Jeff Gitelman (born February 5, 1982) is a record producer, musician and songwriter from

Chișinău Chișinău ( , , ; formerly known as Kishinev) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Moldova, largest city of Moldova. The city is Moldova's main industrial and commercial centre, and is located in the middle of the coun ...

Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...

. He is known for his work with the band The Stepkids, which formed in 2010. He is also known for his composition, production, and instrumentation for J. Cole, H.E.R.,

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...

Mac Miller Malcolm James McCormick (January 19, 1992 – September 7, 2018), known by the stage name Mac Miller, was an American rapper. He began his career in Pittsburgh's local hip hop music, hip hop scene in 2007, at the age of 15. In 2010, he signed ...

and Anderson .Paak. He was nominated for a

Grammy Award for Album of the Year The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is an award presented by the The Recording Academy, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the r ...

for his work on H.E.R.'s 2019 album '' I Used to Know Her''.

Early life

Jeff Gitelman was born on February 5, 1982, to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family in

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

-ruled

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

. He and his family emigrated from

in 1991 and moved to

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

. His interest in music developed in his early childhood when he found a guitar in a trash can and his father fixed it for him. He subsequently learned how to speak English through listening to and learning how to play Western music, notably

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

Career

Performing

Gitelman's music career began while attending Amity Regional High School. After graduating from Amity, he attended

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. His first professional job was recording and touring with Lauryn Hill, which led to Gitelman being hired as a touring guitarist for

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...

, as well as performances with

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

, Chance the Rapper and others.

The Stepkids

In 2010, Gitelman, along with Tim Walsh and Dan Edinberg formed The Stepkids, a psychedelic soul band. They released their debut self-titled album '' The Stepkids (album)'' in 2011 under Stones Throw Records. The band toured and collaborated with Kimbra, Mayer Hawthorne and

Aloe Blacc Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III (born January 7, 1979), known professionally as Aloe Blacc (), is an American singer and rapper. He is known for his guest performance on Avicii's 2013 single "Wake Me Up (Avicii song), Wake Me Up", which peaked on ...

Independent work and Production

Following his work with The Stepkids, Gitelman relocated to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, to focus on production. His guitar, production, composition, and writing is featured on J. Cole's '' 2014 Forest Hills Drive'', H.E.R.'s '' I Used to Know Her'', Anderson .Paak's '' Oxnard'', Donnie Trumpet's '' Surf'',

's ''

Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

'' and '' The Divine Feminine'', ASAP Ferg's '' Always Strive and Prosper'', as well as work with

Camila Cabello Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao (; ; born March 3, 1997) is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence as a member of the Pop music, pop girl group Fifth Harmony, one of the List of best-selling girl groups, best-selling girl gro ...

, Ty Dolla $ign, Jeremih, Kid Ink, Trey Songz,

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. An influential figure in modern Hip-hop, hip hop music, Rick Ross has become known for his "Wiktionary:booming, booming" vocal perfor ...

, and others.

Education

Gitelman has worked in music education, serving on the Panel of Music Industry Advisors at the 2015 Grammy Camp in

, and conducting lectures and seminars on composition, production, music business, and performance to young musicians throughout the USA. In 2005, Gitelman co-founded the American Roots Music program, an initiative to teach young adults grades one through twelve the history of American music through performance and lecture. In 2015, Gitelman was inducted into his alma mater Amity High School's hall of fame. In 2016, Gitelman founded the Duality School of Music, that began programming during the Fall 2017 semester at Amity High School in Woodbridge, Connecticut.

Discography

With The Stepkids

* '' The Stepkids'' (2011) * ''Direct To Disc – Stones Throw Records Live Album'' (2012) * '' Troubadour'' (2013) * ''Wanderers EP'' (2011)

Solo work

* "Karaoke" ft.

Trinidad James Nicholaus Joseph Williams (born September 24, 1987), better known by his stage name Trinidad James (often stylized as Trinidad Jame$), is a Trinidadian-American rapper, songwriter and music video director. In December 2012, he signed with Def Ja ...

(2018) * "Stranger Than Fiction" (2017)

Production, composition, and writing discography

2023

; Hozier - '' Eat Your Young'' *3. "Through Me (The Flood)"

2022

;

The Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (; born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is best known for adding Pop music, pop, electronic music, electronic and hip-hop stylings ...

- ''Dawn FM'' *6. "A Tale By Quincy"

2021

; Jorja Smith - ''Be Right Back'' *3. "Bussdown" (feat. Shaybo) *6. "Burn"

2020

;

Alina Baraz Alina Baraz (born September 24, 1993) is an American singer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, she began her professional musical career in 2013 when she released "Roses Dipped in Gold". In 2015, Baraz and electronic producer Galimatias relea ...

