The man behind many of our favorite songs
Most often when people want to know who won at the Grammy Awards, they are interested in the “big” prizes, like Record of the Year or Album of the Year. And while this is understandable, it means that we often forget to recognize some of the people behind the scenes. One such example is the category of “Producer of the Year (non-classical)”, which honors producers for their work and achievements. Producers play a huge role in the success of a song/album.
Does Max Martin ring a bell? He is a Swedish producer who has worked with almost every pop star out there, and he is responsible for hits like Britney’s “Baby, One More Time”, Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way”, Taylor Swift's “Blank Space” and many many more.
This year, it was no other than Jack Antonoff was who bestowed with this honor, and if you haven’t heard of him before, well, then, it’s about time; because he is a musical genius. Just like Martin, he is attached to some of the best hits in recent pop history.
While Antonoff is well known for his production, he is also the lead singer of the indie-pop band, the Bleachers, as well as the guitarist and drummer for the indie rock band “Fun”.
Oh yeah, and he also has a way with words and is usually credited as a songwriter on the songs he produces. Antonoff has produced music for Lana Del Ray, Taylor Swift, Lorde, and St. Vincent, to name a few. The records he has produced, are quite simply, superior (in our humble opinion). Let’s break some of these albums down.
Lorde
Lorde’s 2017 “Melodrama”, is electro-pop at its best. Have you heard songs like, “Green Light” or “Homemade Dynamite?” Such bops.
Lana Del Ray
But being the versatile king that he is, Antonoff also collaborated with Lana Del Ray on her last two albums, “Norman F**** Rockwell!’” (2019), “Chemtrails over the Country Club” (2021) which features a more soft rock, piano-ballad-y sound. Highlights include “Cinnamon Girl” and “The Next Best American Record”.
Taylor Swift
And how can one write about Antonoff, without mentioning Taylor Swift herself, with whom he has collaborated countless times? Antonoff has previously won Grammys for his work on Swift’s “Folklore” (2020) and “1989” (2014).
He also produced Swift’s song, “Lover”, and you can see them discuss the process of creating that song here.
Additionally, any Swiftie knows that Antonoff and Swift wrote the bridge for her song “Getaway Car” from her 2017 album, “Reputation” in 30 seconds.
These two can do no wrong. If we listed every amazing song they worked on, we would be here forever (but we can’t resist naming “Cruel Summer” and “August”, which are just top tier).
To summarize, Antonoff is iconic. And a reminder that producers are the unsung heroes of our favorite pop songs! Congrats to this musical genius!
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