Max Martin
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Karl Martin Sandberg (; born 26 February 1971),Max Martin
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known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish record producer and songwriter. He rose to prominence in the late 1990s making a string of hit singles such as
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 producti ...
's " ...Baby One More Time" (1998), the
Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. The ...
' "
I Want It That Way I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plural ...
" (1999),
Céline Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...
's " That's the Way It Is" (1999) and
NSYNC NSYNC (, ; also stylized as *NSYNC or 'N Sync) was an American boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. Their 'N Sync (album), self-titled debut album was successfully rele ...
's "
It's Gonna Be Me "It's Gonna Be Me" is a song by American boy band NSYNC. It was released through Jive Records, as the second single from their second studio album '' No Strings Attached'' (2000) in the United States, and as the third single from the internati ...
" (2000). Martin has written or co-written 25 ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one songs, most of which he has also produced or co-produced, including
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 campy style, she has been referred to ...
's " I Kissed a Girl" (2008) and " Roar" (2013),
Maroon 5 Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It currently consists of lead vocalist Adam Levine, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, drummer Matt ...
's " One More Night" (2012),
Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bo ...
's " Shake It Off" and "
Blank Space "Blank Space" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her fifth studio album, ''1989''. The song was released to US radio stations as the second single from ''1989'' on November 10, 2014, by Republic Records in partners ...
" (2014), and
The Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, romance, and ...
's "
Blinding Lights "Blinding Lights" is a song by Canadian singer the Weeknd. It was released on November 29, 2019, through XO and Republic Records, as the second single from his fourth studio album, '' After Hours'' (2020). The song was written and produced by ...
" (2019) and "
Save Your Tears "Save Your Tears" is a song by Canadian singer the Weeknd from his fourth studio album, '' After Hours'' (2020). The Weeknd wrote and produced the song with Max Martin and Oscar Holter, with Belly and DaHeala receiving additional writing cred ...
" (2020). Martin is the songwriter with the third-most number-one singles on the chart, behind only
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
(32) and
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
(26). In addition, he is tied with
George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the " Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the ...
for the most Hot 100 number-one songs as a producer, with 23 as of 2021. Some of Martin's biggest hits were used in the 2019 jukebox musical ''
& Juliet ''& Juliet'' is a 2019 coming-of-age stage musical featuring the music of Swedish pop songwriter Max Martin, with a book by David West Read. The story focuses on a "what if" scenario, where Juliet does not die at the end of Shakespeare's ' ...
''. In early 2019, his single sales were tallied by ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...
'' to be at over $135 million. According to ''Variety'', his net worth was approximately $260 million in 2017. The previous year his corporate entity generated revenue of $54 million, with a profit of $19 million. Martin has won the
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 ...
Songwriter of the Year award a record eleven times. He has also received five
Grammy Awards 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 ...
, including Producer of the Year, and nominations for an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
and two
Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
.


Life and career


Early career and It's Alive

Sandberg was born and grew up in Stenhamra,
Ekerö Municipality Ekerö Municipality ( sv, Ekerö kommun) is a municipality in the province of Uppland in Stockholm County in east central Sweden. The name derives from the name of the main island within the municipality whose name is Ekerön, and literally means ...
,
Stockholm County Stockholm County ( sv, Stockholms län, link=no ) is a county or ''län'' (in Swedish) on the Baltic Sea coast of Sweden. It borders Uppsala County and Södermanland County. It also borders Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The city of Stockho ...
. His mother was a middle school teacher and his father was a police officer. As a child, Martin was a student of Sweden's public music-education scheme, and once said he had "public music education to thank for everything". As a teenager he sang in a variety of bands before joining a glam-style metal band called It's Alive in 1985 as their singer and frontman. It's Alive was formed by ex-Lazy members Per Aldeheim and Kim Björkgren on guitars, and John Rosth who had been a member of Lineout. Martin eventually dropped out of high school to pursue a career in music with his band under the nickname "Martin White". In 1988 It's Alive participated in "Rock-SM", a nationwide talent contest, and had a residency at a nightclub in
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...
. The band got a breakthrough in 1991, as Dave Constable of
Megarock Records Megarock Records was a Swedish record label which focused on heavy metal music. It was located in Stockholm. Bands * Abstrakt Algebra * Ace's High * Alien * Backyard Babies * Bad Habit * Candlemass * Criss * Crossroad Jam * It's Alive * Jes ...
offered them to make a demo record. The later debut album was originally pressed in 1,000 copies and later on given away as a free cover tape in the UK by the '' Metal Forces'' magazine. The decision to focus on a music career paid off as they landed a record deal on producer Denniz PoP's label Cheiron Records, a BMG affiliate. After recording their second album '' Earthquake Visions'', they released three singles in conjunction with the record and toured through Europe in 1994 supporting Kingdom Come. ''Earthquake Visions'' eventually sold a disappointing 30,000 copies, despite being released in as many as 30 countries. More importantly though, Martin also began collaborating on songs with PoP. Recognizing a talent for writing pop songs in the young rocker, PoP renamed his new protégé Max Martin and eventually became Martin's mentor.