- '' It Was Divine'' * 8. "Night And Morning" * 14. "Be Good" * 15. "Until I Met You (feat.

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air (S ...

)" ;

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne (born Kelly Brianne Clarkson, April 24, 1982), known professionally as Kelly Clarkson, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Rising to fame after winning the American Idol season 1, first season of ''Ameri ...

* 1. " I Dare You" KSI – '' Dissimulation'' * 1. "What You Been On" ;

– '' Circles'' * 13. "Right" ; Chloe x Halle – '' Ungodly Hour'' * 7. "Busy Boy" * 11. "Don't Make It Harder on Me" ; Usher * 1. " I Cry"

2019

; Allen Stone * "Sweaters" ;

Boogie Boogie is a repetition (music), repetitive, swung note, swung note or shuffle rhythm,Burrows, Terry (1995). ''Play Country Guitar'', p.42. Dorling Kindersley Limited, London. . groove (music), "groove" or pattern used in blues which was origina ...

– '' Everythings for Sale'' * 01. "Tired/Reflections" ;

Brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...

* "Freedom Rings" ; Childish Major – ''Dirt Road Diamond'' * 01. "Necessary Pressure" * 02. "To My Little Homies" * 04. "For You" ; Dinah Jane * "SZNS" ft. A Boogie wit da Hoodie ; Gallant – '' Sweet Insomnia'' * 11. "Sleep On It" ; H.E.R. – '' I Used to Know Her'' * 01. "Lost Souls" ft.

DJ Scratch George Spivey (born June 21, 1968), known professionally as DJ Scratch, is an American hip hop music, hip hop DJ and producer from Brooklyn, New York. DJ Scratch is the 1988 New Music Seminar Battle For World Supremacy DJ champion, the 2010 M ...

* 06. "Can't Help Me" * 08. "Feel A Way" * 09. "21" * 10. "Racks" ft. YBN Cordae * 15. "Take You There" * 16. "As I Am" ; JoJo * "Joanna" ; SiR – '' Chasing Summer'' * 02. "John Redcorn" ; Terrace Martin * "Intimidated"

2018

; Anderson .Paak – '' Oxnard'' * 03. " Tints" ;

– '' Camila'' * 02. "All These Years" ; Chic – '' It's About Time'' * TBA. "Till the World Falls" ; Jacob Banks – Village * 04. "Prosecco" ;

– ''

'' * 01. "Come Back to Earth" * 07. "Ladders" ; Nao – ''

Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant, with an average radius of about 9 times that of Earth. It has an eighth the average density of Earth, but is over 95 tim ...

'' * 10. "Drive and Disconnect"

2017

; Trey Songz – '' Tremaine the Album'' * 08. "She Lovin It" ; Jeremih * "Think of You" (ft.

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...

& Big Sean) ;

– ''

Rather You Than Me ''Rather You Than Me'' is the ninth studio album by American rapper Rick Ross. It was released on March 17, 2017, through Maybach Music Group and Epic Records. The album features guest appearances from Raphael Saadiq, Chris Rock, Young Thug, Wale ...

'' * 10. "Scientology" (composition)

2016

;

– '' The Divine Feminine'' * 05. "Cinderella" (ft.

Ty Dolla Sign Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Griffin gai ...

) ; A$AP Ferg – '' Always Strive and Prosper'' * 01. "Rebirth" * 05. "Psycho"

2015

; Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment – '' Surf'' * 01. "Miracle" * 02. "Slip Slide" * 03. "Warm Enough" * 05. "Wanna Be Cool" * 10. "SmthnthtIwnt" * 11. "Go" ; Karmin – '' Leo Rising'' * 07. " Along the Road" ;

Logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure o ...

– '' The Incredible True Story'' * 18. "The Incredible True Story" ; Outasight – '' Big Trouble''

2014

; Pharoahe Monch – '' PTSD'' * 16. "Eht Dnarg Noisulli"

2011

; Jennifer Hudson – '' I Remember Me'' * guitar

2009

;

– '' The Element of Freedom'' * guitar

Awards and nominations

! , - !scope="row",

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, '' I Used to Know Her'' ,

, , , - !scope="row" rowspan="2",

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, rowspan="2", " On My Mama" ,

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 re ...

, , rowspan="2", , - , Best R&B Song ,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gitelman, Jeff 1982 births 21st-century guitarists Hip-hop record producers Moldovan guitarists Living people Moldovan emigrants to the United States Musicians from Chișinău Moldovan Jews American people of Moldovan-Jewish descent