Summary
Overview
Benny Blanco, one of music's most successful producers, joins Jay Shetty to discuss his new book on failure. In this candid conversation, Benny shares stories about working with artists like Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, and Justin Bieber, while opening up about his struggles with mental health, his relationship with Selena Gomez, and why embracing failure is essential to success. The discussion covers everything from creative risk-taking to setting boundaries to finding work-life balance in the entertainment industry.
Embracing Failure and Finding Your Voice
Benny opens the conversation by explaining why his book starts with asking readers to say 'I am a failure.' He argues that everyone fails constantly, but we only remember successes. He emphasizes developing 'amnesia to failure'—the ability to bounce back immediately after setbacks. Benny shares how early in his career, people compared his music to Timbaland and Pharrell, which pushed him to discover his own unique sound rather than copying others.
- Everyone is a failure—we fail constantly, but only successes are remembered
- Develop 'amnesia to failure' to bounce back quickly and keep moving forward
- Early in his career, Benny's music was compared to Timbaland and Pharrell until he found his own voice
- His manager told him if they wanted Timbaland or Pharrell, they'd go to them—pushing him to discover what a 'Benny production' sounded like
" Failure only sucks if you don't learn from what you failed at. "
" Hating is free. Someone can be in their basement upset with something. That's like low hanging fruit to make fun of someone. I have never in my entire life gone on to someone's page and wrote something negative. "
" Be yourself because everyone else is taken. "
The First Failure: Relationship with His Father
In a vulnerable moment, Benny reveals that his first significant failure was not being able to build the same relationship with his father that his older brother had. His brother was the golden child—valedictorian, homecoming king, excellent at sports—while Benny pursued music in Virginia, which seemed like a pipe dream to everyone around him. This early experience shaped his understanding of failure and his determination to pursue his passion despite others' doubts.
- Benny's older brother was the golden child—best at everything from tennis to basketball, valedictorian and homecoming king
- Benny felt he failed at having the same special bonding relationship with his dad that his brother had
- His mother later told him she was proud because he pursued his dreams when she was too scared to pursue painting
- His mom's parents wouldn't let her pursue art, teaching her to follow the safe route of school and traditional career
" I wanted to make sure that, you know, the word has such a negative connotation behind it. Like failure, failure. You've been told your whole life. Don't fail. You don't want to fail. Like you got to be a success story, but you can't be a success story without having all these failures who make you who you are. "
" She was so proud of me and that she wishes she were as brave as I was when she was younger. But she wasn't. She said it was just, she was like, it was a different time. "
📚 10 more sections below
Sign up to unlock the complete summary with all insights, key points, and quotes
Get this summary + all future On Purpose with Jay Shetty episodes in your inbox
100% Free • Unsubscribe Anytime
Sign up now and we'll send you the complete summary of this episode, plus get notified when new On Purpose with Jay Shetty episodes are released—delivered straight to your inbox within minutes.