Working with Cheiron and Denniz PoP

In 1993, Martin was hired by Cheiron Studios and spent some time learning the basics, before the first production collaboration between PoP and Martin: the
Rednex Rednex is a Swedish musical group whose style is a mix of American country music and modern Eurodance, with their appearance and stage names taking inspiration from the American redneck stereotypes. The band originally consisted of the lead si ...
song "
Wish You Were Here Wish You Were Here may refer to: Film, television, and theater Film * ''Wish You Were Here'' (1987 film), a British comedy-drama film by David Leland * ''Wish You Were Here'' (2012 film), an Australian drama/mystery film by Kieran Darcy-Smith ...
" in 1994. They both worked on Ace of Base's second album, '' The Bridge'' (1995), shortly thereafter, as well as on albums by 3T, Army of Lovers and
Leila K Laila El Khalifi ( ar, ليلى الخليفي; born 6 September 1971) better known by her stage name Leila K, is a Swedish Eurodance singer and rapper of Moroccan descent. Early life El Khalifi's parents decided to send her to a school in Moroc ...
. To date, ''The Bridge'' has sold more than six million copies worldwide, including one million in the United States. When Martin eventually left his band It's Alive in late 1995, he was replaced by Anders Hansson. In 1995, Cheiron Studios was hired by Zomba to work on Backstreet Boys' self-titled debut album ''
Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. The ...
'' (1996). Zomba became the main working partner since the success in 1995. Martin took part in the production of " Quit Playing Games (with My Heart)" (1996), co-written with Herbie Crichlow, a single which quickly went
platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...
and climbed to No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, as well as the singles " As Long As You Love Me" (1997) and " Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" (1997). The album was not released in the U.S. until 1997, but was released overseas and caught on all across Europe, eventually selling around 8 million copies worldwide. This led to the Backstreet Boys being relaunched in their home country later on, this time more successfully. Later that year, Martin co-wrote and co-produced Robyn's hits " Show Me Love" and "
Do You Know (What It Takes) "Do You Know (What It Takes)" is a song by Swedish singer and songwriter Robyn, released as the third single from her debut studio album, '' Robyn Is Here'' (1996). In the United Kingdom, it was issued as Robyn's second single in November 1996, ...
" which ended up on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top 10. In 1998, Cheiron Productions worked on albums by
Five 5 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 5, five or number 5 may also refer to: * AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era * 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era Literature * ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram * ''5'' (comics), an awa ...
and
Jessica Folcker Jessica Elisabeth Angelique Folcker (born 9 July 1975), known professionally as Jessica, is a Swedish singer. Her debut album ''Jessica'' in 1998 used her mononym, whereas follow up album ''Dino'' credited Jessica Folker. Her following albums ''P ...
. Jessica Folcker had first been hired as a backing singer for tracks with Ace of Base and Dr. Alban, and her debut album ''Jessica'' became an instant hit with singles like "Tell Me What You Like" and "How Will I Know Who You Are" which both sold
platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...
. After Denniz PoP died of cancer that same summer, Martin took over as director of Cheiron Studios. He soon started working with writer/producer Rami Yacoub, who continued to be his partner for many years. Martin also wrote two songs with
Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born 5 November 1959) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and photographer. He has been cited as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, and is estimated to have sold between 75 million and mor ...
during this time, "Cloud Number Nine" and "Before The Night Is Over". In late 1999,
Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...
released " That's the Way It Is", a song co-written by Max Martin to promote her
greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
album '' All the Way... A Decade of Song.'' The song became a hit, going to number 1 on the adult contemporary charts in the United States and Canada, and reaching top 10 all over the world. Since the song was released in November 1999, it has cycled 500,000 times on almost 1400 radio stations across Canada and the U.S. In 2003 Martin co-wrote and produced three songs for Dion's album ''
One Heart ''One Heart'' is the eighth English-language and nineteenth studio album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released by Columbia/Epic Records on 24 March 2003. It was promoted by the lead single "I Drove All Night". ''One Heart'' was produced mainl ...
.'' One of them, called "
Faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people ofte ...
", was released in 2003 as a promotional single in Canada and reached number 4 on the Quebec Airplay Chart and number 37 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary Chart. Martin, Andreas Carlsson, and Rami Yacoub wrote
Westlife Westlife is an Irish pop vocal group formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member, until he left in 2004. The group temporar ...
's song "I Need You" for the first Westlife album ''
Westlife Westlife is an Irish pop vocal group formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member, until he left in 2004. The group temporar ...
'' (1999). Martin, Nick Jarl, Steve Mac, and Patric Jonsson wrote Westlife's song " You Make Me Feel" for their second album '' Coast to Coast'' (2000). Max Martin, Rami Yacoub, and Andreas Carlsson also wrote one of Westlife's hits, " When You're Looking Like That", for their second album '' Coast to Coast'' (2000).


Backstreet Boys

Martin wrote, co-wrote, and co-produced 7 out of the 12 songs on the Backstreet Boys' third album ''
Millennium A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannus, kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting ...
'' (1999), including all the singles. "
I Want It That Way I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plural ...
", a hit song Martin co-wrote with
Andreas Carlsson Andreas Carlsson (; born 3 April 1973) is a Swedish music producer and pop songwriter. Biography Carlsson was part of the Cheiron Studios team until the studio was closed down in 2000. In January 2001, former Cheiron-members Andreas Carlsson, K ...
and co-produced with Kristian Lundin, became the group's biggest single to date and it is still popular today. ("I Want It That Way" was voted No. 10 in the
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
/
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
list of the "100 Greatest Pop Songs".) A VH1 special, 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s, ranked the song at number 3, making it the highest ranked boy-band single and pop song. ''Millennium'' sold over 1.1 million units in its first week in the United States, setting a record for most albums sold in its debut week (that record was later beaten by NSYNC's 2000 album '' No Strings Attached''), and was the best-selling album in the world. When working on her own solo album, to be released in 2001 on
Stockholm Records Stockholm Records is a Swedish subsidiary of Universal Music Group, founded in 1992, and known for signing musicians such as Army of Lovers and E-Type. Overview The boutique label was originally launched in 1992 as an independent record company ...
, Lisa Miskovsky wrote the lyrics for the Backstreet Boys' hit single " Shape of My Heart" with Max Martin and Rami. The song, originally written for Miskovsky's own album, was passed on to the Backstreet Boys by Max Martin when Miskovsky decided that it did not fit her style. The song became the first single off the group's fourth album '' Black & Blue'' (2000). In the first week of release, " Shape of My Heart" immediately jumped into the Top Five in Sweden, Norway, Canada, Germany and another 15 countries. ''Black & Blue'', containing several songs produced and written by Martin, sold 1.6 million units in its first week in America. Martin again received
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 ...
's award "Songwriter of the Year" both in 2000 and 2001. In April 2013 the Backstreet Boys member Brian Littrell invited Martin to collaborate on their single "
In A World Like This ''In a World Like This'' is the eighth studio album (seventh in the US) by the Backstreet Boys. It was released on July 30, 2013, through the group's own K-BAHN record label, under license to BMG Rights Management, and distributed by RED Distribu ...
". The single peaked at ''No.6'' in the ''
Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike i ...
'' chart and performed well in the rest of the world. Martin collaborated on the ''Never Gone'' songs "Climbing the Walls", "
Just Want You to Know "Just Want You to Know" is a song performed by American vocal group Backstreet Boys. The song was released on July 18, 2005, as the second single from the group's fifth studio album, '' Never Gone'' (2005). The single performed well in European c ...
", "Siberia" and " I Still...". Martin wanted the album to be more of a contemporary, alternative pop album with a little R&B. The resulting album had a more organic music style with more live instruments, and was a departure from the Backstreet Boys' earlier work.


