of One Direction, co-wrote and produced more than 40 songs for the group, including “Story of My Life” and “Drag Me Down.” He’s the man behind Niall Horan’s No. 1 “Slow Hands.” He put his Bunetta stamp on Thomas Rhett‘s chart-topper “Look What God Gave Her.” He produced Sabrina Carpenter’s “Taste” and is working on Teddy Swims’ new album.
