We all know that many times it takes quite a few people to put together a hit record. While it’s becoming more and more common that pop star do in fact write their own music, there are also a ton of stars that first broke into the business as undercover songwriters and producers.
Pop artists like Ke$ha, Bruno Mars and the up and coming singer Skylar Grey all wrote tracks for the likes of Britney Spears, Katy Perry and Justin Timberlake. They may have had aspirations to become stars themselves, but a lot of artists proved themselves in the studio first. This group is proof of the power of the pen. Take a look at some of the famous and talented secret songwriters.
First up, Bruno Mars and The Smeezingtons, a production and writing trio consisting of Bruno, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine. They produced and penned hits like Travie McCoy’s ‘Billionaire,’ B.o.B.’s ‘Nothin’ On You’ and Cee Lo’s ‘F**k You.’ Their tracks were nominated for multiple Grammys and they showed up on the red carpet last night looking like a modern day Rat Pack.
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Skylar Grey: The girl you hear on Diddy-Dirty Money’s ‘Coming Home’ and Eminem and Dr. Dre’s ‘I Need A Doctor’ is also one of the minds behind ‘Love The Way You Lie.’ She even recorded her
own version of the track. Skylar also earned a Grammy nod for the heart-wrenching track and is currently working on a full length album.
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Jessie J: This British ingenue owns the #1 spot in the UK for her infectious pop track ‘Price Tag’ Feat. B.o.B. but she began her career writing tracks for Rihanna, Justin Timberlake and Alicia Keys. She also co-wrote Miley Cyrus’ ‘Party In The U.S.A.’
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Ke$ha: Ke$ha may wake up everyday feeling like P.Diddy after she nabbed the #1 song of 2010: ‘Tik Tok’ and has had a consistent stream of hits ever since. But when she first started out, she was only the girl singing on Flo Rida’s ‘Right Round’ and writing songs for Kelly Clarkson’s hit record ‘Breakaway.’ She also sang backup for both Britney Spears and Katy Perry.
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Alex Da Kid: This British producer is known for his work with Skylar Grey and Eminem, producing ‘Love The Way You Lie’ and ‘I Need A Doctor’ but he’s also worked with Nicki Minaj, Hayley Williams, Lupe Fiasco, Rihanna and B.o.B. He’s the secret weapon behind most of the hip pop tracks you hear on the radio today and he won a Grammy for his work on Eminem’s ‘Recovery.’
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Keri Hilson: Hilson made herself a name as a songwriter, penning tracks for several artists in the mid-2000s as part of the five-person production/songwriting team known as The Clutch. A few of