Britney Spears

In 1998, Martin wrote and co-produced
Spears A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastene ...
' debut single, " ...Baby One More Time", for her debut album of the same name. The single was originally offered to the
Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. The ...
and TLC, though both passed on the song. That same year, Martin also co-wrote and co-produced the third single "
(You Drive Me) Crazy "(You Drive Me) Crazy" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her debut studio album, '' ...Baby One More Time'' (1999). Written and produced by Max Martin, Per Magnusson and David Kreuger with additional writing by Jörgen Elofsson ...
". By 1999, the album ''...Baby One More Time'' had sold over 15 million copies in the U.S., certifying Diamond Status. Also, within a year of its release, ''...Baby One More Time'' had become the best-selling LP by a teenager in history, selling over 30 million copies. Martin was the first non-American citizen ever to win ASCAP's prestigious award "Songwriter of the Year" in 1999, an award he also won in 2000 and 2001. Martin worked on Spears's follow-up records '' Oops!... I Did It Again'' (2000) and '' Britney'' (2001). He co-wrote and co-produced the singles " Oops!... I Did It Again" (2000), " Lucky" (2000), " Stronger" (2000), " Overprotected" (2001), and " I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" (2002). The duo ended up parting ways when Spears distanced herself from
teen pop Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards preteens and teenagers.Lamb, Bill"Teen Pop" About.com. Retrieved January 28, 2007. Teen pop incorporates different subgenres of pop music, as well as elements o ...
. Spears recorded '' In the Zone'' (2003) and '' Blackout'' (2007). At the request of Spears, Martin produced and wrote for Spears' sixth studio album ''
Circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...
'' (2008). Martin co-wrote and produced the provocatively titled electro pop song, " If U Seek Amy", which was chosen by fans to be the third single of the album. Martin then produced the number one hit, " 3", for Spears' compilation album '' The Singles Collection'' (2009). Martin was one of the executive producers of Spears's seventh album, ''
Femme Fatale A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype o ...
'' (2011). He produced several songs for the album, including the successful singles " Hold It Against Me", " Till the World Ends", " I Wanna Go", and "
Criminal In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in C ...
".


Startup of Maratone

Following the death of Denniz PoP, Cheiron Studios was closed down in 2000. Martin and Tom Talomaa then started a new production company named Maratone in January 2001 and moved into the famous Cosmos Studios building. The first songs to be written and produced at Maratone were four tracks for
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 producti ...
's album '' Britney'' (2001). The Maratone production crew initially consisted of producers/songwriters Max Martin, Rami, Alexandra,
Arnthor Birgisson Arnthor Birgisson (Icelandic: Arnþór Birgisson, born 12 February 1976 in Reykjavík, Iceland) is an Icelandic-Swedish songwriter and producer. Arnþór moved to Sweden in 1978 at age two and lives in Stockholm. Information As young Arn ...
and Shellback. Following the work with
Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...
on the album ''
One Heart ''One Heart'' is the eighth English-language and nineteenth studio album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released by Columbia/Epic Records on 24 March 2003. It was promoted by the lead single "I Drove All Night". ''One Heart'' was produced mainl ...
'' in 2003, few new hits appeared from Maratone until 2005. In 2004,
Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of '' American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her de ...
traveled to Sweden to collaborate with Martin and Dr. Luke on her second studio album, '' Breakaway''. These collaborations resulted in the rock-influenced singles " Since U Been Gone" (2004) and "
Behind These Hazel Eyes "Behind These Hazel Eyes" is a song by American singer Kelly Clarkson for her second studio album, '' Breakaway'' (2004). It was written by Clarkson with the song's producers Max Martin and Dr. Luke. The song was released on April 12, 2005, a ...
" (2005). In 2009, Martin co-wrote Clarkson's single " My Life Would Suck Without You", which was a number one hit. In 2005, Martin collaborated with the Norwegian singer Marion Raven for the release of her debut album, titled '' Here I Am,'' writing and co-writing the songs "
Break You "Break You" is a pop rock song recorded by Marion Raven and written and produced by Max Martin and Lukasz Gottwald, a.k.a. "Dr. Luke", for Raven's international debut studio album '' Here I Am'' (2005). The track was released as the lead single i ...
", " End of Me", "Here I Am", "Little By Little", "In Spite of Me", and "Six Feet Under".


