The Matrix is an American-British songwriting and record production team, consisting of
Lauren Christy
Lauren Christy is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. Originally a solo artist, she found success as part of the writing production trio The Matrix. The Matrix received numerous Grammy nominations including best producer.
Biogr ...
,
Scott Spock
David Scott Alspach, known professionally as Scott Spock, is an American songwriter, record producer and composer. He is known for being a member of the pop writing and production team The Matrix, who have written and produced many hit single ...
, and Graham Edwards. In 1999, the production team took on their first project, the
Jackson Mendoza
Jackson Mendoza was a short-lived Australian pop duo consisting of the sisters Natalie (born 1978) and Rebecca Jackson Mendoza (born 1973). Jackson Mendoza's first single, "Venus or Mars", was the first song written by the music production team ...
song "Venus or Mars"; it was intended to be a one-off project. Christy, Spock, and Edwards enjoyed the songwriting and production process, which prompted them to form a production team. The team chose their name, the Matrix, as they wanted to remain in the background and allow the artists they work with to further stand out.
The Matrix's breakthrough came in 2002 with the release of
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne ( ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. At age 16, she signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. Her debut studio album, ''Let Go (Avril Lavigne album), Let Go'' (2002), is the ...
's debut studio album ''
Let Go'', in which they co-wrote and produced five songs. Three of the songs became top ten singles on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart ("
Complicated", "
Sk8er Boi
"Sk8er Boi" (pronounced "skater boy") is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne, released as the second single from her debut album, '' Let Go'' (2002). It was written by Lavigne and the Matrix (Scott Spock, Lauren Christy, and Graham ...
", and "
I'm with You") and their work with Lavigne collectively earned them seven
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
nominations in 2003 and 2004. The success of these songs caused the Matrix to become a sought after production team, with the Matrix subsequently producing songs for artists such as
Liz Phair
Elizabeth Clark Phair (born April 17, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Phair was raised primarily in the Chicago area. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to start a musical career ...
,
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
,
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...
, and
Korn
Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream.
Originally formed in 1993 ...
.
In 2002, the Matrix began work on their own studio album under
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
. The production team recruited Adam Longlands (then known as A.K.A.) and
Katy Perry
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...
to record lead vocals on the effort. A full album was recorded, several music videos were produced, and a tentative release date was set for the summer of 2004. However, the project was abruptly cancelled only weeks before its intended release. Following the release and subsequent success of Perry's second studio album ''
One of the Boys
''One of the Boys'' is the second studio album by American singer Katy Perry. It was released on June 17, 2008, by Capitol Records. She collaborated with producers Greg Wells, Dr. Luke, Dave Stewart, Max Martin, and Ted Bruner among others, on ...
'' (2008), the Matrix independently released their album under the title ''The Matrix'' on January 27, 2009.
Formation
In 1991,
Lauren Christy
Lauren Christy is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. Originally a solo artist, she found success as part of the writing production trio The Matrix. The Matrix received numerous Grammy nominations including best producer.
Biogr ...
and her then-husband Graham Edwards relocated to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, in an effort to support her budding music career.
Christy released two studio albums, including ''Lauren Christy'' (1993) and ''
Breed
A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...
'' (1997).
In 1998, Edwards formed the electronic pop duo
Dollshead
Dollshead was an American alternative rock/electronic band. Its members were California-born vocalist Sierra Swan and bassist Graham Edwards from Scotland, who in 1997 began collaborating after an impromptu jam session at a Los Angeles studio. T ...
with singer Sierra Swan.
Scott Spock
David Scott Alspach, known professionally as Scott Spock, is an American songwriter, record producer and composer. He is known for being a member of the pop writing and production team The Matrix, who have written and produced many hit single ...
remixed one of the duo's songs, which ultimately resulted in Edwards asking Spock to join Dollshead.
Spock accepted this offer and the group began writing songs together. In 1999, Dollshead's manager asked the group if they could write a song for Australian pop duo
Jackson Mendoza
Jackson Mendoza was a short-lived Australian pop duo consisting of the sisters Natalie (born 1978) and Rebecca Jackson Mendoza (born 1973). Jackson Mendoza's first single, "Venus or Mars", was the first song written by the music production team ...
.
Christy and Edwards were apprehensive to accept this project, as they vowed to not professionally work together when they originally wed.
The group, however, eventually accepted the project and wrote "Venus or Mars" for the duo. While this project was meant to be a one-time occurrence, the group decided to continue writing and producing together due to the song being well-received and their overall enjoyment of the process.
In reference to the production group's name, Spock explained: "We don't want to take the glory, which is why we took the name the Matrix, to be in the background, to make the artist's name stand out more".
Career
Writing and producing
The Matrix first came to prominence in the early 2000s for their collaborations with pop music artists such as
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...
,
Busted,
Myra
Myra ( grc, Μύρα, ''Mýra'') was a Lycian, then ancient Greek, then Greco-Roman, then Byzantine Greek, then Ottoman town in Lycia, which became the small Turkish town of Kale, renamed Demre in 2005, in the present-day Antalya Province of ...
,
Hilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including seven Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, four Teen Choice Awards and two Young Artist Awards. She began her act ...
,
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne ( ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. At age 16, she signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. Her debut studio album, ''Let Go (Avril Lavigne album), Let Go'' (2002), is the ...
,
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz (; born June 23, 1977) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, ''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' (2002), which spawned the single " The Remedy (I Won't ...
