58. Walter Afanasieff: Hitmaker for Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You, Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On and more

It’s that time of year when Walter Afanasieff takes over the charts. Walter is the writer and producer of “All I Want for Christmas Is You”—the biggest Christmas song of all time—and he also produced “My Heart Will Go On.” But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. From writing and producing with Mariah Carey to working with Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, and Barbra Streisand, Walter has been behind some of the most unforgettable songs in music history.

He co-wrote dozens of hits with Mariah Carey, including “Hero” and “One Sweet Day”—the record-breaking duet with Boyz II Men that held the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for 16 weeks. And let’s not forget “My Heart Will Go On”—yes, the Titanic theme with Celine Dion—which earned him a GRAMMY for Record of the Year. Walter also won the Producer of the Year GRAMMY in 2000.

This year, he’s nominated for Best Song Written for Visual Media for his song "Love Will Survive" with Barbra Streisand from the miniseries The Tattooist of Auschwitz. Walter co-wrote the piece with Hans Zimmer, Charlie Midnight, and Kara Talve, and produced it alongside Peter Asher.

In this episode, we dig into Walter’s incredible journey through the music world. From his early days working with Narada Michael Walden (fun fact: Walter played synths on “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”) to collaborating with some of the biggest voices in history, Walter is an absolute legend. He’s also a dear friend, and I’m so excited to share our conversation with you today. Let’s go!

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