Pink

Martin co-wrote and produced three songs on
Pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
's platinum-selling album '' I'm Not Dead'', including the singles, " U + Ur Hand" (2006), " Who Knew" (2006), and " Cuz I Can" (2007). Martin also collaborated with Pink for her next album, ''
Funhouse A funhouse or fun house is an amusement facility found on amusement park and funfair midways and is where patrons encounter and interact with various devices designed to surprise, challenge, and amuse them. Unlike thrill rides or dark rides, fu ...
'' (2008). Martin co-wrote the first smash hit single, " So What" (2008), plus the singles " Please Don't Leave Me" (2009) and "
I Don't Believe You "I Don't Believe You" is a song by American recording artist Pink. It was released as the sixth single from her fifth studio album, ''Funhouse''. Music and lyrics "I Don't Believe You" is set in common time and played in the key of A-flat major ...
" (2009). The duo wrote "
Whataya Want From Me "Whataya Want from Me" is a song by American recording artist and ''American Idol'' eighth season runner-up Adam Lambert from his debut studio album, '' For Your Entertainment''. It was released as the second single from the album. The song pea ...
" during the sessions for ''Funhouse'', but ultimately the song was recorded and released as a single by
Adam Lambert Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter. Since 2009, he has sold over 3 million albums and 5 million singles worldwide. Lambert is known for his dynamic vocal performances that fuse his theatrical tra ...
. Later, Martin co-wrote hits for Pink including " Raise Your Glass" (2010), " Fuckin' Perfect" (2011), and " Just like Fire" (2016), for various Pink-related projects. For her seventh studio album, ''
Beautiful Trauma '' Beautiful Trauma'' is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Pink. It was released on October 13, 2017, by RCA Records. Following '' The Truth About Love'', Pink took a career hiatus to focus on her personal life and become r ...
'' (2017), he co-wrote "
Revenge Revenge is committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Francis Bacon described revenge as a kind of "wild justice" that "does... offend the law ndputteth the law out of office." P ...
", " Whatever You Want", "For Now", and "Secrets". In 2019, for her eighth studio album, ''
Hurts 2B Human ''Hurts 2B Human'' is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Pink. Released on April 26, 2019, by RCA Records, the album was initially planned as a standalone extended play (EP). Pursuing a sound that would be departure from her p ...
'' (2019), he co-wrote "(Hey Why) Miss You Sometime".


Usher

In 2010, Martin co-wrote and co-produced
Usher Usher may refer to: Several jobs which originally involved directing people and ensuring people are in the correct place: * Usher (occupation) ** Church usher ** Wedding usher, one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony ** F ...
's song "
DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love" is a song by American singer Usher, featuring guest vocals from American rapper Pitbull, who co-wrote the song with the producers Shellback and Max Martin, with additional writing from Savan Kotecha. It was release ...
" that went number-one on the US Rhythmic charts and top-ten on the main Hot 100. Working together again, Martin co-wrote and co-produced on Usher's seventh studio album "
Looking 4 Myself ''Looking 4 Myself'' is the seventh studio album by American singer Usher. It was released on June 8, 2012, by RCA Records; it is Usher's first album for RCA after the October 2011 merger of the Jive Records group which also included his label, ...
" in 2012 making the
dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
song " Scream" that went number-one on the US
Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...
chart and number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was certified platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...
(RIAA).


Avril Lavigne

Martin worked with
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'' (2002), is the best-selling album of the 2 ...
on two songs, "Alone" and "I Will Be", which were released on some deluxe editions of Lavigne's third studio album '' The Best Damn Thing'' (2007). Martin also worked on four songs for Lavigne's fourth studio album '' Goodbye Lullaby'' (2011): the three singles "
What the Hell "What the Hell" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne from her fourth studio album, ''Goodbye Lullaby'' (2011). It was released on 10 January 2011 by RCA Records as the lead single from the album. The song was produced by Max Ma ...
" (2011), "
Smile A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile. Among humans, a smile expresses ...
" (2011), and "
Wish You Were Here Wish You Were Here may refer to: Film, television, and theater Film * ''Wish You Were Here'' (1987 film), a British comedy-drama film by David Leland * ''Wish You Were Here'' (2012 film), an Australian drama/mystery film by Kieran Darcy-Smith ...
" (2011), and the album track "I Love You".


Jessie J

Max Martin first worked with
Jessie J Jessica Ellen Cornish (born 27 March 1988), known professionally as Jessie J, is an English singer. Born and raised in London, she began her career on stage, aged 11, with a role in the West End musical '' Whistle Down the Wind''. She studied ...
on her international hit " Domino". It also achieved top ten success in other countries such as Canada and Australia. Following the success of "Domino", Martin co-produced " Bang Bang" (2014) for Jessie J,
Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...
and
Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accents ...
.


Katy Perry

Max Martin is also responsible for some of the songs of
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 campy style, she has been referred to ...
on four albums: On her debut album '' One of the Boys'' (2008), including the number-one single " I Kissed a Girl", and top 5 hit single " Hot n Cold", and following-up album '' Teenage Dream'' (2010), including the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 numbers-ones hits singles " California Gurls" (2010), " Teenage Dream" (2010), "
Firework Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices in ...
" (2010), "
E.T. ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (or simply ''E.T.'') is a 1982 American science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. It tells the story of Elliott, a boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, dub ...
" (2011)," Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" (2011) and the Hot 100 top ten hit " The One That Got Away" (2011). Martin also co-wrote the songs " Part of Me" (2012) and " Wide Awake" (2012), the former of which topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. For her third album '' Prism'' (2013), he co-wrote the No. 1 singles " Roar" (2013) and "
Dark Horse A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, or a contestant that on paper should be unlikely to succeed but yet still might. Origin Th ...
" (2013). On her fourth album ''
Witness In law, a witness is someone who has knowledge about a matter, whether they have sensed it or are testifying on another witnesses' behalf. In law a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, e ...
'' (2017), Martin co-wrote numerous songs, including the lead single " Chained to the Rhythm" which peaked at number 4.


Christina Aguilera

Confirmed by RCA Executives on 18 December 2011, Martin worked on
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 ...
's seventh studio album '' Lotus'' (2012) and was the producer of her lead single, " Your Body" (2012), as well as another song titled " Let There Be Love". Both songs reached the top of the ''Billboard'' dance/club chart.