,
Liz Phair
Elizabeth Clark Phair (born April 17, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Phair was raised primarily in the Chicago area. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to start a musical career ...
,
Ashley Tisdale
Ashley Michelle Tisdale (born July 2, 1985) is an American actress and singer. During her childhood, she was featured in over 100 advertisements and had minor roles in television and theatre. She achieved mainstream success as Maddie Fitzpatr ...
,
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...
,
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
,
Miranda Cosgrove
Miranda Taylor Cosgrove (born May 14, 1993) is an American actress and singer. She was the highest-paid child actor in 2012 and was included on ''Forbes'' magazine's " 30 Under 30" list in 2022. She is known for her career on television, parti ...
, and
Tokio Hotel
Tokio Hotel is a German pop rock band, founded in 2001 by singer Bill Kaulitz, guitarist Tom Kaulitz, drummer Gustav Schäfer, and bassist Georg Listing. Their sound encompasses multiple genres, including pop rock, alternative rock, and electro ...
. They went on to co-write and produce
metal
A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...
band
Korn
Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream.
Originally formed in 1993 ...
's seventh studio album ''
See You on the Other Side'' which sold over two million copies worldwide.
''The Matrix''
Prior to the formation of The Matrix, all three members of the production team worked as performers in their own right. With this knowledge,
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
executive
Tim Devine
Tim Devine is an American music executive and entrepreneur. The founder of Webcastr, Devine is best known for his work as an a&r executive.
Early life and education
Devine spent his childhood in Chicago, Kansas City, New York and New Jersey a ...
suggested to The Matrix that they record and release an album of their own. The production team desired to have an outlet to release their own music, although they also wanted to avoid media attention.
As a result, they recruited Adam Longlands (then performing under the stage name A.K.A.) and
Katy Perry
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...
to perform lead vocals on their album.
Blender: The Next Big Thing! Katy Perry
The production team was already working with Longlands on several songs prior to inviting him onto the project. Perry was suggested to The Matrix by Devine after he was introduced to her by Glen Ballard
Basil Glen Ballard Jr. (born May 1, 1953) is an American songwriter, lyricist, and record producer. He is best known for co-writing and producing Alanis Morissette's 1995 album ''Jagged Little Pill'', which won Grammy Awards for Grammy Award fo ...
. Devine was particularly impressed with Perry's vocals and overall charisma. When speaking on why The Matrix chose Longlands and Perry to join their team, Lauren Christy
Lauren Christy is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. Originally a solo artist, she found success as part of the writing production trio The Matrix. The Matrix received numerous Grammy nominations including best producer.
Biogr ...
explained: "The reason we picked Katy and A.K.A. is they’re amazing performers. [Graham Edwards, Scott Spock
David Scott Alspach, known professionally as Scott Spock, is an American songwriter, record producer and composer. He is known for being a member of the pop writing and production team The Matrix, who have written and produced many hit single ...
, and I] like our role in the background and it shall continue to be there."
Development for the album lasted over two years, with the team forming tentative plans to debut the material in 2004. The planned lead single, "Broken," was set for release in the spring with the self-titled album following in the early summer. In February 2004, the ''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' revealed four song titles set for inclusion on the album: "Love Is a Train," "Damn," "Another Year to Come," and "Do You Miss Me". A full album was recorded, several music videos were produced, and there were plans for a heavy promotional album campaign. The album, however, was abruptly shelved several weeks before its intended release. The Matrix explained that they cancelled the project following their dissatisfaction with the time commitments of interviews and live performances, finding that these demands gave them less time to devote to music production. Ballard later commented that the project fell apart internally, with the team being unable to even agree upon a lead single.
Four years after the shelving of ''The Matrix'', the production team formed plans to release the album in 2008 on their own record label, Let's Hear It Records. These plans, however, were delayed after Perry's debut single, "I Kissed a Girl
"I Kissed a Girl" is the debut single of American singer Katy Perry from her second studio album, ''One of the Boys'' (2008). It was released on April 28, 2008, by Capitol Records as the lead single from the record. Perry co-wrote the song with ...
," achieved international commercial success in April 2008. Christy reached out to Perry in regards to releasing the album, prompting Perry to ask the team to wait until the fourth and final single from ''One of the Boys
''One of the Boys'' is the second studio album by American singer Katy Perry. It was released on June 17, 2008, by Capitol Records. She collaborated with producers Greg Wells, Dr. Luke, Dave Stewart, Max Martin, and Ted Bruner among others, on ...
'' (2008) was released. ''The Matrix'' was officially released on iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
on January 27, 2009 by Let's Hear It Records. When speaking on the album, Christy commented: "We don't want to be pop stars, and we're not releasing it on a major label. And it's not called 'Katy Perry and the Matrix.' These are just great songs, and I'm very proud of it." The album failed to attain any notable commercial success, while it received mixed critical reception.
Accolades
The members of The Matrix are 7-time Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
-nominated songwriters and producers and the recipients of the Ivor Novello Award
The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been a ...
for Best International Hit of the Year 2003 and BMI and ASCAP
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
Songwriters of The Year 2004, as well as 2-time Canadian Juno
Juno commonly refers to:
*Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods
*Juno (film), ''Juno'' (film), 2007
Juno may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters
*Juno, in the film ''Jenny, Juno''
*Ju ...
winner for Pop Song of the Year and Album of The Year 2003.
Production and songwriting discography
References
External links
The Matrix
on Myspace
"The Matrix Keeps the Faith"
''MusicWorld''. January 27, 2004.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matrix, The
American record producers
Record production teams