Q. You are on-air occasionally on the show. Is it your first time? Were you nervous?
A. It was my first time, but I had a lot of fun. The casting process was me and my songwriters, we didn’t have the judges yet, and I really fell in love with being able to judge and mentor the writers during that process, so when they said we’d like to include you in some capacity on screen I said, ‘‘Absolutely!’’
Q. There are a lot of second generation people in the entertainment business. You’re in a unique position because your dad is well-known to a certain group of industry types but not really the public. Do you feel like his legacy helps or perhaps doesn’t matter as much?
A. When I first started in the music industry I think I thought it would help me. I got into a lot of rooms with a lot of presidents of record labels who would close the door and tell me “your dad and I, back in 1977, we went to this party…’’ [laughs]. And they’d tell me these stories and then they’d ask, “What are you up to?’’ And I’d say “I’d really like to get an internship,’’ and they’d say “unfortunately we really don’t have anything.’’
Q. But making it for yourself must be more satisfying.
A. Because my father wasn’t a songwriter, because I am a songwriter at the core, I really do feel like I carved my own niche. In the history books it won’t just be “Evan Bogart, son of Neil Bogart.’’
Q. The pop world really is a songwriter-producer culture right now, some listeners know the names in the credits like J.R. Rotem and Max Martin, whereas in earlier eras they were in the background. Who are the songwriters you admire?
A. Obviously, I love J.R., Ryan Tedder [of OneRepublic] is a good friend and a collaborator, I think he’s extremely diverse and brilliant. It all depends on who’s doing incredible stuff. Rodney Jerkins is great. [Lady Gaga producer] RedOne is great. Obviously Dr. Luke and Max Martin are really amazing.