Taylor Swift

Martin has collaborated with American singer-songwriter
Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bo ...
on three of her albums. Their first collaboration was the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number 1 hit "
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her fourth studio album, '' Red'' (2012). It was released for digital download and to U.S. pop radio as the lead single from ''Red'' on A ...
" (2012) for her album '' Red'' (2012). Martin also co-wrote and produced two other singles on the album: " I Knew You Were Trouble" (2012), which peaked at number 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and " 22" (2013). Martin also contributed to her follow-up record, ''
1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
'' (2014). He co-wrote and co-produced the singles " Shake It Off", "
Blank Space "Blank Space" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her fifth studio album, ''1989''. The song was released to US radio stations as the second single from ''1989'' on November 10, 2014, by Republic Records in partners ...
", " Bad Blood", " Wildest Dreams", "
Style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...
", and "
New Romantics The New Romantic movement was an underground subculture movement that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The movement emerged from the nightclub scene in London and Birmingham at venues such as Billy's and The Blitz. The New ...
", among other songs. Three of the songs reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Martin later worked with Swift on '' Reputation'' (2017), co-writing and co-producing eight songs, including the singles " ...Ready for It?", " End Game", and " Delicate". Swift released her second re-recorded album '' Red (Taylor's Version)'' (2021). He co-wrote three re-recorded songs, including "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", "I Knew You Were Trouble", and "22 ". He didn’t handle the production of the re-recorded songs. He also co-wrote a song called " Message in a Bottle", one of the newly added "From the Vault" tracks.


Ariana Grande

Martin first worked with
Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...
on her second studio album '' My Everything'' (2014). Martin produced the first single, " Problem", which peaked at No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 as well as No. 1 in the UK, later becoming one of the best-selling singles worldwide. Other songs from the album Martin produced include " Break Free" (peaking at No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100) and " Bang Bang" (peaking at No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 1 in the UK). Martin contributed heavily to her third studio album, '' Dangerous Woman'' (2016), most notably the singles " Dangerous Woman", " Into You", and " Side to Side", all of which peaked within the top twenty on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Martin also contributed to her follow-up records ''Sweetener'' (2018) and ''Thank U Next'' (2019), co-writing the singles " No Tears Left to Cry", " God Is a Woman", and "
Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song by American singer Ariana Grande from her fifth studio album, '' Thank U, Next'' (2019). The song was written by Grande, Savan Kotecha, Kandi Burruss, Kevin Bri ...
", among other songs.


The Weeknd

Martin co-wrote and produced three songs from
The Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, romance, and ...
's sophomore album, ''
Beauty Behind the Madness ''Beauty Behind the Madness'' is the second studio album by Canadian singer the Weeknd, released on August 28, 2015, through XO and Republic Records. It features guest appearances from Labrinth, Ed Sheeran and Lana Del Rey. The album was exec ...
(2015)'', namely " Can't Feel My Face"—which peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100—" In the Night" and "Shameless". He co-wrote and produced four songs from The Weeknd's third album, '' Starboy'' (2016). He contributed " Hardest to Love", " Scared to Live", "
Blinding Lights "Blinding Lights" is a song by Canadian singer the Weeknd. It was released on November 29, 2019, through XO and Republic Records, as the second single from his fourth studio album, '' After Hours'' (2020). The song was written and produced by ...
", "
In Your Eyes IN, In or in may refer to: Places * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN) * In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Businesses and organizations * Independ ...
", and "
Save Your Tears "Save Your Tears" is a song by Canadian singer the Weeknd from his fourth studio album, '' After Hours'' (2020). The Weeknd wrote and produced the song with Max Martin and Oscar Holter, with Belly and DaHeala receiving additional writing cred ...
" to The Weeknd's fourth studio album, '' After Hours'' (2020). The latter album was both a critical and commercial success. Martin also co-wrote and assisted in the production of
Take My Breath "Take My Breath" is a song by Canadian singer the Weeknd. It was released on August 6, 2021, through XO and Republic Records, as the lead single from his fifth studio album, '' Dawn FM'' (2022). The song was written and produced by the Weeknd, ...
, released in August 2021.


Coldplay

Martin appeared as a keyboardist on two singles from
Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University ...
's eighth studio album ''
Everyday Life Everyday life, daily life or routine life comprises the ways in which people typically act, think, and feel on a daily basis. Everyday life may be described as mundane, routine, natural, habitual, or normal. Human diurnality means most peo ...
'' (2019): " Orphans" and " Champion of the World". In June 2021, Coldplay announced their ninth studio album ''Music of the Spheres'' (2021), with Martin serving as the album's producer. The album received mixed reviews from critics but was a commercial success, debuting at the top of the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
and becoming the album with most sales in a week in the United Kingdom since
Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently re ...
's
No.6 Collaborations Project ''No.6 Collaborations Project'' is the fourth studio album and first collaboration album by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was released through Asylum Records and Atlantic Records on 12 July 2019. The album features guest appearances f ...
(2019). '' Music of the Spheres'' (2021) included songs such as " Higher Power", " Let Somebody Go", which
Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American singer, actress and producer. Gomez began her acting career on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004). As a teenager, she rose to prominence for starring a ...
appears on, and " My Universe", which BTS appears on. "My Universe" debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, giving Martin his twenty fifth number one as a writer and twenty third number one as a producer on the chart. He is tied only with
George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the " Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the ...
for producer with most ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number ones.


