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Justin Paul
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Justin Paul

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Justin Paul is an American composer, lyricist, and songwriter known for his long-term partnership with Benj Pasek as the duo Pasek and Paul, creating award-winning music for Broadway musicals, Hollywood films, and television. Their collaborative work spans musical theater, film scores, and original songs, earning them an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) status as of 2024, along with other major honors including Tony Awards, Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and Golden Globe Awards. Their breakthrough came in musical theater with works such as Edges, Dogfight, and A Christmas Story, The Musical, before achieving widespread acclaim for Dear Evan Hansen, which earned a Tony Award for Best Original Score among other recognitions. In film, they co-wrote songs for La La Land (with Justin Hurwitz), winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "City of Stars," and composed the soundtrack for The Greatest Showman. Pasek and Paul have continued to expand across media, contributing songs to projects including Spirited, Lyle, Lyle Crocodile, Only Murders in the Building, and Aladdin (live-action), while receiving early accolades such as the Jonathan Larson Award and ASCAP honors for their innovative contributions to stage and screen songwriting.

Early life

Childhood and education

Justin Paul was born on January 3, 1985, in St. Louis, Missouri, and was raised in Westport, Connecticut. From an early age, he played piano and drums and sang in church, laying the foundation for his interest in music and performance. He attended Coleytown Middle School and Staples High School in Westport, where he participated in theatre programs such as the Coleytown Company and Staples Players, starring in school productions that provided his early exposure to the performing arts. Paul went on to earn a BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan, graduating in December 2006.

Career

Partnership with Benj Pasek

Justin Paul met Benj Pasek as freshmen at the University of Michigan, where both were studying musical theater and initially aimed to pursue acting careers. They bonded over being the worst dancers in their freshman ballet class and soon began writing songs together. As sophomores, they co-wrote the song cycle Edges, a contemporary work exploring themes of coming of age and self-discovery, which premiered on April 3, 2005, in Ann Arbor. The piece gained traction through performances, a YouTube presence, and an East Coast tour, helping them secure representation while still undergraduates. Months after earning their BFA degrees in 2007, Pasek and Paul received the Jonathan Larson Grant from the American Theatre Wing, becoming the youngest recipients in the award's history. They were later honored with the ASCAP Vanguard Award, marking the first time it was given to songwriters primarily working for stage or screen. Their ongoing partnership solidified under the name Pasek and Paul, with early collaborative works including the children's musical James and the Giant Peach, which had its premiere at Goodspeed Musicals in 2010; Dogfight, an Off-Broadway production that won the Lucille Lortel Award for Best New Musical in 2012; and A Christmas Story, The Musical, which marked their Broadway debut in 2012 with a Tony-nominated score. Pasek and Paul co-founded the production company Ampersand to develop theatrical, film, television, and digital content. Their early collaboration laid the foundation for later achievements in musical theater and film.

Musical theatre

Justin Paul, in partnership with Benj Pasek, composed the music and wrote the lyrics for the musical Dear Evan Hansen, featuring a book by Steven Levenson. The show premiered at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., in 2015 and transferred to Broadway, where it officially opened at the Music Box Theatre on December 4, 2016, following an Off-Broadway engagement earlier that year. Dear Evan Hansen achieved major recognition in musical theatre, earning six Tony Awards in 2017, including Best Original Score for Pasek and Paul. The duo also received a Drama Desk Award and an Obie Award for their contributions to the production. The original Broadway cast recording won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in 2018. The West End production later won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 2020. As composers and lyricists, Pasek and Paul have focused primarily on Dear Evan Hansen as their major original stage work in recent years. They have been in development for a stage adaptation of their film The Greatest Showman at Disney. The success of their theatrical work on Dear Evan Hansen led to further opportunities in film and television scoring.

Film and television

Justin Paul, in collaboration with Benj Pasek, has established himself as a prominent songwriter and lyricist in film and television, contributing original songs and music to major studio projects and series. Their work often blends original compositions with adaptations, earning both commercial success and critical recognition across animated, live-action, and streaming formats. Their breakthrough in film came with La La Land (2016), where they wrote the original songs including "City of Stars," "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)," "Another Day of Sun," and "Someone in the Crowd." "City of Stars" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Golden Globe for Best Original Song – Motion Picture. The soundtrack achieved significant commercial impact. They followed with original songs for The Greatest Showman (2017), including "This Is Me," which won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song – Motion Picture and received an Academy Award nomination. The film's soundtrack reached number one on the Billboard 200 for multiple weeks and was the world's best-selling album of 2018. In 2019, they provided lyrics for new songs in Disney's live-action Aladdin, working alongside composer Alan Menken. They contributed music and lyrics to the 2021 film adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen, including new songs and underscore. For the Apple TV+ original film Spirited (2022), they wrote original songs such as "That Christmas Morning Feelin’" and "Do A Little Good." They also wrote the song "Top Of The World" for Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (2022). Upcoming, they have written new songs for Disney's live-action Snow White (2025), including reimagined classics and originals like "Waiting On A Wish" and "Good Things Grow." In television, they wrote original songs for Hulu's Only Murders in the Building (Season 3), including "Which Of The Pickwick Triplets Did It?" and "Look for the Light." "Which Of The Pickwick Triplets Did It?" won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics in 2024. They provided the main theme for Apple's Dear Edward and contributed songs to Amazon's Harlem. Other credits include the musical episode of The Flash.

Awards and honors

Personal life

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