Justin Tranter

Justin Drew Tranter (born June 16, 1980) is an American songwriter, singer, and activist. They co-founded the New York City-based rock band Semi Precious Weapons, of which they were the lead singer, in 2004. The band released three studio albums before disbanding in 2014. Since the breakup of Semi Precious Weapons, Tranter has focused on songwriting, establishing a close writing partnership with Julia Michaels and working primarily with pop singers. Tranter's highest-certified songs include tracks for Justin Bieber, DNCE, Selena Gomez, Halsey, Imagine Dragons, Maroon 5, Bebe Rexha, Gwen Stefani, and Hailee Steinfeld. As of October 2025, songs written by Tranter have garnered over 70 billion streams; their single sales were estimated at 50 million as of May 2021.

Tranter has received multiple accolades for their songwriting work, including two BMI Pop Awards for Pop Songwriter of the Year in 2017 and 2018 and a nomination for the Grammy Award for Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical in 2024. Two songs they co-wrote, Michaels's "Issues" (2017) and Chappell Roan's "Good Luck, Babe!" (2024), were nominated for the Grammy Award for Song of the Year. They have written music for film and television, earning a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song nomination for "Home" (2017) performed by Nick Jonas. Tranter is also an advocate for multiple causes, particularly LGBT rights, and was a board member of GLAAD for multiple years starting in 2017.