Others

Martin co-wrote " It's My Life" with fellow Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees
Jon Bon Jovi John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was formed in 1983. He ...
and
Richie Sambora Richard Stephen Sambora (born July 11, 1959) is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Bon Jovi from 1983 to 2013. He and lead singer Jon Bon Jovi formed the main songwri ...
. It was released on 8 May 2000 as the lead single from
Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald. Original bassist Alec John such qu ...
's seventh studio album, '' Crush'' (2000). The song was certified 2× platinum in the United States; platinum in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom; and gold in France, Japan, and the Netherlands. Fourth runner-up of the eighth season of ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to ...
'', Allison Iraheta has collaborated with Martin on her debut album. Her first single, " Friday I'll Be Over U" was written by Martin. On 17 August 2009, ''American Idol'' runner-up
Adam Lambert Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter. Since 2009, he has sold over 3 million albums and 5 million singles worldwide. Lambert is known for his dynamic vocal performances that fuse his theatrical tra ...
announced via
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
that he was in New York City with Martin recording a song for his debut album. It turned out to be the song "
Whataya Want From Me "Whataya Want from Me" is a song by American recording artist and ''American Idol'' eighth season runner-up Adam Lambert from his debut studio album, '' For Your Entertainment''. It was released as the second single from the album. The song pea ...
", that was also written by P!nk. Martin also co-wrote "
Into the Nightlife "Into the Nightlife" is a song by American singer Cyndi Lauper for her tenth studio album ''Bring Ya to the Brink'' (2008). It was written by Lauper, Bagge & Peer, Peer Åström, Johan Bobäck and Max Martin, and produced by Lauper, Åström and ...
", a popular club track recorded by
Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...
in 2008 and produced, alongside Zedd, and co-wrote "
Beauty and a Beat "Beauty and a Beat" is a song by Canadian singer Justin Bieber from his third studio album '' Believe'' (2012). It features rapper Nicki Minaj, who co-wrote it with Savan Kotecha, Max Martin and Zedd. It was also produced by the latter two with a ...
", on
Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
's 2012 album ''
Believe Believe may refer to: *Belief, a psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true, with or without proof for such proposition *Faith, a belief in something which has not been proven Arts, entertainment, and me ...
''. Martin also produced several albums for
Eurodance Euro-Dance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG, Euro-electronica or Euro) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of hip hop, techno, Hi-NRG, house music, and Euro-Disco. This ...
act E-type. In 2005, Max Martin wrote the first single-song for
pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...
duo The Veronicas, " 4ever", with Lukasz " Dr. Luke" Gottwald for their debut studio album '' The Secret Life Of...'' (2005). Also he wrote "
Everything I'm Not "Everything I'm Not" is the second single released from Australian musical duo the Veronicas' debut album, '' The Secret Life of...'' (2005). It reached number seven on the ARIA Singles Charts and has been certified gold over 35,000 units ship ...
", the second single-song of The Veronicas, the same year, again with Gottwald, Rami,
Jessica Origliasso Jessica Origliasso (born 25 December 1984) is an Australian singer-songwriter and producer. She and her twin sister formed the pop band The Veronicas. Biography 1984–2003: Early life and career beginnings Jessica Louise Origliasso was born ...
and
Lisa Origliasso Lisa Marie Huffman (née Origliasso; born 25 December 1984) is an Australian singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Albany Creek, Queensland, Lisa and her identical twin sister, Jessica Origliasso, performed in show business at a young age. Or ...
for the same album ''The Secret Life Of....'' In January 2014, Martin produced a two-minute advertisement entitled "Volvo XC70: Made By Sweden", featuring soccer player Zlatan Ibrahimović. The video of the advertisement received several million views on YouTube. 2008 saw him collaborate with
Daughtry (band) Daughtry is an American rock band formed and fronted by namesake Chris Daughtry, who was a finalist on the fifth season of ''American Idol''. Their self-titled debut album was released in November 2006 and reached number one on the ''Billb ...
for one of their singles from their 2006 debut album
Daughtry (album) ''Daughtry'' is the debut album by American rock band Daughtry, released on November 21, 2006, by RCA Records. The band is fronted by ''American Idol'' fifth season-finalist Chris Daughtry. The release is the fastest-selling debut rock album i ...
: their 2008 single Feels Like Tonight written with Dr. Luke. In early 2014, Martin co-wrote the song "Dare (La La La)" for
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 "Honorific nicknames in popular ...
's self-titled album. In April–May 2014, Martin produced
Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series '' In Living Color'', where she re ...
's song " First Love", alongside Ilya, Shellback and
Savan Kotecha Savan Harish Kotecha is an American songwriter and record producer from Austin, Texas. Kotecha is of Indian (Gujarati) descent. He was also the executive music producer of the 2020 film '' Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga'', for ...
. Between 2014 and 2015, Martin executive-produced "
Ghost Town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...
" by
Adam Lambert Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter. Since 2009, he has sold over 3 million albums and 5 million singles worldwide. Lambert is known for his dynamic vocal performances that fuse his theatrical tra ...
. In January 2015, he co-wrote and co-produced
Ellie Goulding Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. Her career began when she met record producers Starsmith and Frankmusik, and she was later spotted by Jamie Lillywhite, who became her manager and Artists and ...
's " Love Me like You Do", which reached number 3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, while also producing several songs from her album
Delirium Delirium (also known as acute confusional state) is an organically caused decline from a previous baseline of mental function that develops over a short period of time, typically hours to days. Delirium is a syndrome encompassing disturbances ...
including the hit single " On My Mind", which was released on 17 September 2015. In July 2015, Martin produced
Demi Lovato Demetria Devonne Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992), known as Demi Lovato, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series '' Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), Lovato rose to prominence for p ...
's song "
Cool for the Summer "Cool for the Summer" is a song by American singer Demi Lovato. It was released as the lead single from her fifth studio album '' Confident'' (2015) on July 1, 2015, by Hollywood Records and Island Records, and premiered on radio on the same da ...
" which reached number 11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. He also contributed to " Confident" and "For You" from their fifth studio album '' Confident''. Martin also worked with
Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American singer, actress and producer. Gomez began her acting career on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004). As a teenager, she rose to prominence for starring a ...
on her second studio album, '' Revival'', producing its third single " Hands to Myself" which became her third consecutive top 10 hit from the album. In November 2015, Adele's album '' 25'' was released and Martin co-wrote and co-produced the record's third single " Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" with Shellback, and would eventually become a top 10 hit in the US and the UK. 2016 saw Martin being heavily involved in the making of Ariana Grande's third album '' Dangerous Woman'', with half of its songs (including both singles) being produced by him. The same year, he produced the 10th track for Nick Jonas' third studio album, while also co-producing standalone songs for American singers
Pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
(" Just Like Fire") 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 campy style, she has been referred to ...
( "Rise"). In 2016, he co-wrote the song " Can't Stop the Feeling!" by
Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...
which is also the title song for the film '' Trolls'' with Shellback. The song became Timberlake's fifth and Martin's twenty-second number-one hit in the US. It reached the top spot in 16 other countries. The song gave Timberlake and Martin their first nomination for an
Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who have composed ...
. In 2019, Max Martin co-produced and co-wrote
Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently re ...
's and
Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
's hit single " I Don't Care". In 2020, Max Martin co-produced and co-wrote " Stupid Love", the first single extracted from
Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
's sixth studio album Chromatica. This marks the first time the two have worked together. In 2022, Max Martin co-produced and co-wrote Måneskin's single "
Supermodel A supermodel, also spelled super-model or super model, is a highly paid fashion model who usually has a worldwide reputation and often a background in ''haute couture'' and commercial modeling. The term ''supermodel'' became prominent in the po ...
". He also co-produced and co-wrote Lizzo's song "2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)", off of her fourth studio album, ''Special''.


