Dating & Relationship status

On November 17, 2019 Tranter was honored with the ACLU of Southern California’s Bill of Rights Award for their activist work as an outspoken and powerful voice for the LGBTQIA+ community, diversity, the climate crisis, arts education, animal rights, and ending gun violence.

At the 2017 BMI Pop Awards hosted by Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), Tranter was named 2017 Pop Songwriter of the Year and collected awards for co-writing four of the top songs of the year.

In February 2017, Tranter joined the National Board of Directors for GLAAD, an organization that promotes LGBTQ acceptance in the entertainment and news industries. As part of the GLAAD Media Awards in May and June 2017, Tranter raised $123,000 for GLAAD by auctioning off four individual songwriting and recording sessions.

In 2016, after flying to Orlando to help with the aftermath of the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, Tranter joined with frequent collaborator, Julia Michaels, and GLAAD CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis to find a way to make a larger contribution. Through Interscope Records, and joined by various artists like Ru Paul, Britney Spears, & Selena Gomez and dozens of others in the music community, they brought about the release of the charity single “Hands” to raise funds for Equality Florida Pulse Victims Fund, GLAAD, and the GLBT Community Center of Central Florida.

In December 2015, Tranter was named one of Rolling Stone’s “20 Biggest Breakouts of 2015” for their songwriting contributions to the 2015 pop charts.

After moving to Los Angeles in 2012, Tranter signed a new publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music to write songs for other artists. They started collaborating with artists like Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, and Hailee Steinfeld, as well groups like Fifth Harmony and Fall Out Boy. Tranter and their frequent writing partner, Julia Michaels, collaborated on numerous Billboard hits including two songs, Good for You and Sorry, that held the number one spot on Pop Radio for three weeks each. Tranter and Michaels also teamed-up to co-write Gwen Stefani’s third solo album entitled This Is What the Truth Feels Like.

In an interview with Variety magazine, Tranter revealed that they will be executive producer on Britney Spears’s upcoming 10th studio album.

In 2008, they designed a limited-edition sneaker for DKNY.

Tranter has appeared as a guest on the E! cable network show Chelsea Lately. In December 2008, they also appeared as a coach on the MTV reality show Made in which they helped a young girl transform into a “rock star”. In 2010, Tranter had a cameo appearance as a person at a diner in the music video for “Telephone” by Lady Gaga.

In 2004, Tranter joined forces with fellow Berklee graduates, Cole Whittle, Dan Crean, and Aaron Lee Tasjan (who has since been replaced by Stevy Pyne) to form Semi Precious Weapons. They and Semi Precious Weapons opened for Lady Gaga on her Monster Ball from 2009–2011.

In 2003, Justin won an Outmusic Award for the song “Blend In,” co-written with Stephanie Delk, from “Scratched.”

Tranter is also a long-time vegan, vegetarian since 1995 and a supporter of Mercy for Animals.

Tranter and their three older brothers were raised by their parents in Lake Zurich, Illinois. They studied musical theatre at the Chicago Academy for the Arts from 1994–98. While at the Chicago Academy for the Arts, they started an annual AIDS Benefit.

Justin Drew Tranter (born June 16, 1980) is an American songwriter, singer, and activist. They have written songs for Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Linkin Park, Kelly Clarkson, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, DNCE, Kesha, In Real Life, Fifth Harmony, 5 Seconds of Summer, Ariana Grande, Bea Miller and Fall Out Boy, and frequently co-writes with fellow American songwriter Julia Michaels. Tranter was the lead singer of Semi Precious Weapons, a rock band based in New York. They are also a board member of GLAAD, an organization that promotes LGBTQ acceptance in the entertainment and news industries.