Artistry


Influences

When accepting the
Polar Music Prize The Polar Music Prize is a Swedish international award founded in 1989 by Stig Anderson, best known as the manager of the Swedish band ABBA, with a donation to the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. The award is annually given to one contemporar ...
, Martin highlighted
ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The grou ...
,
Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
,
Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...
and Lasse Holm as inspirations.


Creative process

The traditional division of work in the record industry often has the artist or songwriter writing the songs and then hiring a producer to help shape the sound. But at Cheiron, it was the other way around; the producers wrote the songs, played the instruments, and engineered and mixed the recordings, and the artist was only brought in near the end of the process to do the vocals. For example, on Britney Spears's second album '' Oops!… I Did It Again'' (2000), Cheiron had already written seven songs and had proceeded to record the layers of music before Britney even arrived at the studios in early November 1999. It took her only one week to do the vocals. Martin and his team worked more like a band that alternated singers. Martin explained his working method:


Impact and legacy

Martin's influence on the music field is also seen in the effect he has had on co-producers. The music site ''
Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...
'' singles out three people as his "disciples",
Savan Kotecha Savan Harish Kotecha is an American songwriter and record producer from Austin, Texas. Kotecha is of Indian (Gujarati) descent. He was also the executive music producer of the 2020 film '' Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga'', for ...
, Dr. Luke, and Shellback. ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
'' magazine reported that "There's a cluster of high-powered songwriters who are based in Sweden, and the grandmaster is Max Martin and that when Kotecha worked with
One Direction One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group are composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik until his departure from the g ...
he credited Martin's influence 'We work melody first. That's Max Martin's school. We’ll spend days, sometimes weeks, challenging the melody. The goal is to make it sound like anyone can do this, but it's actually very difficult. In Sweden, you don’t do anything until you do it right.'" ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' reported that Martin was Dr. Luke's "Swedish mentor and frequent collaborator. If Luke is the Skywalker of pop songcraft, Max is the Obi-Wan: the reclusive master. ...The vital spark in the musical emergence of Dr. Luke was meeting Max Martin". Dr. Luke himself says of the chemistry between him and Martin "'It happened really fast. It was magical. … artin taught me thatInstead of making tracks for five thousand people, why not make tracks for a million?'" The magazine for Sweden's collection society STIM reported that Shellback became an "apprentice" with Martin acting as "his mentor" at Maratone Studios after 2006 when "Max Martin saw something special in the young man from Karlshamn. Judging by the incredible success Shellback has had since, Martin's A&R skills are some of the best in the music business". Martin's song catalog was used in the stage musical ''
& Juliet ''& Juliet'' is a 2019 coming-of-age stage musical featuring the music of Swedish pop songwriter Max Martin, with a book by David West Read. The story focuses on a "what if" scenario, where Juliet does not die at the end of Shakespeare's ' ...
'', which opened on the West End in 2019.


Personal life

Martin met his wife, Jenny (née Petersson) from Mörrum, around 2000 and they married in 2011. The couple have a daughter, born around 2001. Martin lives in
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 ...
and in
Stockholm Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...
.


Songwriting and production


''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one singles

Since 1998, Martin has written or co-written 25 ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one hit songs (most of which he has also produced or co-produced). Six of these songs debuted at number one on the chart. # 1998 – " ...Baby One More Time" by
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 producti ...
# 2000 – "
It's Gonna Be Me "It's Gonna Be Me" is a song by American boy band NSYNC. It was released through Jive Records, as the second single from their second studio album '' No Strings Attached'' (2000) in the United States, and as the third single from the internati ...
" by
NSYNC NSYNC (, ; also stylized as *NSYNC or 'N Sync) was an American boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. Their 'N Sync (album), self-titled debut album was successfully rele ...
# 2008 – " I Kissed a Girl" by
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 campy style, she has been referred to ...
# 2008 – " So What" by
Pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
# 2009 – " My Life Would Suck Without You" by
Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of '' American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her de ...
# 2009 – " 3" by Britney Spears # 2010 – " California Gurls" by Katy Perry featuring
Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
# 2010 – " Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry # 2010 – " Raise Your Glass" by Pink # 2011 – " Hold It Against Me" by Britney Spears # 2011 – "
E.T. ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (or simply ''E.T.'') is a 1982 American science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. It tells the story of Elliott, a boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, dub ...
" by Katy Perry featuring
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
# 2011 – " Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" by Katy Perry # 2012 – " Part of Me" by Katy Perry # 2012 – " One More Night" by
Maroon 5 Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It currently consists of lead vocalist Adam Levine, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, drummer Matt ...
# 2012 – "
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her fourth studio album, '' Red'' (2012). It was released for digital download and to U.S. pop radio as the lead single from ''Red'' on A ...
" by
Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bo ...
# 2013 – " Roar" by Katy Perry # 2013 – "
Dark Horse A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, or a contestant that on paper should be unlikely to succeed but yet still might. Origin Th ...
" by Katy Perry featuring Juicy J # 2014 – " Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift # 2014 – "
Blank Space "Blank Space" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her fifth studio album, ''1989''. The song was released to US radio stations as the second single from ''1989'' on November 10, 2014, by Republic Records in partners ...
" by Taylor Swift # 2015 – " Bad Blood" by Taylor Swift featuring
Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his progressive musical styles and socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generat ...
# 2015 – " Can't Feel My Face" by
The Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, romance, and ...
# 2016 – " Can't Stop the Feeling!" by
Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...
# 2019 – "
Blinding Lights "Blinding Lights" is a song by Canadian singer the Weeknd. It was released on November 29, 2019, through XO and Republic Records, as the second single from his fourth studio album, '' After Hours'' (2020). The song was written and produced by ...
" by The Weeknd # 2021 – "
Save Your Tears "Save Your Tears" is a song by Canadian singer the Weeknd from his fourth studio album, '' After Hours'' (2020). The Weeknd wrote and produced the song with Max Martin and Oscar Holter, with Belly and DaHeala receiving additional writing cred ...
" by The Weeknd and
Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...
# 2021 – " My Universe" by
Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University ...
and BTS


Awards and nominations


Academy Awards

, - , style="text-align:center;", 2017 , , " Can't Stop the Feeling!" , , Best Original Song ,


ASCAP Pop Music Awards


Golden Globe Awards

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Grammy Awards

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2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
, rowspan=2, "
I Want It That Way I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plural ...
" ,
Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...
, , rowspan=25, , - , Song of the Year , , - , ''
Millennium A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannus, kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting ...
'' , rowspan=2,
Album of the Year Album of the Year, often abbreviated to AOTY, may refer to: Awards * ARIA Award for Album of the Year, Australia * Brit Award for British Album of the Year, UK * Grammy Award for Album of the Year, US * Juno Award for Album of the Year, CA * Lati ...
, , - ,
2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...
, '' Teenage Dream'' , , - ,
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
, "
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her fourth studio album, '' Red'' (2012). It was released for digital download and to U.S. pop radio as the lead single from ''Red'' on A ...
" , Record of the Year , , - , rowspan=2,
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...
, '' Red'' , Album of the Year , , - , " Roar" , Song of the Year , , - , rowspan=3,
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...
, rowspan=2, " Shake It Off" , Record of the Year , , - , Song of the Year , , - , Self , Producer of the Year, Non-Classical , , - , rowspan=7,
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
, " Can't Feel My Face" , rowspan=2, Record of the Year , , - , rowspan=2, "
Blank Space "Blank Space" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her fifth studio album, ''1989''. The song was released to US radio stations as the second single from ''1989'' on November 10, 2014, by Republic Records in partners ...
" , , - , Song of the Year , , - , ''
Beauty Behind the Madness ''Beauty Behind the Madness'' is the second studio album by Canadian singer the Weeknd, released on August 28, 2015, through XO and Republic Records. It features guest appearances from Labrinth, Ed Sheeran and Lana Del Rey. The album was exec ...
'' , rowspan=2, Album of the Year , , - , rowspan=2, ''
1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
'' , , - , Best Pop Vocal Album , , - , " Love Me like You Do" , rowspan=3,
Best Song Written for Visual Media The Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media (including its previous names) is the Grammy Awards awarded to songs written for films, television, video games or other visual media. Recipients * Each year is linked t ...
, , - , rowspan=4,
2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
, " Can't Stop the Feeling!" , , - , " Just like Fire" , , - , '' 25'' , Album of the Year , , - , Self , Producer of the Year, Non-Classical , , - ,
2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
, '' Thank U, Next'' , rowspan=4, Album of the Year , , - , rowspan=3, 2023 , '' 30'' , , - , '' Special'' , , - , '' Music of the Spheres'' ,


Polar Music Prize

!Ref. , - , 2016 , Self ,
Polar Music Prize The Polar Music Prize is a Swedish international award founded in 1989 by Stig Anderson, best known as the manager of the Swedish band ABBA, with a donation to the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. The award is annually given to one contemporar ...
, Honoree , , - , style="text-align:center;", 1996 , Denniz PoP & Max Martin , Swedish Dance Music Awards 1996 – Best Producers , , - , style="text-align:center;", 1997 , Denniz PoP & Max Martin , Grammis Awards – Special Jury Prize , , - , style="text-align:center;", 2010 , Max Martin , STIM Platinum Guitar , , - , style="text-align:center;", 2016 , Max Martin ,
Polar Music Prize The Polar Music Prize is a Swedish international award founded in 1989 by Stig Anderson, best known as the manager of the Swedish band ABBA, with a donation to the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. The award is annually given to one contemporar ...
, , -


See also

*
Swedish pop music Swedish popular music, or shortly Swedish pop music, refers to music that has swept the Swedish mainstream at any given point in recent times. After World War II, Swedish pop music was heavily influenced by American jazz, and then by rock-and-roll ...


References


External links


Maratone
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Max 1971 births Living people Musicians from Stockholm Swedish record producers Swedish songwriters Grammy Award winners 21st-century Swedish musicians People from Ekerö Municipality Swedish expatriates in the United States Musikförläggarnas pris winners